Rumours of flooded campsites are not something you want to hear the morning of a festival that costs almost two hundred quid a ticket in the height of the British summer. Arriving at the gates of the festival with heavy bags and tents in the pouring rain the last thing you want to do is queue for four hours
But after eventually arriving in the campsite, yes it was muddy but nowhere near the nightmare I was expecting. By Friday morning things weren’t so bad as the music was to begin. New York oddballs Gogol Bordello were the ones to kick off my tenth August Bank Holiday festival with their gypsy punk tunes fit for any festival crowd. They were followed by NOFX, a band I was into in my youth when I thought I was punk. The band performed tracks from their vast back catalogue whilst adding jokes in between songs (and mid song!) which added to the lively atmosphere as spirits were on the up.
Mumford & Sons attracted a huge crowd for their set on the NME/Radio 1 stage. Their songs were written for moments like this as huge sing-a-longs took place for 'Little Lion Man 'and the foot-stomping 'Roll Away Your Stone'. Following the London folk-quartet came electro pop group Phoenix who got the crowd dancing and warmed up for LCD Soundsystem whilst the main-stage crowd was kept waiting an hour for the car crash that is Guns & Roses.
The second day was the one I was most looking forward to, the sun was shining and the mud was drying up. The day was spent at the main-stage, having missed The Futureheads after a half hour queue for the toilets it was the Mystery Jets who took on a huge crowd with a hit-packed set and an energetic performance. Next were Bruce Springsteen-esq Gaslight Anthem followed by Modest Mouse, but it was The Maccabees who really stood out. They aren’t ones to disappoint but this was another level from previous times I have seen them. The set was packed mostly of second album material, an album I struggled to love as much as the debut but this performance reminded me how great it is. The band were joined on-stage by a brass section with scary animal masks on.
Remember the days when The Cribs were ‘the most exciting live band in the country’? This was before fame and fortune beckoned and Johnny Marr jumped aboard and things got a bit tame. Saturday’s main-stage show had elements of the good old days as the band played a selection of fan favourites from 'New Fellas' such as 'Hey Scenesters' and 'Mirror Kissers' which left the majority of the crowd looking lost until they went back into one of their newer tracks. The set ended in typically chaotic fashion for the Wakefield brothers (and Johnny Marr) as instruments were destroyed, some flung into the audience. Dizzee Rascal pulled biggest crowd of the weekend as the London rap sang his chart topping hits to an excitable festival crowd..
The Libertines walked on-stage like the last six years hadn’t happened and spirits were lifted. Kicking off with 'Horrorshow' the band played like the most professional punk band around, working their way through material off both albums as well as b-side The 'Delaney' and single, 'Don’t Look Back Into The Sun'. It has been six long years waiting to see these four lads put their troubles aside and perform again, it couldn’t have been more perfect.
Up until The Libertines leaving the stage they had just played the set of the weekend, probably of the year. Unfortunately for them they were followed by Arcade Fire who recently released a masterpiece of an album. The seven-piece Canadian’s stunned the crowd where the performance felt more like a church ceremony than a gig. The new material mixed with the classics such as 'Rebellion (Lies)' and 'No Cars Go' became classic festival moments.
The final day of the weekend mixed sunshine and storms with nu metal and nu rave. Local Natives played an atmospheric set in the NME/Radio 1 stage which was followed by the noise pop of Los Campesinos! and Wild Beasts who pulled in a large crowd whilst the mud was trying up and Kele was a pleasing surprise with his new material.
I’m glad to look back at my youth and say truthfully that I was never into nu metal and Limp Bizkit’s main-stage performance lacked excitement and talent where as Foals had both as they made their latest record come a live. Weezer are a band I wouldn’t chose to listen to but I would never turn them off. This set was surprisingly energetic with front-man Rivers spending more time in the crowd than on-stage. Every song was hit as well as the band covering Wheatus’ Teenage Dirtbag, MGMT’s 'Kids' and Lady GaGa’s 'Poker Face'.
If We Are Scientists wrote songs as good as their banter they would be amazing. They have decent catchy indie tracks but it’s their chat that you leaves you wanting more. Klaxons ended the festival headling the same stage they did three years ago, a lot has happened to the band in that time, unfortunately it was disappointing and lacklustre, similar to the new album.
It was a weekend of highs and lows. The highs won.
Reading Festival 2010 - The Best Bits
