Before you Northerners start giving us grief that we visited both South locations at the V and Carling Weekend festivals can you please give us a break. OK, so we missed the fight between Razorlight's Johnny Borrell and Pete Doherty and Radio One's VIP tent. But apart from that, it's the same festival - just in a posher part of the country!
FRIDAY
Daphne
and Celeste, Kevin Rowland and 50 Cent, your starter for 5 is to tell
us what these three acts have in common. Award yourself points if you
answer was that all acts were booed off stage. We went to the Radio One
tent for one sole intention to watch Fightstar. We wanted ex Busted member,
Charlie Simpson to be ridiculed and cut short his set because of flying
missiles in the form of bottles. We already planned the degrading review
we would write, we wanted Simpson to be crucified. Although, he wasn't.
Not only that but they were pretty damn bloody good. Any sign of nerves
from a former boyband member playing to a crowd of Iron Maiden fans were
no where to be seen. Mr. Simpson, congratulations for proving us wrong.
Bastard!
However, every silver lining has a cloud and it was the Coral who gleefully
gave us the opportunity to start our first bitch from the weekend. With
the exception of their quite brilliant 'In The Morning' the band can be
compared to a dusty heaped out car traveling along a desert road for days
on end. With can be interpreted as a group of lads playing standard of
the mill monotone tunes without getting anywhere!
Elbow littered the arena with tiny pieces of paper promoting their new
album, Leaders Of Free World. We were aware of this not on the basis that
we watched them - we didn't! But the promotional litter was scattered
around our feet whilst we watched The Killers. A band who seem no sign
of weakness gave an above average set, but to be honest, defiantly not
their best. Backstage the Black Rebel Motorcycle Club played a very intimate
set in the Tiscali marquee. Over the weekend 15 bands played to a handful
of lucky guests which was captured on webcam and will be played over the
coming weeks on their Internet Site. Afterwards the BRMC played the Radio
One stage before Kasabian gave an incredible ending to the first day.
The band who have gained respect from Oasis managed to fill the tent despite
The Pixies making their second 'comeback' within the space of a year.
After the microphones were unplugged the party in the Carling tent backstage
was well underway. The official sponsors gave guests the chance to dance
and drink until 2am making that uncomfy tent that bit more inviting. Although
all the VIPs we mingled had managed to nab a hotel room, we are already
booking for next year!
SATURDAY
He's
good bloke that Dave Grohl isn't he? Three days ago we were perched on
the VIP balcony at the London Astoria previewing the Foo's performance
which we will watch again tonight. Only this time from the side of the
stage. More of that later as there's a choker block day of music spread
out before us and difficult taxing decisions to make about which bands
we capture.
The first on our list were the All American Rejects who must have a friend
at the Mean Fiddler (the promoters). With just one hit they manage to
play the main stage every single year. The bad news was that the sound
system wasn't working well and the music deafened Tyson's singing for
the best part of the set. The Good news is that if you return to the stage
around 3pm on August 27th 2006 you can hear what you missed!
Ahead of the big fat headline bands in the evening music came from Juliette
and The Licks, Roots Manuva, Dinosaur Jr. and The Kills. Of course, there
were the Others (pun fully much intended as Dominic Master did play) but
that would give us less room to guide you attention to a band called Capdown
who played the Radio One Lock Up stage. The punk/ ska band played to their
cult following and proved once and for all that it pays to check out those
hidden acts which are nested between well established bands at various
festivals. For instance, The Charlatans..
Tim Burgess is really hanging on in there. Like an unwanted old rich relative
refusing to die he won't go away. We liked the band, OK 'like' is a pretty
weak adjective to use, but it fits our opinon.For goodness sake, we have
Starsailor who are still moping around. With yet another well established,
but old band the music scene needs a bit of a Spring clean. Maybe the
dust gathered could also clean away Supergrass as well?
Razorlight though are still polished as ever. Johnny told us that a quiet
period away from the stage will be filled by work on their second album.
The following day he would fight with Pete Doherty at Leeds. Today Doherty
was fighting with trying to look 'normal' as he dazed around the guest
arena. He also bumped into his ex-girlfriend who threw some water over
him. Pete if you are reading this, you probably weren't aware of the incident.
Oh, by the way you also played the Radio One/NME stage.
After the Kings Of Leon we walked up the steps of the main stage to watch
the Foo Fighters. Without doubt, the best band of the entire weekend.
Playing every hit Grohl stood center stage like a lion, King of the Festival.
In the lead up to his performance he made no secret that Reading was by
far his favorite festival and thanked his family and agent, Russell who
were on the opposite side of the stage as us. It was also Russell's birthday.
Birthday means Party. Party means ABLE2 attendance!
After he finished Dave Grohl took us backstage, pass the dressing room
complex and into a marquee. Earlier in the day this was artist catering,
but tonight the area had white curtains draping from the roof, champagne
and a full buffet for the agent. It was just like a wedding reception
complete with a DJ, although with Johnny Borrell attending and a mud throw
away from a mucky festival arena this something very special. After the
Birthday cakes were cut it was time to call it a night. He's good bloke
that Dave Grohl isn't he?
SUNDAY
It's
Rock day. If you have ever been to the Reading Festival on a Sunday you
will be aware of what this means. You don't wear anything you want to
be ruined, you try not to visit the toilets and there's no point buying
a beer as the amount of Carling which will be thrown over your head could
easily make you over the limit for the next day or two. Tonight Iron Maiden
will, in their own descriptive words 'Blow Away The Indie Kids'. To celebrate
the welcoming of the Monsters Of Rock a all day party was taking place
in the guest area with free beer and nibbles until midnight. Even some
of the band members showed their faces.
We started with a break from the music and saw Hugh Lennon hypnotized
some rock fans over at the comedy stage, before bringing his dog out and
'pretending' his four legged companion had the same powers. It didn't
and we can confirm this as we caught up with Hugh backstage later on.
There's a great link coming up, ready? So, you could say that the dog
really had No Effect. Straight after the show we watched NOFX on the main
stage! (Bloody hell that was awful - Editor)
The yanks gave a very humorous set and a crowd member with a horn ended
up on-stage for his famous for 15 seconds appearance. Their small but
sweet song 'Everybody hates Americans' put a smile on the faces of the
crowd and the statement that Iron Maiden made about 'Blowing away Indie
Kids' was smuttingly interrupted into a funny Oral sex gag.
Back in the Tiscali tent Echo and The Bunnymen, Futureheads and The Rakes
played to more lucky chosen guests before taking stage in front of a few
thousand more people!
The Godfucker of Rock Marilyn Manson was amazing. Littering the crowd
with red ribbon and more set changes than a Kylie concert the evil little
bastard stormed through one of the best sets the festival has ever seen
by a guy wearing a skirt! The perfect way to warm up the Iron Maiden fans
whilst the Indie kids feared their lives and hid and the Radio One/NME
stage to watch the Futureheads and Bloc Party.
This was the ultimate way to end the festival season. With another Summer
over we can at last acknowledge the fact that a night in a tent won't
be on our agenda for at least ten months. Thank Goodness!
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