Reading/Leeds Festival
Reading and LeedsOne of the most famous events on the UK's massive music calendar, Reading and Leeds is a big fixture these days. Our writers bring you the best of the fest...
With a definite feeling of over-excess languishing in the Sunday air, Deftones are like a kick to the teeth, and the only act whose bass can actually make the bowels rattle. In an incendiary set which focuses on material from ‘Around the Fur’ and ‘White Pony’, we get a visceral opener ‘Feiticeira’, early brutality from ‘My Summer (Shove It)’ and epic ‘Change (In the House of Flies)’. And as the heavens open somewhat fittingly during closer ‘Headup’, it’s a certainty that compared to this Fall Out Boy are going to look like one damp, limp d**k.
There’s something criminal about hearing Temper Trap’s ‘Sweet Disposition’ used on adverts for T4 and Sky Sports, and even worse the best bits of Big Brother, but as it’s introduction bubbles out of the speakers on a wet Sunday at Branham Park, it’s clear that this is a moment. Vocalist Dougy Mandagi possesses a voice with the ability to make the hairs on your neck stand up, and in a magical set including ‘Down River’ and ‘Drum Song’, The Temper Trap provide one of the weekend’s most enchanting moments.
When the last time The Maccabees played Reading in 2007, they filled the NME/Radio 1 tent at a reasonably early stage in their career. Two years on, and it feels even more packed and chaotic than last time. Offering an even split of classics like ‘Latchmere’, ‘X-Ray’ and ‘Lego’ from their debut record Colour It In and tracks from ‘darker’ new record Wall Of Arms the balance is neatly struck, and the crowd really goes for it, all clapping, jumping and singing along. Perhaps the nicest thing about the set is that the band looks just as pleased to see the crowd, as the crowd are to see them.
For a band with a profile as small as The Xx to fill the Festival Republic is either down to good marketing or good material – in this case both apply. T-Shirts, stickers, badges, and shuriken-esque cardboard crosses are all handed out in the build-up, before the South-London quartet make their way onto the stage to both rapturous applause and mass-throwing of the aforementioned cardboard ‘X’s. The band’s dark, intangible style and sound captivates the audience through most of their eponymous debut record, also chucking in a cover of Womack & Womack’s ‘Teardrops’ for good measure. Thankfully the only thing that is blinding during this set is both their talent and potential for greatness, not the cardboard shuriken.
Karen O plunders the depths of the dressing-up box for the Yeah Yeah Yeahs‘ slot, coming on stage looking like a cross between a dinosaur, and a flamingo – a look not many can pull off, but she makes it work. A set packed with material from both new album It’s Blitz and their previous two gets the eager crowd singing and jumping along, before slowing the tempo down with ballad ‘Maps’ which really makes the hair on the back of one’s neck stand up. The pace is picked up by ‘Zero’ – in which another costume change occurs, and three giant eyeballs are released into the crowd, until the strong wind takes them over the horizon behind the Festival Republic stage. One of those sets that really has to be seen to be believed.
After Kings of Leon and Arctic Monkeys toiled through their headline slots the previous two nights, Radiohead might have been worried – play too much of the lesser-known stuff and alienate the casual fan, or roll through the singles at the risk of being called ‘sellouts’ by their notoriously loyal audience. Thankfully neither become the case, and after Thom Yorke makes his way onto the stage, his opening gambit is simply “waaaassssup” – before launching into ‘Creep’ – drawing a reaction of shock and awe. Over the course of their two hour set no stone is left unturned, providing a perfect spectrum of their illustrious career, leaving the crowd as proverbial putty in their hands. All good things do eventually have to end, and to depart on ‘Everything In Its Right Place’ is the only fitting way to finish the weekend.
Frank Turner got Saturday off to an ebullient start. He drew a large crowd to the NME/Radio 1 tent to sing his songs that the everyman can relate to. On record he can occasionally stumble into clichéd territory, singing about not being famous and unfaithful exes, but this problem is neatly sidestepped on stage by his enthusiasm and genuine enjoyment at what he is doing. The more recognisable tracks from 2009′s ‘Love, Ire & Song’ receive the crowd sing-along treatment, and whilst it may not be the pinnacle of musical achievement, it is nothing if not enjoyable.
Grammatics must have been one of the few bands playing at the festival with a cello. And after witnessing ne’er-do-wells chucking cups of lord-knows-what around at The View for laffs it was a welcome sight! Grammatics complex song writing was on display in the smaller ‘Festival Republic’ and, combined with the smaller crowd they drew; it was the perfect antithesis from the rest of the festival. They played their guitar led indie-pop songs with fervour and managed to engage the audience throughout, creating one of the true highlights of the day.
Vampire Weekend brought their sunshine indie to Leeds and managed to coax the sun out of its hiding place for the first time all afternoon. The whizzed through the majority of their eponymous debut album with as many “ooh-ohs” and staccato guitar rhythms as you would expect. Fan favourites ‘Mansard Roof’ and ‘Oxford Comma’ set the large main-stage crowd into a joyous frenzy of jumping and singing, and really epitomised that summer feeling. High quality pop in the sunshine? Yes please.
I won’t mince words; Radiohead are the sole reason I trekked over to the festival. I caught them at last year’s Rock Werchter festival in Belgium, and I knew that I would be in for a treat, and I wasn’t disappointed. There were several noticeable changes from the Reading set list covered by the BBC, for example the omission of ‘Creep’ and ‘Karma Police’ from the set, however as a fan I was more than excited to hear more obscure tracks like ‘A Wolf At The Door’ and ‘Nice Dream’ given an airing. The band played a set encompassing the majority of In Rainbows and new track ‘These Are My Twisted Words’ and it was truly spectacular. It highlighted Radiohead’s status as one of the best bands in the world and made the journey over to Leeds absolutely worth it.
No related posts.
Join the conversation...