Reading Festival 2008 - Saturday
Saturday is a fitting reminder that Gallows will never be above us, but one of us.
Shaking off the exhaustion and aches from the night before, we try and believe seeing Rage Against The Machine wasn't actually a dream, and ponder how we follow something like that? Well, by getting back up to the arena. It may as well be Wales Day today, with The Blackout (4/5) opening the main stage in style. On record, their chirpy screamo can seem a little formulaic, but on a live stage they always shine, and they rip the midday crowd a new one, firing through their set as if rigged to explosives triggered by slowing down. Sean is a likeable frontman, full of energy and cheeky mock-arrogance. He's into the crowd as often as possible, driving the front rows into a frenzy. More importantly, respect has to be handed out for numbering Darth Vader in their ranks and playing their set flanked by storm troopers.
Following this wouldn't be easy, and with new album This Is A Fix around the corner, and the excellent Paul Mullen still a new face to many, The Automatic (4/5) need to impress. This they do, and the large crowd puts astonishment into Rob Hawkins' voice when he thanks us for sharing our hangovers with The Automatic. The set is divided between songs old and new; in 'Steve Mqueen', they have a contender for catchiest single of the year, and while older songs get the party started, it's the new numbers that truly show how improved a band The Automatic really are.
British Sea Power (3/5) keep the party vibe going, but fail to match the quality or maintain our attention. This is not a problem for The Subways (5/5), who not only blow us away but everyone else in the crowd, too. Despite only having recently released their second album, they are festival veterans. This means they don't just play the set of their lives; they play like they're headlining the entire festival. The audience response is phenomenal, the band are never less than exciting to watch; new songs fit in perfectly with the likes of 'Oh Yeah' and 'Rock'n'Roll Queen', and they leave like heroes. Outstanding.
Following this would be tough for even the most impressive bands, but unfortunately we get Dirty Pretty Things (1/5), and despite a cover of Nirvana's 'In Bloom', trying to find this toss interesting is as futile an effort as trying to get in to see The Ting Tings (?/5). Luckily we head back to the main stage to see We Are Scientists (3/5), who aren't exactly electrifying to watch, but who's quirky onstage banter and easy to like songs make an excellent warm up for an outstanding set from Editors (4/5). You wouldn't think, listening to their records, that they would ever be this exciting live, yet they are perfectly suited to this main stage slot, and are repaid with massive sing-alongs.
Then comes the hard part. We want to see overlapping bands, so we get our running shoes on and head for the NME tent to have our minds blown by Foals' (4/5) excellent set, proving there's more to indie than jangly guitar and regional accents. Their original songs send the packed tent wild, and leave us already knackered when the time comes to leg it back to the main stage for Bloc Party (3/5). Another excellent slice of originality, their new direction clear on the new songs aired tonight. Sadly, the caution these new songs have been met with is understandable, as they pale in comparison to the likes of 'Banquet' and 'Hunting for Witches'. It's utterly baffling that Kele needs to use vocal effects, but as one song sees his voice squeaking into helium-breathing territory, everyone around us starts laughing. We love Bloc Party, but that precise moment is the most uncomfortable of the night. Worrying times.
Exhausting times too, as we hurtle back to the NME tent to catch a dose of Bridgend's Bullet For My Valentine (4/5) doing what they do so well. The crowd lap up the metal, roaring back lyrics and moshing as if it's the last thing they'll ever do. An incendiary (literally) run through of 'Waking The Demon' threatens to tear the roof off, they may be beaten to headline position by the legendary Manic Street Preachers, but the band are so tight and comfortable on stage they make it look like the easiest thing in the world to do.
There's no time to witness the Manics, though, as we're off to the Lockup for Gallows (4/5). We make friends with an incredibly drunk man who's lost his shoes, but he's oblivious to how bad a time it is to be barefoot. Sure enough, the tent shudders from the sheer intensity of the carnage that breaks out the moment their set begins. The stage is lined with members from other bands on the Lock Up bill, along with our editor (lucky git) and family members, who witness an important, incendiary set that is rife with new material. We were a little worried that their schedules have simply been too packed for them to possibly be able to pen a good second album, but those doubts are smashed aside by 'London Is The Reason' and 'Misery Loves Us', which fit faultlessly alongside the likes of 'Come Friendly Bombs' and an excellent 'Abandon Ship'. Later on, Frank surfs the crowd to reach a mic at the other end of the tent, only to return by parting the tightly packed crowd like the Red Sea. They end with 'Orchestra Of Wolves', but don't even announce it - Frank just points the mic at the crowd and we start it for them, a fitting reminder that Gallows will never be above us, but one of us. It ends frenetically, with Carter smashing the stage apart, and we can't help but smile at the thought that with the relatives lining the stage, sweaty, foul-mouthed Frank Carter's busy destroying an amplifier with a mic stand whilst mum looks on, proud of her little boy. She'd be right to be proud; that seething ball of fury of a son is part of one of this country's finest live bands.
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