3
3Chordwonder
Guest
Day 3 arrives and I'm determined to pace myself for a full day of music, which means I may have to take a few hours sitting down!
Master Shortie - Lock-Up On the recommendation of my mate, I check UK rap/punk Master Shortie - he's quite simply wonderful. Good humoured, lots of cheeky samples in his tunes (Adam and the ants!) songs to get you jumping and singing. It's hard to believe it's Sunday lunch time, it's that good. Anthem of the weekend award to him as the fantastic "Dance Like A White Boy" gets us all (ironically) moving likes demented gibbons. Download that track ..it's a cracker.
Lethal Bizzle - NME Stage Continuing on a UK rap theme, we head to check Lethal Bizzle and his meery band. He doesn't dissapoint. Down to earth chat and big on bouncy tunes that step things up from what we've just seen. The only shame is that Gallows don't appear to guest - so no "Dancing With The Rude Boys" but we do get "Police On My back" Super job Mr Bizzle.
Adam Buxton - Comedy Stage About now, I take a break for an hour and watch TV's Adam Buxton (Adam & Joe) present a comedy/art project which showcases really cool viral videos. Highly entertaining to watch and Buxton's biting comments on them and the people who posted them was a joy to see. Highly recommended if you chance to catch this show.
Gaslight Anthem - NME Stage Into the final run-in and probably my favourite band of the last 12 months. Naturally I'm excited to see them again, the first time being the Astoria 2 about 8 months ago. If you don't know this band, imagine The Clash having a fight with Bruce Springsteen over a Tom Waits record. Tonight, Brian Fallon and the rest of his New Jersey collective are on sparkling form. They are genuinely happy to be there and play all the songs a fan could want with passion and a smile. I leap like a madman and sing every word. As they finish with "Meet Me By The Rivers Edge" I leave thorougly satisfied...this could be the last band I see this festival and i would be a happy man.
Bloc Party - Main Stage This is the fourth time I've seen Kele and the boys at Reading, starting off on a small stage when they were but a gleam in an NME journo's eye - so I kind of feel we've grown up together. Tonight they are relaxed and front man Kele talks to us between songs like we're friends at a dinner party. he truly is the most unassuming man in rock. All the hits are there, "Mercury" being a stand-out as kele crowd surfs and then bashes out his sampled voice via a pedal-gzmo and dances like he means it. The only ommision being "I Still Remember" ...but i guess there's only so much you can squeeze in.
Radiohead - Main Stage Now then...while the Kerrang goblins are off watching AFI and Lost Prophets, it's left to those with a real thirst for good music to take in Oxford's finest export since Inspector Morse. For me, a long time huge fan, it's the first time I've got to see them live. Imagine my shock..first song...f*** me it's "Creep" Everyone erupts and they proceed to play 2 hours of the most spell-binding set I've seen since Arcade Fire 2 years ago. Tom Yorke says little, but is engaging when he does. he pokes fun at Colin Greenwood when his gear fails and treats us to some truly spectacular dancing during "Weird Fishes" We get plenty of old-school stuff (Karma Police, Just etc) and the newer, beat-based tracks come over 10 times better live than on record. We get new songs (These Are My Twisted Words) and a stage set that defies description. They finish on a high with "Paranoid Android" compete with fluffed-intro by Phil Selway! I leave after 2 hours to drive home...
So what did I learn from the last 3 days? Well, if the main stage sucks, don't despair, reggae rules, UK garage is not the mystery I though it was, Festival Republic need to have a serious think about headliners in future and...most important of all, like meeting a pretty girl you knew at school when she adds you on facebook 20 years later...I remembered exactly why I fell in love with Radiohead in the first place.
same time next year!
Master Shortie - Lock-Up On the recommendation of my mate, I check UK rap/punk Master Shortie - he's quite simply wonderful. Good humoured, lots of cheeky samples in his tunes (Adam and the ants!) songs to get you jumping and singing. It's hard to believe it's Sunday lunch time, it's that good. Anthem of the weekend award to him as the fantastic "Dance Like A White Boy" gets us all (ironically) moving likes demented gibbons. Download that track ..it's a cracker.
Lethal Bizzle - NME Stage Continuing on a UK rap theme, we head to check Lethal Bizzle and his meery band. He doesn't dissapoint. Down to earth chat and big on bouncy tunes that step things up from what we've just seen. The only shame is that Gallows don't appear to guest - so no "Dancing With The Rude Boys" but we do get "Police On My back" Super job Mr Bizzle.
Adam Buxton - Comedy Stage About now, I take a break for an hour and watch TV's Adam Buxton (Adam & Joe) present a comedy/art project which showcases really cool viral videos. Highly entertaining to watch and Buxton's biting comments on them and the people who posted them was a joy to see. Highly recommended if you chance to catch this show.
Gaslight Anthem - NME Stage Into the final run-in and probably my favourite band of the last 12 months. Naturally I'm excited to see them again, the first time being the Astoria 2 about 8 months ago. If you don't know this band, imagine The Clash having a fight with Bruce Springsteen over a Tom Waits record. Tonight, Brian Fallon and the rest of his New Jersey collective are on sparkling form. They are genuinely happy to be there and play all the songs a fan could want with passion and a smile. I leap like a madman and sing every word. As they finish with "Meet Me By The Rivers Edge" I leave thorougly satisfied...this could be the last band I see this festival and i would be a happy man.
Bloc Party - Main Stage This is the fourth time I've seen Kele and the boys at Reading, starting off on a small stage when they were but a gleam in an NME journo's eye - so I kind of feel we've grown up together. Tonight they are relaxed and front man Kele talks to us between songs like we're friends at a dinner party. he truly is the most unassuming man in rock. All the hits are there, "Mercury" being a stand-out as kele crowd surfs and then bashes out his sampled voice via a pedal-gzmo and dances like he means it. The only ommision being "I Still Remember" ...but i guess there's only so much you can squeeze in.
Radiohead - Main Stage Now then...while the Kerrang goblins are off watching AFI and Lost Prophets, it's left to those with a real thirst for good music to take in Oxford's finest export since Inspector Morse. For me, a long time huge fan, it's the first time I've got to see them live. Imagine my shock..first song...f*** me it's "Creep" Everyone erupts and they proceed to play 2 hours of the most spell-binding set I've seen since Arcade Fire 2 years ago. Tom Yorke says little, but is engaging when he does. he pokes fun at Colin Greenwood when his gear fails and treats us to some truly spectacular dancing during "Weird Fishes" We get plenty of old-school stuff (Karma Police, Just etc) and the newer, beat-based tracks come over 10 times better live than on record. We get new songs (These Are My Twisted Words) and a stage set that defies description. They finish on a high with "Paranoid Android" compete with fluffed-intro by Phil Selway! I leave after 2 hours to drive home...
So what did I learn from the last 3 days? Well, if the main stage sucks, don't despair, reggae rules, UK garage is not the mystery I though it was, Festival Republic need to have a serious think about headliners in future and...most important of all, like meeting a pretty girl you knew at school when she adds you on facebook 20 years later...I remembered exactly why I fell in love with Radiohead in the first place.
same time next year!