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Tragically, this preview will've come too late for many. If you're still working, or just lagging, steal a march. Possibly....
Rain, rain go away. I’m bored of reading (note the small ‘r’) festival coverage that’s devoted zealous to the sex lives of clouds. Thus, this preview will try to forget about the grey smudges slowly closing in overhead, the mud creeping up ankles to knees, the tent pegs disappearing into a brown, sticky mire. It will focus instead on what you should be doing this weekend at Little John’s farm or Bramham Park to render the gods of wind and rain redundant.
Tonight
First things first - I assume you’re workshy but pitch your tent in a friendly circle before people that haven’t already escaped the claws of the ‘real world’ invade with their canvas tomorrow morning. This much should be obvious, but temptation looms myriad and heavy on the first night of Reading and Leeds, particularly if you arrive late this evening and your mates are already halfway gone and pushing their poison on you.
With the basic human need of shelter sated, head to one of the welcome parties but time it right ‘cause chances are you’ll realise the campsite’s more fun after about 27 minutes. Rally comrades and bolt for the chaos of yellow camp, if it’s not floating.
Reading exhumes erstwhile London indie bastion FROG; The Holloways, Peñate and We Smoke Fags getting iPod thumb ‘Djing’ while in Leeds locals will be wallowing in the dour pop of acts like Sky Larkin, Grammatics and ¡Forward, Russia!. Chances are you’ve seen this motley lot plenty, so get in, get friends, dip out. Trolleys and fire or indie and rock? Exactly.
Proceed variously into oblivion, companionship or shopping vessel martyrdom. Try and sleep for three hours just so the early hour sun sweats you out of the night before.
Friday
Water. Bathe? No, wait. Eat? Perhaps. You should still have some of that shopping haul left, or at least the apple you grabbed on the way out of the house as a token gesture at ‘health’.
As for bands, as far as I can tell the first quartet of Reading’s weekend are The Pipettes, The Scare, Bombay Bicycle Club and The Grit. At Leeds Gym Class Heroes, Late of the Pier, Stalkers, The Ghost of a Thousand and Whisky Cats kick off. If you want to be present when the curtain raises, I’d say your head’s strong enough to decide who to see. (The Scare, LotP).
Saturday
Wash, you fucking stink.
Sunday
Ha.
Musical highlights for the festival at large?
(Reading/Leeds)
Reading Friday/Leeds Saturday
Blood Red Shoes; 15.00/14.50 Carling Stage
The Horrors; 16.00/15.05 Radio 1 Stage
Capdown; 18.05/17.50 Lock Up Stage
Grammatics; 18.05 Unsigned Stage (Leeds ONLY)
The Bronx; 19.30/18.50 Lock Up Stage
Patrick Wolf; 21.30/21.05 Carling Stage
Reading Saturday/Leeds Sunday
Teenagers; 12.00/12.00 Dance Stage
Crystal Castles; 12.45/12.50 Dance Stage
Brakes; 12.45/12.40 Radio 1 Stage
Good Shoes; 14.15/14.10 Radio 1 Stage
Shy Child; 16.10/16.35 Dance Stage
Digitalism; 19.40/19.50 Dance Stage
Battles; 20.25/20.00 Carling Stage
!!!; 21.00/20.50 Dance Stage
Reading Sunday/Leeds Friday
Make Model; 12.40 Carling Stage
The Maccabees; 16.05/15.55 Radio 1 Stage
Maps; 17.20 Carling Stage
Jamie T; 19.10/18.45 Radio 1 Stage
Against Me!; 19.10/18.50 Lock Up Stage
LCD Soundsystem; 21.20/20.50 Radio 1 Stage
Klaxons; 22.35/22.05 Radio 1 Stage
Slim pickings for fresh meat. Alas, the Carling weekend does not seem to be the place to find new bands this year. Whether that’s our fault or theirs, even the normally ripe Carling Stage this year boasts slightly stale NME fodder like Peñate, Nash and a ‘Stroke’ . Stick around here for 2.10pm if for some reason you’re at Leeds and feel like watching Republic of Loose. You don’t need us to tell you to watch Arcade Fire, Interpol, The Shins or Bloc Party.
Brief Live Weather report:
”Gloomy. Spitting rain. Occasional rain. One campsite is closed. Orange is full of old people and is absolutely shit.”
Avoid, then.
Where’d I pull the times from? Reading and Leeds.
Forum content, obviously, so don't whine if the times are slightly out.
See you there...
