I started off the day with a bit of Popcorn Comedy (impossible to rate, too many shorts!), a variety of comedy film shorts and live performances. Of particular note was the Buttery Biscuit Base song, a cat that smeared poo on its owner’s wall to stop her from having a date and Carly Spellman’s song about her brother. And the one dedicated to Simon. You really had to be there for that one. The first main stage act I headed for was Taking Back Sunday (2.5/5), who I was particularly excited for considering their return to their original lineup. I am a big John Nolan fan. And I can tell you that he didn’t disappoint. TBS may be older and wiser, but he’s still got that raw emotion in his voice that made Tell All Your Friends. Adam Lazzara, on the other hand, was probably on something. The songs were fine, they were great even, and they rolled through all the classics, including the stuff that they’d written in the absence of John and co, but Adam was extremely overwhelming. I’ve seen Taking Back Sunday before, I know that he’s a bit of a character. But this was something else, and I honestly felt uncomfortable watching it. A good job that Frank Turner (4.5/5) came along to save the day! Frank’s first time on the main stage and he was positively glowing. The sun came out, the crowd sang along and I lost my voice. Frank and the Sleeping Souls chose their set very carefully, resulting in thousands of voices being hurled back at them. There really is no performer like Frank Turner. The soothing voice, the snappy dress, he’s got us in the palm of his hand. He oozes charisma, but moreso than that, his songs truly connect with so many people. The ‘I won’t sit down’ bit in Photosynthesis is always worth a laugh (essentially he gets everyone to sit down and jump up at a certain point in the song) and with less crush than in the NME tent last year, it actually worked! He’s touring in November, go and see him if you’ve got any sense.

Fast forward a bit to Bedouin Soundclash (3/5). By this point, the clouds had kicked back in, so their brand of reggae/ska managed to cheer everyone up. The tent was filled with people who’d heard that song on the T-mobile advert and not a lot else, but everyone was dancing. It’s happy music, chilled out and made a change from the hardcore being played earlier in the day (I did catch a bit of Off! but it was pretty dire and I wasn’t paying that much attention, so I’m virtually disregarding it). Hot Water Music (4/5) wowed us all. A great return for the band, they played a veritable aural feast from their ‘punk’ catalogue (no Fuel For The Hate Game love?). In fact, I’m surprised that the tent wasn’t as full as it was. Hot Water Music know what it’s all about, and the cover of True Believers at the end where all of their friends came on to join in was inspiring. The whole set was inspiring, really. If I can be as half an accomplished musician as any of them, I’ll be happy with my life. Face To Face followed them, but I didn’t really catch that much of it. What I did catch sounded pretty good though. My apologies to soufex for not seeing one of her faves!

Frank Turner (5/5) played a second set in the Lock Up, which topped his first one by miles, if that was even truly possible. There was admittedly some repetition from earlier, as he played The Road again, but in a much more intimate setting, it was far more involving than before. However, the true highlight of the set was Frank’s cover of Queen’s Somebody To Love, where he ditched the guitar and picked up the mic for an incredible rendition. Screw Glee, Frank Turner is where it’s at! Oh, and The Ballad Of Me And My Friends never ever gets old. As Frank says, “I’m definitely going to hell, but I’ll have all the best stories to tell” and that set can definitely be included amongst the best stories we have to tell. I’m really struggling to write comprehensively at this point, because my brain is just going “AJGDJHFF SO AWESOME” and I think that if a set can reduce me to some kind of babbling mess, it’s got to be worth it, right?

Flogging Molly (5/5) in comparison turned me into some kind of dancing machine. A friend of mine had come for the day and was meant to be watching Muse with his friends, but turned to me and said “I CANNOT LEAVE THIS RIGHT NOW!” To be perfectly honest, it was the most fun I’d had all weekend. Flogging Molly are not one of those bands I’d choose to listen to in the privacy of my own room, not really. They’ve got some great songs and I’m sure there’s some real gems out there, but in a way, I’ve always thought it was too gimmicky. I’m very happy to say I think I’ve been proven wrong. There was a phenomenal atmosphere in the room; everyone was dancing, cheering, clapping, singing… drink was flowing and people who didn’t even know each other were linking arms and dancing with each other. All in all, I think that was a great success. So much so, that Descendents (4.5/5), although they were amazing in their own way, just missed out in topping the list over Frank and Flogging Molly. They may be all grown up now, but they’ve still got it. It was a dream come true to be able to see them, as they covered a huge range of songs from their back catalogue. They clearly love what they do and the on stage banter was hugely entertaining, as well as their choice from a few of the jokier songs in their repertoire (Coffee Mug, anyone?). Milo is a great hero of mine for many reasons, and the true highlight of their set for me was having a mic thrust in my face and singing a line. Punk rock ambition number 12 achieved! The songs sound just as good as on record, even better perhaps as Stephen Egerton takes it up a notch. So the weekend ended on a high, as I got to see one of my favourite bands who I’ll probably never get the opportunity to see again and completely disregarded Muse because I’m a total rebel. This year, Reading rocked.

Sunday will be posted up later today when it’s dusted off, but in the meantime, here’s a look at Saturday while I go shopping with my mum.
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On the whole, Saturday’s main stage was… average. There was a lot of stuff I could have watched in the Lock Up, but for the first time in a long time, I actually had friends with me, and friends means sacrifice. I’m okay with that, but it did mean that I missed out on a lot of stuff that otherwise might have been pretty good. There were a lot of gaps. It was a long day.

But in other respects, I got to discover some stuff that I would never have ventured towards. Like Daniel Sloss (4/5), for example. Quite simply the funniest comedian of the whole weekend. He’s young, he’s relevant, he’s got floppy hair but above all else I was actually in tears at his ‘winning the breakup’ routine. Perhaps because it’s entirely relevant to me right now, but it’s sheer genius. Do go and see him if he tours around your town, you’re in for a treat. Daniel Sloss was followed by the surreal Late Night Gimp Fight (4/5). If you can replace a word in a song with the word ‘gimp’, they’ve done it according to their videos. Some of the strangest, most degrading and yet endearing sketches I’ve ever seen. And a man got his cock out at two in the afternoon. What more could you ask for?

Next up was a trip to the Lock Up for a bit of letlive. (3.5/5) who were pretty decent. On record, letlive. have been one of the most exciting bands around this year. Fake History is incredible. But live, that sound just doesn’t quite come through. Perhaps it’s the acoustics of the tent, maybe it’s because it’s actually quite a polished album, but their live performance is completely raw. Don’t think that’s a bad thing. Admittedly, I was a bit lost in places. It’s a complete sight to see though. Singer Jason Butler throws himself across stages in ways that shouldn’t be humanly possible. Guitarists Jean Nascimento and Jeff Sayhoun shred like there’s nothing else left to do in the world. To listen to, they weren’t at their peak that day, not like I think they could be. To watch, they were insane.

A brief stint in the Alternative tent saw us in the company of Michael Fabbri (2.5/5) who elicited a couple of laughs but on the whole was pretty average. He didn’t measure up to the comedic genius of Daniel Sloss, at any rate. Paul Chowdhry (1/5) was that bad that I actually fell asleep. Apparently nothing exists outside of London. Where the hell do you think you are then, mate? Dire stuff.

Jimmy Eat World (4/5) are always outstanding. Whatever the set, they know their audience and they play to that audience. We got all the hits from Bleed American, Futures and Chase This Light, a couple of gems from Clarity and the latest from Invented. Even at fourth, Jimmy Eat World should have been higher up on the bill. Who the hell are The National? They’re not Jimmy Eat World, that’s for sure. Jimmy Eat World were made for big things and they’re finally getting some of the recognition they deserve. The full touring band this time made a huge difference to their set, allowing them to achieve the depth that’s displayed throughout all of their albums. A Jimmy Eat World set always feels really personal; unlike some acts where you really feel part of the enormous crowd around you, the band always manage to make it feel extremely intimate, despite playing to an audience of thousands. It takes a lot to be able to do that.

During dinner, I caught a bit of Glassjaw (4/5). I feel that I can’t really give Glassjaw an accurate enough review, considering that I caught less than half a set. That half a set I did catch was pretty intense. Daryl Palumbo is demonic in his movements, and those eyes… those eyes. Glassjaw are frequently quoted as the best post-hardcore band around and I find it easy to see why – they are utterly captivating. The King Blues (4/5) in the Lock Up are just as captivating but for wholly different reasons. It’s great to see them back in the Lock Up. Their performance on the main stage last year was good, but it wasn’t where they belonged. As Itch said, “You people in the Lock Up… you’re our kind of people, yeah!” They ran through a blistering set of reggae and ska tinged punk rock, and although I appreciated Tim McIllrath’s statements the day before, he doesn’t really know what he’s on about regarding our country, but The King Blues really do. New song, Power To The People, is a hardcore influenced dub whirlwind, ready to inspire the youth of today. The tent was packed, not just full of the punk crowd, but there were girls with flowers in their hair, mums and dads, indie hipsters and more, proving that The King Blues have a greatly universal appeal.

But it seems that no band has more universal appeal right now than The Midnight Beast (4/5). Much like the HMV Institute on their headlining tour this year, the tent was so rammed that the band had to stop in the middle of their new song in order to get everyone to move back so nobody died. That is how excited people are to be seeing The Midnight Beast. Screaming teenage girls aside, their comedic raps had pretty much the whole tent in fits, including an impromptu cover of Friday which had more people singing along than will probably admit to it. A Midnight Beast set is definitely a show, with so much going on that it’s difficult to keep up. Cheerleaders, fake swords, boyband dancers… they’ve got it all. Comedy rap is a big thing right now and The Midnight Beast are the best of British for sure. The new song shows promise of lots of new material to come, so they’ll definitely be worth watching. Not bad for three guys who covered Kesha’s Tik Tok in their living room.

Let it be noted that the rest IS on the way, but considering I haven’t done a real update in a while, you can have Friday first and the rest in a couple of days when I’ve written it!
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Another year, another Reading. One more weekend of sleeping on the ground, of being pissed on by the heavens, of probably catching some kind of STI from the longdrops and of obscenely good music. There are a lot of festivals out there and arguably, Britain has most of them on its shores, but Reading is and always will be my festival. No other festival quite has the variety that Reading does, nor the charm. You’d never get Glassjaw and Bombay Bicycle Club sharing the same stage anywhere else. Some people go just for the “experience”, others for the overpriced alcohol and getting stoned in a field. Those two things may actually be one and the same but I go for music. I’ve paid an extortionate amount of money. And this year’s review actually has a lot of bands (and a bit more comedy than last year) in it. Always a plus.

After a night of essentially being a wetboy (“Can I go to bed yet? I’ve been up since half six!” “NO IT’S ONLY HALF NINE. That isn’t socially acceptable!”) I rose nice and early on Friday morning to wade my way through six inches of mud in an attempt to reach the arena in time for Architects (3.5/5). Architects proved to be a solid opener for Friday’s main stage, playing a mix between their older, heavier material and newer effort, The Here And Now. A substantial wake up call at midday, Architects proved that they can indeed bring it. The Blackout (4/5) followed up with a bloody brilliant set, bouncing all over the place. Sean and Gavin are such charmers. The ever-so-slightly altered vocal dynamic (essentially, Sean doesn’t shout quite as much) that was found in Hope translates well live. I did find myself disappointed that there was no spit catching, but I think that was just me. Spit catching aside, The Blackout brought so much energy to the morning that New Found Glory (3/5) were struggling to keep up. While it was by no means a bad set from the Floridian pop-punksters, it’s clear that New Found Glory aren’t quite at home on the main stage. Having seen NFG multiple times throughout the years, something felt very off about their set in comparison. The main stage at Reading is a big thing, it has to be to get 30 Seconds To Mars’ ridiculous stage set up there and although NFG are big players in the pop-punk scene, their presence didn’t dominate as much as it should have done. Nevertheless, they played a decent amount from their back catalogue, inciting mass singalongs, while I sat in regret at having to sell my ticket for their intimate headline tour (first time I’ve missed them in seven years. SEVEN YEARS). So I guess pop punk’s not dead yet, is it Chad? No. Bring Me The Horizon (4.5/5) played the best set so far that day with an intense experience that only they can provide. The crowd surfing was mental. Oli Sykes, despite his pissant reputation, was positively adorable and simultaneously terrifying as he ripped through their set with high velocity. There’s always a certain aggression associated with a BMTH set which is easily spotted through the various moshpits and walls of death, but as Oli grinned from ear to ear, the notion of a band all grown up shined through. Their latest effort, perhaps their magnum opus, is a sophisticated affair despite having a song called ‘Fuck’ on it and their Reading set was a blinder. Ta very much. In comparison, Rise Against’s (3/5) was a more watered down affair as the band chose to go with their newer, middle of the road material. Following BMTH, it would have been entirely possible to pick out some of the finest from Siren Song Of The Counter Culture or Revolutions Per Minute but I was left feeling underwhelmed. Songs like Saviour are nice, and Tim McIllrath has developed a lovely gruff singing voice over the years which sounds sublime sailing across a sea of writhing bodies but come on… hardcore punk isn’t over yet. Their cover of The Clash’s ‘White Riot’ was superb though, even if Tim’s statement regarding the London riots of late did not go down too well with the crowd.

We left the main stage because Deftones were on there and I’ve never liked them. I always feel like I should apologise for that fact, because they’re such a big institution, but broccoli is a big vegetable and I don’t apologise for disliking that so I think my conscience is clear. Instead, we were wowed by The Petebox (4/5) in the Alternative tent with a simply astounding demonstration of just what the human voice can do. He covered Where’s Your Head At amongst other classic tunes using just his voice! Brill! Apparently he’s got a new album coming out which should be interesting. Henry Rollins (5/5) is always an inspiration. Always. There is never a time when I walk out of a room where Henry has been on stage and feel disappointed. His stories are funny, despite his protestation against such accusations, endearing, on the edge and enthralling. In this set, he gave us some details about his time in North Korea as one of the very few Americans let in yearly, the time when Black Flag got some girl’s eye put out and living on the Santa Monica Boulevard during a high point in male prostitution in the area. This man has lived the most incredible life and he urges us to do the same. If you have never, ever seen Henry speak, or read one of his books, or listened to one of the various spoken word albums he’s done, then remedy this immediately. You won’t regret it.

A brief dinner and then back to the main stage for 30 Seconds To Mars (4/5). Part of me wanted to hate this performance. I mean, I’ve always thought that 30STM have demanded this kind of grandeur out of nowhere. In another article, I discuss this lack of understanding at simply how 30STM are where they are but finally seeing it for myself has made me realise that actually, this is a band that deserve to be centre stage right now. Pretty much everything about this set can be described as epic. The staging, with its huge screens and rising platforms, looked incredible. Jared’s interaction with the crowd was insane – as soon as Kings and Queens rolls up, there are literally fifty fans singing their heart out on stage with him as he prances around in a fan’s tiger onesie. They picked only the most anthemic of their songs, and although they left out From Yesterday which is my personal favourite from A Beautiful Lie (actually… the only song I truly like off that release), the entire field rang out with cheers and screams. 30STM are a highly visual band and as odd as that sounds, they do have to be seen to be believed. I was pretty much half converted before this set, but now I’m ready to go all the way.

Despite their cracking performance, 30STM simply could not measure up to My Chemical Romance (5/5). It’s not been long since the band have been back in the UK but it’s been at least three years since they graced the main stage at Reading and Leeds. And they have been missed. Gerard and the boys were certainly in fine form and loving it. The set was comprised of various hits from their new album, which is superb by the way, The Black Parade and Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge. Unlike Leeds’ set, we didn’t get Our Lady Of Sorrows, but that’s okay. Each and every song was thrashed to perfection as the band whirled their way across the stage. James Dewees (at least I swear that was him under the fursuit!) made a welcome return to keys and knocked out a fantastic rendition of Mama with the band. My Chemical Romance have not lost their passion in any way. I know it’s not all about Gerard, and truly, the band as a whole are amazing, but he completely stole the show in every way possible. In today’s music, there isn’t a better front man. He’s got the voice, the passion, the energy that so many others have but taken to a whole new level. The experience as a whole was taken up about ten notches during the encore as Queen’s Brian May (BRIAN MAY YOU GUYS, BRIAN MAY!!) came on stage for a cheeky cover of We Will Rock You and Welcome To The Black Parade. There were fireworks. There was a lot of hair. There was an epic solo. Gerard looked like a kid who’d eaten too many blue Smarties. Everything was perfect. And so Friday finished in the greatest possible way and My Chemical Romance are the best headliners I’ve seen at Reading ever. True fact.