The Carling Weekend: Reading, Saturday

Little John's Farm, Reading - 26 Aug 2006

by Laila Hassani

Raconteurs mount an inspired Radio 1 Stage bid to outshine Muse

"It was probably never going to be any other way, given the group’s component members, but seeing them on stage "with your real eyes (and ears)" is still a delight"

Giant Drag (Radio 1 Stage)
Giant Drag vocalist/guitarist Annie Hardy continues to be a fascinating on-stage presence. The juxtaposition of her innocent, child-like features, that faint giddy voice and filthy vocabulary that would shame a truck diver is always a joy to witness. Shyly stepping forward before a large early crowd, she coos, "This song is called 'You Fuck Like My Dad’…" before casting a squall of guitar feedback into the busy tent. Hardy doesn’t let the obscenities rest there, telling a fictional story of a made-up paedophilic relationship she had with singer Chris Isaacs and how he stole her song, before breaking in their set staple cover ‘Wicked Game’. The efforts of comparatively demure GD cohort Micah Calabrese cannot be underestimated as he powers away performing the difficult juggling act of drumming and playing the keyboard at the same time, particularly impressively during set closer ‘Kevin Is Gay’. (JH)

The Bled (Lock-Up Stage)
Apparently - according to campsite gossips - guitarist Jeremy Talley is back home in Tuscon, Arizona moving house. Missing a Reading performance to move house. Okaaay. The oddity of MIA guitarists aside, The Bled are on explosive form this afternoon. It feels like they've been gone far too long and though it might still feel a little early for it, their metallic assault sandblasts your eardrums in a most pleasant manner. They career through their setlist at breakneck speed, super-drummer Mike Pedicone setting the pace (and what should be the uniform outfit for muscled-up, tattooed drummers - nothing but the shortest of shorts). Sure, on occasion singer James Munoz's vocals grate, but as 'The Last American Cowboy' whips the crowd into a frenzy, they do plenty else to perfection. (LH)

Rumblestrips (Carling Stage)
This is a band that is made for the live show. What's taking them so long to deliver a debut album is beyond us, but they're putting in the ground work with touring in the meantime, ensuring there should be a ready market for the full length when it finally arrives. Mischievous brass and a voice that borders on the theatrical make for a set list that almost blisters with personality, making up for a slightly static delivery on stage. 'Motorcycle' and 'No Soul' are dependable as always, though the crowd response seems muted, perhaps a reflection of the early slot, perhaps a reaction to the lack of visual bluster. A solid performance even so - roll on the album. (JF)

The Futureheads (Main Stage)
An exemplary show from The Futureheads that includes full audience participation on their cover of Kate Bush’s ‘Hounds Of Love’. A regular feature on the band’s live shows, the track, which has been subjected to multiple remixes in its own right, has the crowd split down the middle, sharing duties on the "Uh oh oh oh" intro. Much of the remainder of the set is dominated by tracks from the band’s excellent second full length, ‘News And Tributes’, which was released in May. ‘Skip To The End’ in particular is an instant charmer of a track, testimony to the quirky niche carved out by the Sunderland foursome, and a great example of the band's use of multiple vocals to add pace and punch. (JF)

The Automatic (Tiscali Tent)
The Tiscali Tent is hosting some intimate (capacity: 70) sets from bands gracing the various stages at Reading; all being filmed for current and future use via t'Internet (see link below). Yesterday saw Yeah Yeah Yeahs wow the crowd, and today is The Automatic's turn, amongst others. The Welsh quartet have had an amazing year following in the footsteps of labelmates Kaiser Chiefs, gaining fans whever they tread. In this close environment, they spark electricity like a fuse about to blow. Though most people are inevitably waiting for the "hit" single 'Monsters' (which fizzes and pops like the chart smash it is, complete with requisite yelping from keyboardist Alex Pennie), everyone gets involved for renditions of 'Raoul' and new single 'Recover'. Time will tell if they have other tricks up their sleeves - like longevity - but things are looking more than positive from this side. (LH)

Alexisonfire (Lock-Up Stage)
Ontario post-hardcore quintet Alexisonfire have no shortage of fire on display in their short but impressive set. Vocal trio (yes, trio) Dallas Green, George Petitt and Wade MacNeil combine the visceral with the melodic to potent effect in a set that combines crowd favourites old and new. Powerful new tracks ‘We Are The Sound’ and ‘Crisis’ cut a swathe of sonic intensity through a tent packed with frantic bodies while slightly older favourites like ‘Get Fighted’ and ‘Accidents’ provoke the sort of explosive reactions from the crowd that some of the main stage acts would give a few zeros on their pay cheques for. (JH)

Arctic Monkeys (Main Stage)
Another band who have conquered all this year, actually THE band. Sure they have their detractors (particularly with the recent Mercury Music Prize win to their name), but Arctic Monkeys are a band whose album of addictive, finely honed indie anthems actually deserved at least part of the hype and attention lavished upon it. There have been more than whispers to suggest that as a live band, they lack a certain something and can sound flat and disinterested. The Sheffield lads may not be big on in-between song banter, but there's no doubting their performance tonight; they're a powerful entity to be reckoned with. As they play their debut album 'Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not' in its entirety, new single 'Leave Before The Lights Come On' and even 'I Bet You Look Good...' b-side 'Bigger Boys And Stolen Sweethearts', they draw a massive crowd. It's a great way to cap off an incredible year. (LH)

The Raconteurs (Radio 1 Stage) [PICTURED]
The fact that so many of The Raconteurs’ tracks stand out live, even for those of us who’ve piked out of buying the album so far, is proof enough that the sum of their parts makes a powerful song-writing machine. It was probably never going to be any other way, given the group’s component members, but seeing them on stage "with your real eyes (and ears)" is still a delight. The tent is packed, with Benson, White et al providing more than adequate competition for Muse, who are wailing away on the main stage. The set is rounded off when the band members link hands for a front-of-stage bow, a gratifying nod to the fervour of the audience and an apt conclusion to a premium show. (JF)

Muse (Main Stage)
Few could deny Muse’s place as Saturday headliners and as you would expect from the Teignmouth trio – they rise to the occasion with aplomb. Opening with bombastic epic ‘Knights Of Cydonia’ and provoking the crowd to wail along with Matt Bellamy’s soaring falsetto. It is one hell of an opener and for the next 90 minutes they hardly put a foot wrong with the hits flying out like asteroids. The inclusions of instrumental b-side ‘Forced In’ and ‘Feeling Good’ are a waste of all too valuable slots in their set, especially as ‘Apocalypse Please’, ‘Citizen Erased’ and ‘Assassin’ are criminally omitted. Thankfully ‘Bliss’, ‘Butterflies And Hurricanes’ and ‘New Born’ are there to get bodies moving and vocal chords stretching. The airtight groove of ‘Starlight’ is enhanced by sparks raining down on the stage during the powerful refrain "I’ll never let you do / If you promise not to fade away" while disappointingly quiet closer ‘Take A Bow’ comes complete with huge plumes of fire – truly the sign of a fully-formed festival headliner. (JH)

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