Carling Weekend: Reading Festival - Richfield Avenue, Reading - 25-27/8/00
1/5
By: Toby L
Location: Richfield Avenue, Reading.
Date: Friday 25th - 27th August 2000.
Time: Music from 11:00am-11:30pm.
Bands: 131 Live Acts - 14 DJs - 26 Cabaret Acts.
Stages: Six - Main Stage, Radio One Evening Session Stage, Dance Stage, The Carling Premier Stage, The UK Play Comedy Tent, Bacardi B Bar.
Prices: £80 for 3-day weekend pass with camping and car park access or £33 for limited availability day tickets (excluding camping and car park access)
Capacity: 50,000 people - SOLD OUT.
The Festival
The Reading Festival site is remarkably different to that of Glastonbury's. Well, in the sense that it's much smaller anyway. Just to give those of you that haven't attended this legendary festival a perspective of how large the main arena is, think the shape and size of the Glasto Pyramid Stage field and you're about right. And that's for all of the food and market stalls, every stage, plus the entire audience. However, when you're there, walking from stage to stage (or, most likely, bar, to stage, to bar, to stage, to toilet), it really does take it out of you. Before you know it, you're either watching hippies in tents use the largest bongs imaginable or getting shacked up with a mysterious, Swedish partner in your tent because you're just too knackered to continue walking around the main arena and surrounding campsite fields.
The Reading Festival, or now, the Reading/Leeds festival has, in recent years began shaking up its line up. Traditionally known as a rock festival since the Mean Fiddler took it over in the late eighties, 1998 saw the (hopefully) temporary demise of the Mean Fiddler's other festival, the Phoenix, based in Stratford Upon Avon (yeah, near Shakespeare's gaff). Despite boasting a line-up to feature exclusive performances from Ocean Colour Scene and the Prodigy, not to mention New Order's return to the live arena after too long away, tickets failed to sell. This led to organiser Vince Power cancelling the festival, which was famous for being the UK's only 4-day camping music outing. However, rather than letting those few thousand that had purchased tickets down who wanted to see their headliners, Power moved a couple of the main ones over to Reading in August, which had already promised headline appearances from Page and Plant, Beastie Boys and Garbage. This resulted in the 1998 Reading Festival being one of its most successful yet due to the exclusive booking procedure where bands playing the festival promised to avoid playing other English outdoor events during the summer. Keeping the formula for the following year, Blur, Chemical Brothers, Charlatans and Red Hot Chili Peppers were all reserved for special headline slots and the event was a roaring success, the line-up arguably eclipsing any of the other UK's summer events.
With 2000, however, things stepped up even more. The headliners included artists that just weren't booked for any other UK shows in the whole year, such as Pulp and Stereophonics, plus an appearance from Oasis, a band that vowed they 'need two million reasons' for why they should play a festival at this stage in their career. In addition to that, shows from Rage Against The Machine, Limp Bizkit, Foo Fighters, Blink 182, Slipknot, Placebo and The Deftones would ensure that Reading's rock routes would remain firmly in place. 2000's event sold out in record time with the press reckoning that its line-up was the strongest in festival history and rockfeedback agreed. The Reading/Leeds festivals have now gained a status so huge that Glastonbury's days may be numbered as the supreme UK festival experience...
Day One - Reviews
Oh, we're here. We smell that smell (the toilets), it's that time of year again (to get merry, fall asleep in a soggy tent and wake up with half-used fags imprinted in our foreheads), and this is the line-up that other festivals must have been crying over. Never before has Reading seemed so packed with bodies and the sun is here for us today.
The action luckily gets started early onsite (aside from the record-fair in the nearby Rivermead Centre) as bands kick off at midday, sharp-ish. The Lapse and The High Fidelity (no, not the film) start the guitar-indie in the Evening Session Stage: a huge, not totally fetching blue and orange tent, which at this time of day sees a crowd scarce of life, despite anticipation.
The main-arena isn't crowded now anyway; most are recovering from alcohol-poisoning from the night before when most of happy campers arrived. However, those that are here seem to be checking out Ooberman prancing about on the main stage, a band clutching their singles to their bosom before dispensing them before a riotously motionless crowd. It's an up-tempo opening performance alright - quite alike Atari Teenage Riot's manic-shock set that began last year's second day here; being rowdy at Reading must rule.
A more feet-friendly start to the day may have come from the bust-a-move, funk-feast that appeared in the thank-God-it-must-be-larger-than-last-year Dance Tent as Monk and Canatella thrust their big beats in a live performance. Bloody hell, that was loud. Seeking refuge and a place free from a pounding head, we fail and watch Boss Hog, their fierce riffs and grungy female vocals serving as the first US burst of rock to be viewed in the festival, and - despite their early billing - a respectable reception is tossed their way.
A wander behind us and we find ourselves in a trippy, dance, guitar-ridden setting known as the trippy though mosh-pit accessible world of Big Yoga Muffin. Songs aren't accepted readily, many onlookers quick to write them off, tragically blasé, and overlooking the merits of the infectious 'Is That How You Get Off' (a shame the Regal Recording artists Orange Can pulled out). Oh well - at least the John Peel-championed Elbow create fans in the Carling Premier Stage, showcasing tracks from their current, stunning 'Newborn EP' release to dizzying applause - a response similar to what the similarly Mancunian Doves achieve at the preposterously early time of just 2pm on the Main Stage. Striding triumphantly and confidently into 'Catch the Sun', a band so commonly stereotyped to beard-strokingly, beautiful hymns of melodic tunefulness find themselves rocking out and causing the first ten rows of people to bounce wildly on the ground. However, a band expected to actually play what their tag reads ('Explosive guitar pop-punk-rock-dance, with enough energy to power up a nation-wide collection of shopping-centre escalators') do so and pick up even more fans to the bunch they've already assembled. Yes, it's those lads that wear their heartache on their sleeves - King Adora. Hits are extracted and blown to pieces with the help of their scratched instruments which aren't saved by the fact that they're tossed into the air by the end of their typically short show.
The first of two DJ sets from Scanty Sandwich in the Dance Tent proves that the disc-spinner in question actually isn't Fatboy Slim, bearing in mind that there were tabloid rumours pointing to these top-five artists being Norman Cook in disguise. The tunes are there (ones you know and most you don't) all with mixing done right in front of us, although the sound is hardly altered.
Yet it's time to get political with what became a talking point amongst certain festival-goers - Asian Dub Foundation. They've always spread their message of racial equality through inspiring reggae-tinged rock music and electric live shows as well as political views that are always spot on, but the inclusion of their views between songs just seemed to get too heavy for this more ambient set of attendees. Proof if proof were needed then, that festivals aren't the best of places to cause a revelation; for too many, the urge to recline and to chill out with music, a beer, possibly some, err, other things and just relax, distorts ADF's intent. But, as the music-weeklies point out, their product really demonstrates their journey for a fair world in a more credible approach - just listen to 'Real Great Britain', the performance today almost as important as any Sex Pistols' number performed live back in the day. The Dub's live-action alone is enough to hammer into your head what's wrong and right - the slogans ain't needed.
A zip around the Carling Premier Stage finds us nodding heads with the sleaze-rockin' North Mississippi Allstars, whose growling, grinding guitar and blow-out bass is mildly enticing. What else is exciting is how busy the Dance Tent is once Regular Fries and Dope Smugglaz are blasting their collective noise through it. Big beards accompany the latter and a cult following goes arm in arm with the former, winding together a duo of bass and music that is heavier than death-metal.
Brassy supported Idlewild on their last UK tour earlier this year and it's no secret that lead-sister Muffin is related to Jon Spencer, which may help explain why there's an element of that funky rock vibe that bounces through their repertoire, and why there's a curious few in attendance. However, the audience seem bewildered by their closing number, although the female bassist, wearing just a bra and trousers, gets a favourable mention in nearby conversations. Clinic are dressed to kill in their white surgeon outfits, complete with electric guitar stompers that surpass musical classification. However, on record they seem more refined and tight with 'The Return of Evil Bill' typically being an ear ringing high-point.
It was around this time that many of the weekend's hippies for three days found a band on the Main Stage to be their personal festival favourites, Limp Bizkit. Fred Durst and co. seemed just too big for their fifth to the top of the bill placing this year, but they were magnified in size simply by having an eye-achingly massive blue backdrop sporting the group's name. And there's their monster tunes of course. 'Nookie' is too loud for the speakers it already it, and the crowd reception is higher in volume than two love-struck dinosaurs deciding to get it on in an open field. The extravagant finale amidst 'Take A Look Around' sees fireworks at the front of the stage and an eruption of gold and silver glossy paper exploding seemingly out of the band-members themselves. Over-produced, overblown, but thrillingly done.
This leaves The Bluetones with a lot of pressure; they'd have to come up with a set so smooth that PVC trousers could slide along their greased-up backs, and a show so riveting that the Bizkit would have to change their names to Bobby-Joe, Steve, James and Davy in order to form a Backstreet Boys tribute band. This all obviously wasn't going to happen, so what lead-singer Mark craftily decides is to perform a show just as good; 'Solomon Bites the Worm', 'Slight Return', 'Bluetonic', Keep the Homefires Burning', 'Autophilia' and 'If...' treat ears to a pure pop, sumptuous sound, with the ending of a sailor picking up Mark, plonking his hat on the camp lead-singer's noggin and carrying him off to the darkness of the stage, the band still playing along, being absolute magic.
Portraying tracks from their debut effort 'Much Against Everyone's Advice', the Belgian Soulwax rock in ways once thought illegal, where tunes and good suits take equal pride of place; this is what the Mafia would sound like if they were in an indie combo. Ending with re-released single, which has been C-listed by Radio One - come on lads: make the charts - 'Too Many DJs' finishes a triumphant, surprise set with all panting to other directions of the site.
Irish snarling comes from the band with a live following Wilt, who blow away the Carling Premier Stage even if there wasn't a huge audience to witness the event happening, whilst a quick pop into the UK Play Comedy Stage finds a packed-in crowd for top Irish comedian Ed Byrne, though not enough time was taken to see if he had performed any mother-in-law gags. French dub-crew Rinocerose transfix funky bits and doobries into our heads (thank you huge PA system, complete with a sub-woofer strong enough to blow several storeys from a skyscraper) and the exit is soon headed for.
Mind you, we're only leaving so we can catch a sneak-peek of the Foo Fighters. Their one-hour long set is a thunderous run-through of their back catalogue, but soon lacks valuable bite and raucous energy when singer-guitarist Dave Grohl gets understandably nervous once the crowd pogo, mosh and, eventually squash each other at the front. A few people fall down and his reaction-time is admirable during 'My Hero' when the music stops and he urges us to pull backwards, genuine worry engraved in his face. Songs 'Big Me', 'For All The Cows' and even 'This is a Call' are kept slow and tight, but, realising that the problems now seen resolved, bursts of spasms are exerted from all during particularly fiery run-throughs of the closing 'Monkey Wrench' and epic 'Everlong'.
Fantastic melodic stylings are delivered from the US Grandaddy, whose brilliance is proved by the fact that they're now filling venues that the Super Furry Animals were playing two years ago when the two acts toured with one another. A thinking music-fan's band, the floaty and effervescent sounds often bubble well over the heads of the people in the Reading second stage today; fair story, really - you have to know gems such as 'Crystal Lake' to respect their timidly, harmless beauty and a festival environment seems a wrongful place to start getting to know 'em.
Dot Allison gains a fair turnout in the Carling Stage, her reputation having grown due to her Death In Vegas collaboration on their cult-hit 'Dirge'. Hope for a guest appearance from Richard Fearless, with whom she collaborates on her current Heavenly Records 'Afterglow' release is shattered when he doesn't appear, but still, some nice tunes and a quenchable, sexy live image. Warp Records signings Plaid provide a calculated live-set with more knob-twiddling than any other act that appeared live on the Dance Stage this weekend, producing a continuous groove that would get the hardened of dance music-haters shaking their asses. Keeping in the covered surroundings of this funk world, DJ Freddy Fresh belts out hip-hop and quick house jams and, upon walking out after his start, we find Primal Scream, opening with blaring sirens and the Chemical Brothers-sound-a-like 'Swastika Eyes'.
The Scots legends embark on a set that saw them displaying 'Higher Than The Sun' amongst the smutty rock of, well, 'Rocks', alongside 'Loaded', 'Kowalski' and a remarkably pleasing 'Movin' On Up'. Bobby Gillespie's voice garbled during the set in a sometimes-incomprehensible murmur, though with every strut and thrust, he seemed every centimetre the perfect rock star. Lucky tonight there's a band that can follow up this festival highlight, and it comes in the shape of what people have described as 'three session musos and two quarrelling brothers'. So, who would that be then..?
Though, before all that, there's Ween, making a rare UK festival appearance to a full-to-busting Evening Session tent, though one fan complains after their set, 'It was good, but they missed out a lot of their earlier material and preferred to focus in on their 'White Pepper' record (current album).' Bearing in mind that their new album is exquisite, this can't be too bad a thing. However, fans of earlier material will probably find their faves being bashed out in September at their one-off Astoria date in London.
Hanging around in the tent proves that Shed Seven do still have loads of fans - it gets quite busy, with a healthy mosh-pit soon assembled. Before too long, Rick Witter and the others find their places and play... a greatest hits set, with a couple of similar new tracks. The last acts on the Carling Premier Stage make welcome performances to the festival: The Dirty Three and headliners Calexico, who are due to be playing a one-off at the Shepherds Bush Empire in September. The 'post-modern jazz' and distinctly American-sounding latter make for stirring viewing, with tracks merging into one another even after they've already finished, whilst The Dirty Three perform affecting and soulful pieces, some taken from their score of the film 'Praise'. A diverse and stunning closure to a day in the tent as miscellaneous and sundry as anything else assembled. Breathtaking seems to be the theme all round to close this day on all the music stages: after the Japanese techno of Ken Ishi in the dance arena, well, there's more techno with the master-spinner, French genius, Laurent Garnier. Fusing every style of music imaginable and slapping a hardcore beat on it where necessary, tracks hover around heads and take off just when you want them too. Stunning, blinding, freak-y'all-out lights - yep, they were there too.
Muse, who have had one hell of a year, topped off with forty-two festival dates in eighteen different countries this summer alone, polish off their achievements with this victorious headline slot on the Evening Sesh stage. Still sporting his blue hair, Matt Bellamy's confidence has grown even inexplicably more, producing a more enigmatic and watchable frontman. With 'Muscle Museum' and 'Sunburn' threatening to blow the roof off the tent judging by crowd reaction, which also causes the band to improvise during a chant of 'F**k off Oasis', it all winds up with their instruments needing to be sticky-taped back up again. Their poor roadies.
But here we are; what has promised to be the biggest part of the weekend, even though it's on the first evening, has arrived. But why for the first 45 minutes of Oasis' set does it feel like the entire atmosphere is missing? Maybe it's the wind; it was sometimes impossible to even make out the sound at all with the howling that was going on.
However, maybe it was down to the fact that Oasis haven't changed the live-set for months now and it's turning stale. Sure, Liam sounds as great as ever, but there's notably no passion. Even when the brothers Gallagher joke onstage between songs, it seems as if their feud is no more than media-hype. The first sign of something wrong was 'Acquiesce' - Noel's chorus is meant to be anthemic, not sleep-inducing. Yet the largest U-turn in the history of music occurs; it must have been during 'Stand By Me' - the crowd starts singing, the band begin moving and it becomes a happening. All that follows hits the spot every time: 'Live Forever', 'Don't Look Back In Anger', 'Champagne Supernova' all epic and breathtaking.
By the closing bars of 'Rock & Roll Star', mouths were dropped open and smiles on every face of the band and crowd. A mind-blowing experience. If the rumours are true of their uncertain future, then - judgingly - there seems to be an immediate, several dozen thousand that aren't going to take such news willingly.
Photo-Credit: Virtual Festivals
Day Two - Reviews
Kent may be on first today, but they make a sound as impressive as if they were headlining, what with their epic, overblown, pop - keep at it lads; whilst the funky Kustom Built rattle us all about with their Happy Mondays tribute 'Takin' Care of Business' and downbeat 'Torch Song'. The Supergrass-sound-a-likes and getting-almost-as-good-a-likes Crashland thunder through the midday PA system with 'New Perfume' with the firstly-unveiled-at-All-Tomorrow's-Parties South rocking to a slowly-filling Carling Premier Stage.
However, as dandy as this all is, no one expects there to be a happening; after all, it is 12:45pm and many haven't even woken up yet. However, something does happen - The Delgados on the Main Stage. Being kept down to a 35-minute set, they blast their way through six bursts of genius, complemented further by a string quartet and flute-player, no less. New single 'No Danger' ends their whirlwind set that divided onlookers who responded in either fits of excitement or shouting, 'You suck'; they don't, and serve as an eclectic, stand-out breath of fresh air. And they even make the rain that pattered on our tents that Saturday morn feel as if it never existed.
But Gorky's Zygotic Mynci don't get it that easy, coming onstage to nothing but technical problems. You could see why doubt was cast over if they would actually be able to perform - their guitars sounded as if they could only be played in distortion - Gorky's followers know that's not an option. Luckily, however, just as the sun came out, along with all the people, it came together, so they suitably opened with... 'Let's Get Together', prompting a set of greatest hits, with guest guitarist, Norman Blake of Teenage Fanclub pulling off solos to die for in 'Humming Song'. Lovely.
However, 'lovely' is not the reaction JJ72 get, as the Irish top-30 stars trot onstage. With a bulging tent here to see just why this band have become so popular in such a short time, a hostile, folded-arms kind of, 'Well, come on then, impress me' attitude is arrogantly struck out out, effectively causing the audience to write off the band before they've even struck a chord. But let's not get it too wrong, the fans at the front love it - singing along with set-opener 'Long Way South' and mega-hit 'Oxygen', even if there was no hiding the chorus of boos that were heard echoing around the back of the arena.
... And You Will Know By The Trail of Dead, showcasing tracks from their fine 'Madonna' LP, packed as much of the tent as they did a racket. Shakes of energy rippled through the Texan foursome as they crashed their way through a brutal set where it wasn't a shock that just days prior to this appearance, the drummer has sustained injuries after a London show crowd-invasion on the stage. Idlewild maintain the uniquely heavy vibe, in fact going on to play their finest set rockfeedback has certainly seen.
Opening with crowd-fave '4 People Do Good', easing into 'Little Discourage', the audience is understandably vast for their arrival, going on to react to anthems such as 'When I Argue' with a reception usually held back for the headliners. Lead-singer Roddy Woomble clearly knows this is a good day for them too; for once, he just couldn't stop smiling. And neither could we.
The raucous and growling drones from Terris' Gavin are irresistibly ferocious, keeping in line with a similar backing sound at about 3:30pm in the Evening Session Stage. Single 'Cannibal Kids' remains a firm, live favourite and a zip over to the Carling Premier stage sees the heavy pop of co.uk inflicted upon a fair-sized audience with tunes that bear a potential assault on ears, provided ample plugging. And all soon get excited as the Dutch Junkie XL pops onstage, going on to sing radio-favourite 'Zerotinine', complete with sloppy samples and slashing strings.
But now it's megastar time, people, people - and this comes in the form of a deafeningly well-received set from Chino and co. in The Deftones. By the time their fifty-minute show had concluded, people mutually came away depicting enthusiastically how they had outweighed their expectations, why the latter-day 'White Pony' material sounded better live than on record, etc. and Dark Star had to make do with a similarly stunning set. 'Graceadelica', known by all present, shows off their stage-skills when they're playing at their most full-on best, whilst a soaring 'I Am The Sun' still proves their finest.
DJ Swamp, prior to a headline performance playing with Beck, undertakes the first of two 45-minute appearances in the Dance Tent, receiving hands in the air and the sight of more ludicrously dancing UK inhabitants - please boys, give it a rest - don't get drunk in public. A boggling beginning by the ever chirpy guitar-pop of Elastica involves a razor-sharp performance of 'The Bitch Don't Work', before they rip off their guitars and run offstage. Needless to say, the crowd doesn't have a clue what's going on, with bets soon taking place as to whether they'd actually return. But they do, with keyboardist Dave Bush quick to start the intro to biggest hit to date 'Connection', leaving all with reason to thank their re-arrival. Playing virtually the only song that the vast majority know here, Queens of the Stone Age hit a festival highlight on 'The Lost Art of Keeping a Secret' and you know they've gone down well just by the sheer volume of cheers that the rest of their satisfying performance. Their future is surely sealed as one of the next highly-influential US rock acts.
And hopefully one day the Super Furry Animals will be the next world-changing, er, Welsh band because, seriously, with tunes in the calibre of 'Northern Lites', the 'Mwng' ones (saves typing the titles) and the still sparkling 'Calimero', it just seems a crime to have them overlooked by most of the globe. However, their performance isn't totally perfect; although Gruff's face-covering sunglasses scream out cool, the Reading set is not rocking enough. Yeah, there's 'Nightvision' and 'Do or Die', but what about 'God Show Me Magic' and 'Something For the Weekend'? At least there is compensation in the sight of the red-shirt donning frontman swinging an animal whip on the stage for about two minutes solid. And rocking isn't really ever on the agenda for Black Box Recorder either, who go on to fill their time-slot with enough mystifying and bleak tuneage to induce suicide, but in a glorious kind of way, as 'The Art of Driving' is just pure class.
Roddy Woomble's earlier tip for the day was to catch At the Drive In in the Carling Premier Stage, which could only be good advice, apart from the fact that it soon leaves the place virtually totally clogged. Graham Coxon, more or less fresh from tooting his saxophone on the Main Stage earlier on as he appeared in the feedback-filled finale that ensued in Idlewild's closing moments, appears in the Evening Session Stage with a nicely-packed tent keen to check out the Blur guitarist's solo stuff. Which sounds good to us; playing virtually the same set as he did on his first UK solo tour in July, Coxon and his band-mates create a song-after-song explosion of echoing ferocity, leaving even those wearing earplugs with regrets at standing too near the speaker stack; ouch.
Outside in Main Stage terrain once again, however, sees a massive crowd swaying in a doped-up manner to the dreary ambience of Gomez. Wobbling their way through 'Here Comes the Breeze', 'Rhythm and Blues Alibi' and the closing 'Whippin' Piccadilly' - still sounding as fresh as the day it was released - everyone sings and their whole fifty minutes up there in front seems a moment, as opposed to a mere fleeting performance. DJ Touché (from the Wiseguys) essentially plays a hip-hop filled set, which leaves a ringing in the ears as we descend into the day, which has now turned into an evening, complete with the stars shining beyond the heavens.
It's time for Beck, by the way, who wastes no time in letting us feel pleased at its arrival, whipping out a fresh and funky re-working of 'New Pollution', complete with live trumpets and female backing vocals. Not content with starting with just one of his now-many hits, he then tosses out a sitar-filled 'Loser', disco dance-groove of 'Mixed Bizness' and sample-sporting 'Devil's Haircut'. They break out into an impeccably well-rehearsed rendition of 'Let's Dance' and the US God himself shows off his '17 Octave Vocal Range', going on as he does to scream crowd-stunning notes into an echoing PA system. It's just gleaming; the selection of songs they choose to play as a band, the choreographed dance moves, the 70s outfits... Beck even rounds it off perfectly with a spirited 'Where It's At', a mosh-pit favourite 'Sexx Laws', and a mock art-acted scene, Hanson and the band partake in wrapping up the whole stage in yellow sticky tape, with members wheeling themselves around on silver trays. It's daft, but genius - a triumph that we all will look back at fondly.
Which is why it's unfair to put the excellence of Badly Drawn Boy on at the same time, who pleads with his own sizeable audience, 'Look, you've all seen Beck before so why not stay with me..?' It's a win-win, especially seeing as he pulls 'Another Pearl' out of the bag just a couple of tracks in and continues with up-tempo single 'Disillusion' and classic 'Pissing in the Wind'.
So, what with Beck and Badly Drawn Boy on at the same time, just what chance did Medal have over in the Carling Premier Stage? Well, quite a lot as their hip-hop rock set proves, featuring a large proportion of new material from next month's album 'Stuntman I'. Described as 'probably the most bootlegged group ever' in this year's official Reading programme, Slum Village took on their hard-faced hip-hop to a Dance Tent that saw some serious heads bopping and many hands in the air, possibly waving as though the owners of them just didn't care (now there's a thought). The trio idea continues with Dance Stage headliners, LA's Black Eyed Peas, who must have had the most brilliantly diverse sound of the weekend, merging traditional salsa/Latino bass and beats with soulful grooves and jazz, complete with added onstage performers, dancing wildly and looking a bit peculiar. But is it power-pop you want sir, then why not check out the self-proclaimed 'best unsigned band', The Wannadies, who had genuinely caused hysteria by the time they had rocked through 'Yeah', 'Big Fan', 'You and Me Song' and a pogo-frenzied 'Hit'; if their previous record company were watching this bulging tent set, then the thoughts 'Oops,' and, 'What have we done,' must have run through their exec. heads multiple times.
Taking a complete musical change, with the edge now a slice more sharp and fierce, Queen Adreena, showcasing tracks from 'Taxidermy' (notably 'Polly'), allowed ex-Daisy Chainsaw members to parade around the smallest stage on-site (except the Bacardi B Bar, which is just, basically, a bar). Belting out rockers and fit-inducing riffs, the band revelled and pleased all in an hour long performance of blood, drugs and sweat, which onlookers exiting the tent described as 'amazing'. However, what else proves amazing with the masses is Embrace and their hits; even if you hate them, give them credit for all of their chart-smashes, right down from their career-opening 'Come Back to What You Know' and 'All You Good Good People' to 'Hooligan', 'Save Me' and all those stark album-faves too. Danny is confident of success from the start of it all, though. Casually strutting to centre-stage with his soon-to-be-Dad brother to his left, Richard, the northern frontman bellows his heart out number-after-number, and whether what he sounds like is important or not, it doesn't matter; the kid's got soul. This is why their live shows notoriously turn into mass celebration. Belting out epics that other bands just wouldn't be pull off in their wildest attempts, you can see as the closing notes of the set wind down from the PA, judging by that look in Danny's eyes, once again, this has been a classic Embrace performance.
Saturday ends with another Northern band too, the extremely under-estimated Pulp, commonly famous for era-defining festival slots and with all this pressure, is it really likely that they could do it again?
The answer is 'err, of course' - from the re-worked 'Common People' opening to the show-closing 'Babies', the Sheffield five-piece proper (with Richard of The Longpigs on guitar) wow all with tunes that everyone foolishly forgot how incredible were in the first place. But, let's talk about the new ones too, please; there are sure-to-be anthems 'Weeds' and 'The Day That Minnie Trimperly Died', plus the irresistible 'I Love My Life', which evokes a touching quality as Jarvis speaks, 'I love my life... Oh God, how I love my life...' before it erupts into a instrumental frenzy of keyboards and drums...
This all preparing us for the incredible 'Sunrise' - a genuinely original spin on screeching guitar, snappy drumbeats and golden lighting as a backdrop, large screen projects images of racing clouds. But sticking to the awe factor, there's 'Do You Remember the First Time?' - the song of the festival no doubt, and in fact, coming from the band of the festival. If this performance isn't counted among magazine readers in the UK as surely the best of the year of the year, then we want to know what idea of perfection they have in their heads - because this is musically the closest thing we've ever come to witnessing it.
Photo-Credit: Virtual Festivals
Day Three - Reviews
With Pulp songs still in heads the morning after, it's surprising to note that musical-notability began by midday as soon as My Vitriol stepped on to the Main Stage. Waking up all with their refreshing blend of UK guitar rock, a particular effervescent working of single 'Cemented Shoes' proved enough to impress the assembled crowd, no doubt marking out their place in the near future for when they'll be even further revered in stature.
Descriptions of, 'God, they're weird,' are responses from those in the Evening Session Stage witnessing the student-resembling Clearlake, who churn out melodies of a spooky nature almost as quickly as it takes to set fire to a tent (not that rockfeedback has experience in this, of course - Legal Ed). Linoleum still scare rockfeedback too (ever since we first saw them back in 1997), with tunes from 'The Race From the Burning Building' sounding quite like no other band on the planet. It's surprising that part-time guitarist Paul Jones (who plays with Elastica too) can make such a smooth transition playing with two bands that are so dissimilar from one another, obviously his ability something to be admired.
Unlike Cay's. Sure, not that bad, but today's performance simply sees them playing slicing barre chords against backdrops of dense feedback which would be more suited to the Evening Session Stage. The fact that they end their set asking us all to go and 'buy stuff' from their website and attend their show next week in London doesn't go down well amongst the crowd. Remember bands - DON'T PLUG STUFF AT FESTIVALS.
However, how is it then that Supersuckers can talk of drugs in a manner that self-righteously promotes them? Well, who knows really, but the fact that they're an accomplished parody of US rock music (complete with questionable cowboy hats) works in their favour as they wallop through Guns and Roses-esque smashes-to-never-be. Amusingly, the first 'will the superstar turn up for that hit song' moment of the day occurs during Manchild's memorable set in the Dance Tent when 'The Clichés are True' pumps out of the speaker-stacks, prompting rumours of Kelly Jones from Stereophonics coming out to perform it with them... No, he doesn't, leaving a DAT of his vocals to do the work. Superstars, eh?
Irish rock-combo Turn throb 'we're gonna be stars' as the assembled audience witness them play debut release 'Beretta'; a better chance to catch them on the road in the UK shall be in October, as they play support to Idlewild. The Crocketts fail their aim to cave the tent in with their rocking blasts of distortion, but settle with impressing most inside, especially on best track 'On Something', Davey's voice almost intolerably rusty. A bit more on the tighter pop spectrum of it all are The Animalhouse, playing tracks from their debut album 'Ready to Receive', including their single of the same name and smooth 'Small'. Live from the main stage, A perform powerfully, their recent live album revealing where their enterprise is best portrayed, especially as early and current material is played so confidently that they become a kind of hidden highlight. And '... Lake Tahoe' is just great, though isn't it?
However, undoubtedly one of the most anticipated moments of the entire weekend unfolds in front of us next as the embarrassing kid-pop duo Daphne and Celeste walk onstage. Running to the front as their first hit 'Ooh, Stick You' is backing-tracked out of the speakers, they are hilariously forced backwards by the tirades of bottles of piss and beer hurled at their trying-desperately-to-remain-confident faces. Daphne's wearing a T-shirt that proclaims, 'I Love Brian' (in reference to a 'feud' the girlie duo and Placebo were going through) whilst Celeste's states, 'Who the f*** is Eminem?', which is regarding her alleged obsession with the cheeky rapper who pulled out of this weekend to attend to legal cases. However, their transparent endeavours of credibility don't save them, and despite comments of, 'Look we're not going away yet,' the security usher them from the stage in fear of their lives after a ramshackle performance of 'UGLY'. The crowd cheers orgasmically as they left the stage. What a surprise; but this seemed a rare kind of justified bullying.
The Clint Boon Experience largely fill the Evening Session Stage shortly after this bottle-fest, with a crooning voice and dodgy keyboards being passed on to a crowd that seems remotely curious, but not as curious as the audience which enters the tent for Lupine Howl shortly afterwards. Wondering if these ex-Spiritualised members would have a stab at any of their classics, the people in attendance find out that they won't, but are enthralled to say the least as they stay to watch their by-on-large bass-driven set deafen ears at spectators near the front.
The genre-crossing Contempo strut their stuff with verve and style on the Carling Premier Stage, with parping horns to boot, the vastly different, hotly-tipped punk act Bowling For Soup bizarrely following. But, there isn't much of a transitional change as the girlie Angelica into view, playing songs that sound more severe than their image looks - 'Bring Me Her Head', 'Why Did You Let My Kitten Die?' being head-turning points amongst their set of likeable, thrash-trash rock. All unlike the lovely TV-ridden Lauren Laverne, who allows us all to question why we cared about Kenickie anyway. The sound is almost ambient acoustic-driven pop la-de-da bliss, with a dazzling, stripped-back rendition of 'Don't Falter' buzzing around heads with her current EP's 'I Fell From a Tree' possessing a similar effect upon a dazed audience.
The highly layered and often mind-boggling beats of Jacknife Lee test people's headaches in the Dance Tent, with sounds of Mint Royale proving far more welcome. Thanks to their popularity for remixing singles for Apollo 440 (who played a surprisingly strong early afternoon set last year) and Terrorvision, there's a bountiful attendance. However, due to clashing stage-times, they fail to perform their bubble-gum, summer-esque pop hit (which was markedly released in the winter) 'Don't Falter' with the pre-mentioned Laverne (although, as stated, she did it herself, the cheeky lass).
The eighties tribute show that is the Les Rythmes Digitales live-gig is in full spangly costume effect all right, with enough dizzy disco to send Ibiza ravers running for the hills, and that's what Utah Saints go on to aim for as well, only, their sound is a margin sharper and produced - or, in other words, really, f**king loud. Loops of Public Enemy's Chuck D are listened out for as well as the singles, 'Funky Music' and 'Love Song', although the all-too-subtle merging of tracks doesn't emphasise any different tunes from one another. How emblematic.
Mostly fine, as are Blink 182 - well, possibly not so much in their playing, but definitely in humour-content, what with their stop-start, all-over-the-place 'Blow Job', and bass-drum domineering 'What's My Age Again' being noticeable favourites during a lengthy festival set, which saw them commenting on boobies. Who didn't see that coming? Still, the crowd is vast, the laughs are loud and Rage Against the Machine follow on tremendously, delivering a set with enough grit and aggression to noticeably convert non-rock music-lovers into instant fans. However, it's not the old stuff that warrants merit, but rather the newies, shown in full effect when singles from their current album 'The Battle of Los Angeles' (their cunning stage-backdrop saying 'The Battle of Reading' instead... clever, indeed), such as track two in their show, 'Guerrilla Radio'. Many go on to say that this is their most triumphant Reading appearance yet - and that must mean something after their jaw-dropping, 1996 festival headline show...
However, those seeking refuge against the sounds of the wickedness may have found their heaven in the Evening Session Stage as Elliot Smith pottered on, clutching the beautiful 'Son of Sam' to his heart before releasing a truly sublime version that was almost tear-jerking. And that's just one song, so imagine the effect the rest of 45 minutes had on people; a genuinely touching experience. In a tent. In Reading. OK, with that reality-check, we move on to the weird-as-hell Laika, with their female dance-pop mixture bewildering and delighting, whilst Bellatrix play all-out pop songs to a full-to-busting tent with Eliza (hyperactive lead-singer/violinist) leading the way to a pogo-mountain as they shimmy their way through singles from 'It's All True' and play new ones too. Carling Premier Tent headliner Babybird, fresh from cancelling a handful of UK mini-dates prior to this eventually epic performance, takes a DAT machine walk through his hits, best of all 'Out of Sight' and 'The F-Word'; and, bearing in mind these are his most recent, this proves that his best work may still be yet to come.
A DJ set from Andrew Weatherall draws us in next; a legendary club-packer, we find swirling lights, dancing loonies and pounding earache. This leaves us to return to the varied Warp signings Red Snapper, playing a well-received and anticipated set, with a quip being, 'Why just a one hour show?' And finishing off business in the Evening Session Stage for the night, and in fact, the festival, are Shack (who perform the best bits from their current cult record - including 'Oscar') and a husky-voiced Ian Brown. Despite a consistently strong effort, yet again, his vocal-chords just ain't cutting it tonight, so we put that past us and absent-mindedly enjoy a greatest-hits fest of samples, no smashing eggs (strong fans will know what that means) and the guy with the turban as he smashes his way through a percussion stand with all sorts of exciting objects asking to be bashed by his tired hands. However, it's the sky-soaring 'Golden Greats' (because it's his best song) and 'Dolphins Were Monkeys' (because everyone knows and likes it) which get us going and he once again secures a classic headline performance for himself - only this time he didn't have to be in the Stone Roses to get it.
The main stage rounds off first with the peaceful Slipknot, complete with a live choir and orchestra. Yeah, right - a set with balls and anger sees them playing 'a re-working of an old song, 'Spit it Out' which sounds identical to the normal version, three bins flying across the mosh-pit, the largest number of crowd-crush injuries during the weekend and a lot of people at the back not enjoying their show. But screw the guys at the back, someone pick me up and let me surf to the front barrier - I want a free cup of water after a security guard wrenches me out!
More popular are the US/UK/Swedish Placebo who angry us all up by starting with what feels like eighty new songs - sure, they're passable, but not when the clouds in the sky look like they're about to piss on us and electrocute us all with lightning-bolts. And then, as if they hear our pleas, they chug through 'Every You, Every Me', 'Taste in Men', 'Nancy Boy' and an atmospheric closing of 'Pure Morning'. Hallelujah.
Then, this is it. The final band of the weekend and thank God they kick ass tonight. The Stereophonics open with 'Roll Up and Shine', ease into 'Bartender and the Thief', and go on to set ears alight with heavy anthemic rockers in the stream of 'More Life in a Tramp's Vest', 'Too Many Sandwiches' and 'Pick a Part That's New', before soothing us with mass sing-a-long run-throughs of 'Just Lookin' and 'Traffic'. Thankfully, they come back - with someone else due on. Hang on, Kelly's growling something. 'Please welcome... Mr. Tom Jones!' Fortunately, the crowd is pissed enough for this, and want him, each person cheering like an art-student that has just found a half-empty can of Stella in an alleyway. The band then finishes off procedure with a mind-blowing smattering of 'Mama Told Me Not to Come'. How apt.
Ah. We knew this year would be good - the line-up was in place, it was a sell-out, etc. However, even after rain, the bands still shone through and every set was a mini-celebration, no matter the size of the crowd. If you weren't there - gutted. And, if you were, we hope you're wise enough to count this as one of the weekends of your life.
... Unless you just got rat-arsed and slept in a tent all weekend, which is also obviously fun. Bonzer. 'Til next time, then...
Photo-Credit: Virtual Festivals
Scrapbook:
THE PEOPLE'S VERDICT
(based on 75 opinions)
Best Band Of The Weekend?
1. Beck
= Pulp
3. Rage Against The Machine
4. Stereophonics
= Oasis
6. Primal Scream
7. Slipknot
8. Placebo
= Foo Fighters
10. Muse
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