Dante's Missing Chapter

Spent the weekend at the hell hole that is Reading festival. I just don't get the idea of the festival experience. You get no sleep, the weather is always miserable at at least one point for whatever reason, too hot, too cold, too wet. The food is overpriced and makes you feel ill. The people are always the worst part though. {well boo-friggin'-hoo. How many times have you been? 3? - Bella} I go to festivals to see as many good bands as possible over a weekend. Not to spend the whole thing fucked up, setting stuff on fire and hitting bins with sticks. I don't see why people pay £150 to do this?
But what about the music?

Friday

The first band I managed to catch of the festival was Future of the left. (Mclusky, Rice is nice) They played at a ridiculously early time for a band that good but were still able to blast through the haze of yesterdays chemical indulgence that hovered over those who got up in time to catch them. The second act I saw was a little bit of a change, John Cooper Clark's dark northern poems and banter were one of my festival highlights. Amazing to finally see the man live. (Twat)

These New Puritans dark art punk and the singers golden armor are better suited to poorly lit squalor than the middle of the day in a field in Berkshire but the songs are good enough to hold up to any setting. Navigate, Navigate (the Loving Hand Remix). Florence and the Machine to follow made for the second odd juxtaposition of the day. She was fucking incredible, shit loads of energy and stage presence and a voice to rival any at the festival. (Hospital Beds)

The 2 last bands of the day that I saw were 2 of things that I was most looking forward to over the whole weekend. First up was Late of the pier, check an earlier post for more gushing praise but they were as amazing as always. (Kids TV theme tune min mix form the mash up)



Then came the band that was the only reason I had spent all my money on a Reading Ticket for. RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE!!! They are one of my favorite bands of all time and one that I never thought I would get to see. They did not disappoint, fucking hell. Morello is just incredible, the songs still sound so fresh and seeing them in a crowd with every single person screaming along to every word was one of the best live experiences of my life. Guerilla Radio (Soda & Suds Remix) (Bombs over Baghdad {Outkast})


Saturday

Day 2 started with Lovvers, seen them a couple of time now and they are just so good. The songs are loud and short and hurled at the crowd by reeling group of misfits. (Wasted Youth) (No Romantics). Go see them live. Next up came Jeffrey Lewis. Second time I have seen him in a couple of weeks and this performance was no where near as good as filed day. Some sound problems, no pictures and a set short on my favorite songs. This isn't to say that it wasn't good, just that it could have been better. The man is still one of the greatest songwriters around at the moment. (History of punk on the lower east side)

Another act that I saw at both Reading and Field day was White Lies. They played a good set of reasonable songs and are going to be doing so over the coming months to bigger and bigger crowds. Former tour mates of theirs Crystal Castles have just remixed one of their songs and made it so much better, which is really the only reason i am mentioning them again so soon. (Death (Crystal Castles remix)). I managed to see a bit of Los Campensinos! and wish I saw more, they seemed really good from what I did see. (Frontwards).

Next was Justice. After 2 days of guitars they were pretty refreshing and fucking mindblowingly good. They didn't play the dance tent because the festival organizers reckoned they would draw too large a crowd. Seeing the second biggest tent at Reading packed with people off their tits with happiness listening to electro made me realize how much the audience at Reading has shifted recently. This is meant to be a rock festival! Metallica (Now I wanna Sniff Some Glue-Ramones Cover) are playing for fuck sake. Justice should have been given their slot in my opinion, probably wouldn't have gone down well though if they were? (Fucked Up, Stress{Justice Cover}). I saw a bit of Bloc Party's set and they were impressive, pretty sure I even saw Kele smile, cant be sure though. Missed the Ting Tings earlier in the day, I say missed, I had no intention of going but apparently they were surprising tolerable. (Bloc party vs. The Ting Tings, Thats not My Flux). I watched most of The Killers set and they were really fucking good. Big anthems and finely tuned showmanship. Sandwiched as headliners between Rage and Metallica they had a bit of a task to not appear lacking and they didn't. (Mr Brightside ( Big Room Mix), Jealous Guys)

Sunday

My last day at Reading started with a clash. Xerox Teens or The Metros? I chose to see a bit of both. Xerox Teens dark angular music, like These New Puritans, is better suited to the dark but they were still pretty good. The singers cooler than thou stand still while wearing sun glasses at all times shtick has worn a bit thin but I still like them (How to reduce your chances of being a terror victim). The Metros played their scuzzy south London rock in their usual shambling way. ( Metros vs Toddla T). Both bands were good and will probably be playing higher up th bill next year. Next Came The Death Set. They dashed around the stage spinning and thrashing their guitars, one went up the speakers till he could reach the lighting rig. The music was messy and noisy and they finished their set by smashing guitars and even setting one on fire. I loved them. (Impossible {Etan Remix})
(Negative Thinking) .

I caught a couple of Holy Fuck songs and they were pretty odd but pretty good, wish I could have watched more. (Royal Gregory) (Lovely Allen). I missed the end of Holy Fuck because I wanted to go and see Johnny Foreigner and I am glad I did. Los Campensinos-esque really good indie-pop. (Champagne girls I have known)

From Emmy the Great's Myspace

They were followed by another highlight, the truly spectacular Emmy the Great. The tent was packed and utterly silent during the songs, people were truly mesmerized. One friend told me that he was nearly in tears. Truly incredible. (Where is my mind-Pixies Cover). The next act I saw couldn't really have been much rather from Emmy, (who the security guards took their ear plugs out for!) Cage the Elephant played a primal rock'n'roll show with the singer stalking the stage, emulating his hero iggy. They even played a stooges cover. Really good fun. (New Wicked Devil). Next cam my biggest disappointment of the festival, Wiley. I was really looking forward to this but it was fucking awful. The crowd was full of twats who seemed to think that the way to get to the front of a crowd is not to turn up early but to wait till a set has started and then charge drunkenly in battering as many people as you can on they way in. Wiley didn't help matters, he didn't so much play a set as dance around Rolex (Hot Chip, Wearing my Rolex( Live Lounge). We got it about three times, he dropped verses from it over other beds and dropped the synth line during other songs. Crowd pleasing showmanship from someone who needn't rely on it. What happened to the old Wiley? (Grime Kid). After Wiley played the entire crowd poured out, the Kills were up next, not a lot of overlap in fans apparently. This did mean I got in as close as I wanted to for the Kills set. They were amazing and a really good way to finish the festival. Writhing about on stage, wringing dirty guitar lines and howling brooding words, they were sick. (URA Fever JaZzzstePpa (Dubstep remx))