Eddie Veder might not be quite as old as My Chemical Romance were suggesting during their set (jokingly, we think) but it's like the band have all had an enormous face lift.
We used to find Pearl Jam a bit of a chore, too ponderous and deliberate. We're fairly sure you don't need to smoke large quantities of narcotics to truly appreciate their music, but it sure as hell always seemed that way.
Nice suprise then that the erstwhile kings of grunge have sped things up and got the crowd out of their long interval stupor. The sound on the main stage is very hot this year, one screw up during Arctic Monkeys's set yesterday aside, and you really get the benefit when Eddie and co are belting out tracks.
Right, that's about it from our report from Reading 2006, we're heading back into the pit to watch the rest of the set and then carry on with a dance. Awesome. See you next year Reading: tickets go on sale on Tuesday...
Defying all rumours to the contrary, My Chemical Romance do not meet their onstage death at the hands of Slayer fans outraged at their extravagant make-up bags. This is because MCR are waaaay less emo than everyone was expecting and get the crowd wholly on side with incredulous diatribes about the Daily Mail and call and repeat moments. By the time they go off we've had a totally awesome time. Way more enjoyable than Slayer.
Brian Molko and gang having been initiated into the Kerrang! Hall of Fame this week as classic songwriters, we're expecting something pretty special. "This is where we go to plan b and Stefan tells jokes," says Molko dryly during an emergency amp fixing as the band vamp a hypnotic riff to fill in time. "Just to fill you in, I feel like a total prick right now." Never mind love, as long as the camera keeps panning to girls flashing their breasts, the crowd'll keep on cheering.
Oh dear, after ten minutes of amp problems, the band go off to be replaced by more tits. One girl gets booed for only flashing her bra, then changes her mind and gets a big cheer. There's an excited murmur as a big chested lady gets her close up and ecstatic roars as she whips up her top.
Utterly bizarre as it is, it sounds better than the band. The problem is, most of the material on current album 'Meds' doesn't live up to what they were producing seven years ago. It's just as sparky and energetic but lacks the emotional drive that hallmarked their earlier albums. Even tonight it sounds like it was written on auto-pilot and when the band do dip back into the past, the difference is immense.
We'd been very excited all weekend by the last act lined up to play in the Tiscali tent, mostly because they weren't on the main roster and we thought they might be a secret gig from someone really important.
From the soundcheck, we can tell they're not. While we totally like new bands, they can't compare to the lure of Goldie Lookin' Chain in the NME tent so we belt off there. There's such a huge queue outside we think the signing tent must have got someone good in, but no, it's people craning for a peek at the Newport boys in their shiny yellow outfits. It takes ages to get through the tent but it's worth it. The Chain are full of energy and chucking water into the crowd and over themselves. Brilliant. We're in danger of dissolving in the heat though so we head to the Main Stage to catch Slayer.
"Are you ready for a beating?" screams the head Slayer. "Are you ready for WAR?!" Wow, if only all TA adverts were this loud. "That is the only reason I'd grow my hair long," says New James, as Head Slayer begins some neat circular headbanging. Extreme metal's either something you get or something you don't and while Kerry King appears to be having a nigh on religious experience with his bass we're clearly lacking the necessary gene. People worship Slayer - the chanting gives it away - but it's not really our cup of tea. Good hair though: much earnest rocking.
As predicted, Dresden Dolls have just rocked. In fact, they rocked so hard that they might as well have picked up the weekend's performances and stuck them in the bin. Even when restricted to their keyboard and drums they still manage to be the most electrifying act we've seen all weekend. From their throwing flowers to the crowd at the start to their closer, 'Girl Anachronism', Brian and Amanda make you want to be them, if only so that you can make so many people this happy. "Marry me Amanda!" chorus boys and girls. She grins and gets back to throwing beer around the nervous photographers in the pit, while Brian leaves his kit and gets his guitar out. Easily the best gig we've seen all festival.
One of the really rubbish trends that always appears at Reading is people wearing merchandise from previous years. They might think it's cool to prove that they went to Reading 2000, everyone else goes "Yeah, but you still forked out a ridiculous amount for a shirt you pillock."
Kudos to this guy then who made his shirt for a holiday to Newquay. Apparently the sandwich concerned was truly amazing.
The theme of ridiculously heavy Main Stage opening bands reached new heights of incredulity today with the double bill of Mastodon and Killswitch Engage. Our ears are still in shock. Ice cream solves the problem, although that involves handing over an eye-watering 2.50 for some froth in a cone. "Two fifty? Why do you call them 99s then?" demands the next customer. We spend the next ten minutes wondering why we have never questioned this before.
"Why would you take away Sunday? It would halve your weekend!" asks someone who clearly hasn't read their programme with due care. New York rockers Taking Back Sunday certainly stake a big fat claim on today, with tracks from new album 'Louder Now' slotting neatly into the emo urgency of their set. A man walks past clutching a sign declaring his love for triangles. A fight nearly breaks out when someone announces a preference for squares.
"I saw these guys a few years ago under a different name," says New James, figuring out why he finally likes a band that Aloud has dragged him along to see.
Well, Aloud pretty much fell for this London lot when 'Scratch Your Name...' started bothering the XFM playlist earlier this year and following on from killer performances at a number of this year's key festivals, they're certainly bothering the Carling tent.
Getting 'Scratch Your Name...' out of the way first of all, The Noisettes show exactly why they are a name to be reckoned with as they artfully bash the daylights out of their instruments while bouncing off amps, all in the most decorative outfits. Take notes from the guitarist kids, Rupert Bear is the look to aim for.
If you haven't had the luck to catch this band play, get yourself on Google now and see them fast. Imagine the 'Ballroom Blitz' scenes in Wayne's World and you're kind of there. Go team!
Indifference begone, we've seen our first truly great random band of Reading, and they wear tap shoes.
Yeah, you heard that right. Instead of having boring things like drummers and percussion, this lot provide beats by sticking taps on the three girls feet while the two boys hit guitar and keys duties.
In terms of sheer balloon action in the crowd, this could easily be mistaken for a female Tiny Dancers gig. There's a huge and appreciative audience in here, all clapping like proud parents and getting into the tap like they'd been born into it.
It's not hard to like, that's for sure. Great tunes that veer from folk to Spanish to pop to indie in the course of one set, plus they grin like kids who've just reached the top of the climbing frame. They can't quite believe how much they're liked but damn, they really should.
