READING 2008
›Reading Festival 2008
Reading and Leeds festivals have often been something of a hit and miss with regard to the line-up and this year featured the heaviest line-up since 2005 when Marilyn Manson and Iron Maiden played. This year was a first for me and as a result I didn’t quite know what to expect. This years headliners were described by the organisers as ‘so big they’re visible from space’ and rightly so. Opening the mainstage on Friday were [b]Anti-Flag [5/10][/b] who should’ve been the ideal way to get the party started however they’re brand of fast punk doesn’t do much in such a big environment and as a result they were hugely underwhelming. One of the beauties of Reading is its diversity and the presence of the Comedy Tent is a particular gem. Many comedians have graced its stage including Simon Amstel and Ed Byrne. On Friday afternoon as a welcome break from the music I was able to see [b]Phil Jupitus[9/10][/b] and 3 other comedians perform 45 minutes of improvised comedy in a style similar to ‘Mock The Week’ and ‘Whose line is it anyway?’ a festival highlight. Next for me on the music front was [b]Serj Tankian[6/10][/b] I have hoped to enjoy his set being a big fan of [b]System Of A Down[/b] however due to various sound issues and a somewhat mundane performance he didn’t live-up to expectations. The first big surprise of the weekend (there were several) was a stunning set from alt-rockers [b]Biffy Clyro[8/10][/b] a fast-paced, high-energy show from a band who I had never paid much attention to before. The less said about [b]The Enemy[3/10][/b] the better a pathetic excuse for a band who are best described as ‘chav-indie-pop’ topped off by a burberry wearing foul-mouthed singer. [b]The Fratellis[7/10][/b] provided an idea opportunity to almost relax whilst enjoying some decent music. I even recognised some of their better known songs despite not knowing the titles! Anyone who hasn’t seen [b]Queens Of The Stone Age[9/10][/b] should opening with ‘Go With The Flow’ the Queens presented us with an hour of foot-stomping high energy rock. As the final notes of ‘No One Knows’ rang out across the field the countdown began. Over 150,000 people had gathered in a field in the middle of Reading for one single reason (well four) considering that the majority of people there had never had the chance to witness the mighty [b]Rage Against The Machine[10/10][/b] perform heart-rates ran high. Famous for their strong political views the band were led on stage dressed in orange boiler suits wearing black bags on their heads to the sound of an air-raid siren the effect of this can be likened to a kick in the groin; short, sharp and breath-taking. As the band launch into ‘Bombtrack’ the crowd becomes a single pulsating mass of blood, sweat and screams. The bands set is unrelenting losing the suits after the first song and then playing to the backdrop of a Soviet Red Star the band play through classics like ‘Know Your Enemy’ and ‘Bulls On Parade’ a surprise airing of ‘Ashes In The Fall’ and a shout-a-long closer of ‘Killing In The Name’ and even as the lights come up and everyone begins to leave the arena the shouts of ‘F—k You! I won’t do what you tell me!’ are still heard.
Saturday was something of a day-off from music as there were only a handful of acts I was interested. I made sure to watch [b]Cancer Bats[7/10][/b] half an hour of Municipal Waste-esque thrash and punk. After taking sometime to look amongst the numerous merch and clothing stalls I returned to the lock-up stage to see [b]Flogging Molly[8/10][/b] the idea of Irish folk may seem a little obscure for metal heads to enjoy but the tent is heavily packed by all-sorts metal head an indie alike all enjoying the show whilst drinking, dancing and singing along! A very oddly billed [b]Bullet For My Valentine[8/10][/b] provide a solid show complete with pyro and lights but there’s something missing a certain vibe that isn’t there and despite all the fancy show it just feels like a band churning out their songs, now you look at the rating and are confused because I seem to be contradicting myself, despite that missing vibe it was still a very impressive performance from a premier UK band! Bullet not being headliners enabled me to catch the second half of [b]The Killers[8/10][[/b] again not a band I’m massively into but still one worth seeing a full stage show and a setlist which included hits ‘Somebody Told Me’, ‘Mr Brightside’ and ‘All These Things I Have Done’ a set closer which sees confetti fire into the air from numerous points the only downsides being a short set with no encore and a very arrogant lead-singer who lacks crowd interaction.
Sunday was the most hotly anticipated day of all with appearances due from some of the biggest names in metal. However there was a severe dampener on the day first with the news received the week before that [b]Slipknot[/b] had cancelled due to Joey breaking his ankle and then on the day that [b]Avenged Sevenfold[/b] would not be playing either. As a result the first band originally billed at 12o’clock to replace [b]Slipknot[/b] and who eventually arrived on stage at 12.30 were the truly terrible [b]Bring Me The Horizon[2/10][/b] lacking any conceivable musical ability and an arrogant stage presence it wasn’t long before the bottles began to fly. Credit only to the band for staying onstage throughout the barrage. The timings for mainstage had completely changed and the remaining bands until the final two presented little interest. Mid-afternoon I headed to the smaller festival republic stage to see [b]Black Tide[7/10][/b] a band whose lead-singer is younger than all the headbang team at the tender age of 15. The band have gone from unknown to rising stars in the space of just under a year propelled along by support slots with Avenged Sevenfold and a song on the game [b]Guitar Hero[/b]. I was sure to catch [b]Feeder[8/10][/b] not because I’m a huge fan but simply for the fact that what I’ve heard I like and they had been recommended by several of my friends! [b]Tenacious D[9/10][/b] win the award for most humorous set of the festival they even have (Anthrax guitarist) Scott Ian to introduce them!! The duo play a decent mix from both their albums including ‘Kielbasa’, ‘Dude I Totally Miss You’ ‘Tribute’ and of course ‘F—k Her Gently’. [b]Metallica[10/10][/b] set out with a lot to prove and they deliver in style not only does their set feature rarely played classics ‘Ride The Lightening’ and ‘Harvester Of Sorrow’ but new songs ‘Cyanide’ and ‘The Day That Never Comes’ show that the new album could well be their return to form. With a firework intro to ‘One’ and a playing of both ‘Last Caress’ and ‘So What’ neither of which have been heard for years you know that Metallica are back with a bang and are here to stay. Ender ‘Seek and Destroy’ sees pillars of flame rise from either side of the stage as the weekend draws to a close everyone leaves knowing that what they have just witnessed is truly a once in a lifetime experience to see so many great bands over such a small space of time its difficult to comprehend a better line-up ever again.
Paul
22nd - 24th August. Ticket price - £155
Reading and Leeds festivals often seem to be criticised by the more "hardcore" metal fans, due to a few dubious choices of headliners and probably the widest genre span.
Looking at the line up, the festival organisers have done a good job of splitting the days up, with (for Reading) the Friday being a bit of a mixture of bands, the Saturday having predominantly indie bands, with the Sunday being left to the most metal bands, including Metallica.
There is no doubt that this festival offers something for everyone, and is definately good if you have a group of friends who aren't quite as metal as you (well, either go here or get some new friends!) For me, the biggest attraction would be Metallica; although they are alledged to sometimes put on a weak live performance, like a lot of people, I'm eagar to hear what, if any, of the new album will be previewed here!