I saw so many great acts in Reading festival it was hard to do a top 5 but alas here it is. If you enjoy listening to these 5 acts as much as I enjoyed watching them last month then I'm sure you're having a great time :)
#1 Biffy Clyro
I was expecting Biffy Clyro to be great, I mean why else would they be headlining one of the biggest festivals in the world but they were so much more than great. I have been a fan for a while and after missing out on tickets to see them in Cardiff earlier this year I was looking forward to seeing them live even more. From the moment they came on stage to the very last chord they were incredible. From Different People to Biblical, Bubbles to a beautiful acoustic version of Machines and a resounding version of The Captain which ended in a crescendo of a flaming guitar. It was fitting that the Scottish rockers finished their headlining set with the song that sky rocketed them to the top of British rock 'n' roll - Mountains. As Simon and the band headed offstage with arms around each other all of us headed back to our tents speechless while trying to get our heads around what we just witnessed.
#2 Green Day
I discovered that Green Day were headlining after I had purchased my tickets and I was so happy when I found out that the American punk rockers were to grace the stage at Reading and I'd be there to witness it. After the release of American Idiot almost 10 years ago I have been massive fans of Billie Joe Armstrong and the band so It was a big understatement to say that I was excited to see them live a few weeks ago. Kicking off with 99 Revolutions before pulling a fan onstage to sing the final chorus of Know Your Enemy, the band went on to play the whole 1994 Dookie album as well as performing crowd pleasers such as Boulevard of Broken Dreams, Wake Me Up When September Ends and Welcome to Paradise. American Idiot and the marathon Jesus of Suburbia made up the encore before BJ Armstrong was left on the stage holding an acoustic guitar leaving the crowds to go back to their tents with the sound of Good Riddance (Time of Your Life) ringing in their ears.
#3 The Strypes
I had been looking forward to watching this young Irish band for months - since I heard them back on Jools Holland's show back around Easter time and they most certainly did not disappoint. I just don't understand how they can be so cool - that is an accomplishment in itself - and their performance was one of my personal highlights of the weekend. Playing both rhythm and blues covers as well as their own stuff from their new album Snapshot which is released on the 9th of September (tomorrow). Blue Collar Jane, What A Shame and You Can't Judge A Book By It's Cover are some of my favourite tracks off the their debut album. Expect great things from these Irish guys in the next few months/years.
#4 Imagine Dragons
I was admittedly quite late jumping on the Imagine Dragons train but thank God I did. I was mostly looking forward to hearing Radioactive live and even though it was amazing live, the whole set was great - miles better than what I expected. Cha-Ching (Till We Grow Older), Amsterdam and Tiptoe all of which are off the band's debut album Night Visions all got the overflowing tent singing and jumping in unison. A great set with incredible atmosphere.
#5 Nine Inch Nails
I had been thinking about listening to some of the legendary rock/metal band material before heading to Reading because I had heard that there stuff was great and that their new album was superb but because of certain things I didn't quite get around to hearing some of their music. However, this did not stop me from loving their performance on Sunday night as we stood waiting for Biffy to come onstage. Even though their stuff is quite heavy I found listening to them incredibly relaxing and despite some of the things the band's front man, Trent Razor, stated in the press I've become a fan of their stuff and I look forward to discovering more of their music in the next few months.
No comments:
Post a Comment