Photo: WENN
Run the Jewels and Mumford & Sons both took Reading 2015 by storm last night (28 August), bridging the gap between the hardcore and the headstrong.
Run the Jewels walked on-stage to the sounds of life-affirming rock anthem ‘We Are The Champions’, and you know what? They’re damn right. For the last 3 years or so, the hip-hop duo, consisting of New York’s El-P and Atlanta’s Killer Mike, have consistently proven to be the hottest and most captivating group working in the music industry today.
“We are going to fuck this motherfucker up”, announced Killer Mike before launching into the duo’s self-titled track ‘Run the Jewels’. At some point during live shows, there’s a moment when everything clicks, when grooves are locked and everything falls into place. For most bands, this will happen once or twice a set - for Run the Jewels, it’s an immediate phenomenon.
The on-stage chemistry between the two rappers is unlike no other. They genuinely care about each other and the music they've created, which just superposes the energy they emit. Tracks like ‘Blockbuster Night 2’ and the politically-charged ‘Early’ reinvigorated the crowd warranting hundreds of raised ‘guns and fists’.
Trading verses seamlessly, Run the Jewels’ live show is one of incomparable proficiency, “This guy makes me happy every day”, stated El-P before starting their final track of the night ‘It’s a Christmas Fucking Miracle’. Run the Jewels is a bromance project, one that has yielded some of the most impactful and mind-blowing hip-hop this century.
Mumford & Sons, on the other hand, took a much more humble approach. This was their first headline slot at Reading, despite having frequented the festival since the band started all those years ago. Opening with ‘Snake Eyes’ from the latest record, Wilder Mind, Mumford proved that just because they’ve gone electric, it doesn’t mean they’re just another Indie band.
As lasers sliced the air, Mumford put everything they have into their performance - as if they are trying to prove their worthiness to be standing on that stage.
With such a strong set-list and a dedicated fanbase, most of which were in the audience it would seem, Mumford eased up the intensity throughout, finding their rhythm early as they played fan-favourites ‘I Will Wait’ and ‘Little Lion Man’.
A risky move playing their saving graces so early, but you’ve got to respect their trust in the quality of their new material. “When we finished our third record, there was one place in the world we wanted to play more than any other, and that was here for you fine people”, said keyboardist Ben Lovett.
With fireworks aplenty at the climax of ‘Dust Bowl Dance’, Mumford then announced their UK tour this December before diving into their closer ‘The Wolf’.
Mumford & Sons played:
Snake Eyes
I Will Wait
Little Lion Man
Below My Feet
Wilder Mind
Awake My Soul
Believe
Tompkins Square Park
Lover of the Light
Thistle & Weeds
Ghosts That We Knew
The Cave
Roll Away Your Stone
Broad-Shouldered Beasts
Ditmas
Dust Bowl Dance
Encore:
Hot Gates
The Wolf
For more information on the Reading and Leeds 2015, stick with Gigwise
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