O. K lets just get one thing straight, our mission, should we choose to accept it, was to check out as many bands as possible, while keeping our integrity and critical opinions intact by not drinking too much. But free Beer..!!
Reading festival is regarded as the premier European rock & Alternative festival, and this year's line up was touted in ever increasing circles as the best line up to date. We shall see.
FRIDAY
Friday afternoon, 2:00pm, we ventured cautiously from the backstage 'paddock' to see our first band; Asian Dub Foundation.
Now there is no doubting the music, Black & White & Naxalite, both more powerful than I ever remember, but to be continuously reminded of ours, theirs, and just about everyone's 'place in the world' reeks to me of patronisation. Hey guys, we know!
Limp Bizkit have no such hang ups. "Everybody scream 'Fuck you'" we are ordered. We oblige. We are reminded constantly of how 'fucked up America is', we cheer.
Amidst all the banter the band play some good music, some fireworks go off and we are bombarded by ticker tape. Large scale entertainment all round.
The Foo Fighters come equipped with a secret weapon.
'I've played this festival 5 times and I feel old," Dave Grohl, stalwart, rock hall of famer (nearly) and crowd hero (stopping a crush in the moshpit) plays music you can believe in.
Well-written, well-fashioned songs, that sometimes rock, sometimes warm.
Backstage and Oasis fever seems quiet, regardless of a few dozen fans, and a special guest autograph hunter, which is in fact Fred Durst taking the piss.
I manage a few words with Noel Gallagher and decide to take the jugular route. 'So Noel, are Oasis splitting up now or anytime soon?' 'Well what you read in the press', he replies systematically, 'is usually bollocks'. 'We're not splitting to my knowledge. I've just written about thirty new tracks and hopefully were gonna record those down soon'. If we split it won't be because I wanted to!'
Just after this we see Courtney Love in disguise with a certain Alan McGee. 'I am not going out there' she screams on the way to stage front. She goes anyway.
Countdown zero and the question of 'will they, wont they' (split) is almost reaching the scale of the 'will it wont it' question (thunder storm). Well 'no' and 'yes'. The thunder and lightning remains aloft at most times throughout the set, very rarely venturing on stage.
Its Oasis, but with a spark short of a flame.
