Reading Festival 2009
Title: Live: Reading Festival 2009
Author: Rich
Date: 1, September, 2009
I'm not so sure what really happened over the weekend, I know that I missed a lot of it, and I know I had no idea as to who 90% of the bands billed were. Maybe thats a sign of the times, in the past when I was younger festivals were the thing to do over the summer. Running from stage to stage getting progressivly more and more wasted as the day went on. Ending up outside at silly o clock in the morning by a slightly too close for comfort fire and feeling a little bit worse for wear. Now, I can't do that any more, and in many ways Reading 09 pretty much confirmed to me that refraining from attending these big messy camping festivals was a good idea. In the five years or so since I last did one, not much has changed, except I have got older and more weary. In short, I can't do them any more. But anyway, one last time eh, and of course Radiohead are playing, so that makes it all okay right?
Well, to some degree anyway. Friday started off grey, and then it rained... queue mass exodus to the backstage bar and more beer. Oh and here comes the sun. Okay then, let's go see the aptly titled Manchester Orchestra and having not heard them before, the recomendation was really quite a good one. Can't really describe them other than sonic Youth noisy punky rocky indie messy and not Sonic Youth alike at all types with fuzzy beards and some really nice tunes. One to add to the list of bands to check out that. And then, what happened? No idea, I really don't remember. I think the Friday consisted of Placebo doing the thing they have always done, the sound being terrible and no Nancy Boy. Shame that, oh and of course it's a festival, so no decent view of anything. Oh well. Deftones too also made me realise that things have changed a lot. Chino and co could top the bill a good few years agoi, now I think they played before Placebo, no idea. It didn't do it for me. Hmm, another beer?
However, Faith No More redeemed everything (ignoring the fact that I had to stand through Jamie T being utterly shit and really not my thing). Mike Patton is a genius, it can't be denied. Clad up in a very fetching red suit. He did his thing, his band did their thing and it made me wish I had seen them the first time around. Got totally battered up front, pulled back and was a very very happy man for the hour or so. Screw Kings Of Leon (who were aparrently really bad and anal anyway), you can see and be bored by them any day. Even sponteneous breakings out into the Eastenders theme tune was highly entertaining with Patton literally pwning that croud. Genius and actually making the day worthwhile...
Saturday started off fuzzy, very fuzzy and sunburnt to be precise. Coffee and a walk into town to get some civilization and money from a free cash machine first, then off to the third world of the festival. What happend today? I know I walked past and shook my head in an agressive and unapproving manner at a fair few bands. Fightstar? Nothankyou. Ian Brown? Nothankyou. I wish I did not have that stance to it all, but really... there were so many pointless dull boring crap annoying fake whatever bands there. I just didn't get it. Oh well, Aidan Moffat made me feel human again, with his set of poetry and ramblings from his quite quite awesome solo career. The man looked a little wobbly, and his pasty pale legs were quite disturbing. Much like a lot of his lyrical content. But I still love him. His voice works wonders to the downright blunt and honest words he throws out. Can you feel his heart? And that was it really until a highly energised and downright loud 65daysofstatic. It's good to see them doing so well, playing to big crowds and really really going for it. Fun stuff.
So now what? The Prodigy did their industrial dance noisy techno thing. I danced and the crowed loved it. Rival Schools did their newly reformed emo skater punk stuff and I felt a bit younger. And I think maybe I saw a few other bits, but then the migraine and the horribleness of it all kicked in and kicked me in the face. Half ten on the Satruday, a quick hour nap turned into a five hour coma. Balls...
So, Sunday came, and I'm feeling painful. Bruised from the concrete style ground, not eaten properly and probably drank too much. Whatthehellamidoinghere??? Ugh. I know now I probably am not doing this again. But oh well. So what's today other than Radiohead. No idea, anyway, hit 2pm and I'm sat backstage with Lucy and feeling a wee bit tipsy. Oh okay, let's go see Adam Buxton do his video thing. And very good it was too. Pantomime style food throwing and a load of weird but utterly awesome music videos later I'm back at the sound desk thinking I need more beer and decent music. Yeah, decent music. I think I ignored or complained about the entire main stage lineup. I don't get Bloc Party, nor do I understand Vampire Weekend. It's just dull dull dull (with bad sound and not enough room to move. Yeah Yeah Yeahs were kinda good, but then they generally are. Whatever.
And then we come to Radiohead.
And they opened with Creep. Then they played a hell of a lot of other stuff that I don't remember, not because I was out of it, of course I was out of it but I always am to Radiohead. It just does that. The band seemed happy and slightly maybe drunky. They played Exit Music (with no added bass...), they played Twisted Words, they played Lucky (cue OMG teary moment). They just did. And it made the entire weekend of bands I dont know, or really think I care about okay. They slayed. Simple as that, and could you expect anything less? No. And that was it. More beer and passing out and a journey home that was like hell. And a strong strong feeling of needing a shower, bed and edible food. No more camping festivals for me... until next time...
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