18 years of waiting…

So on Sunday one of my life long dreams came true- I went to Reading festival for the day and got to see the notorious Biffy fucking Clyro live! But let’s not skip to the main event; instead let me take you on a tour of my Reading festival experience…

Act 1: So after a 2 hour train journey (snooze) and walking for what felt like miles (snooze) I was finally inside Reading festival! Despite being absolutely knackered from walking and traveling I was absolutely buzzing to start seeing as many bands as possible, the first of which was Half Moon Run. I hadn’t really heard that many songs by HMR if I’m going to be honest, but, if you read my Glastonbury 2016 posts you’ll know, they are a band I’m starting to really enjoy listening to for when I want to just chill, and they were the perfect first band to see. Not only did they sound EXACTLY like they do on their album ‘sun leads me on’, they were the perfect mix of onstage presence and chill. Their songs ranged from gentle melodies and high-pitched vocals, to full on guitars and harmonicas, which provided the audience of the NME stage with the perfect mix of relaxing tunes and high-energy beats to get the day started. And if that’s not enough to make you want to catch them up on IPlayer than maybe seeing guitarist and percussionist Conner Molander really feeling himself onstage will!!!

Act 2: Straight after the chill of Half Moon Run it was straight to the Radio 1 extra tent for Raleigh Ritchie and time to get properly hyped. Similarly to HMR I had only really heard his song Bloodsport so wasn’t really sure what to expect from him- but what I did get was absolutely glorious. He completely hyped the whole 1 extra tent with his upbeat tunes and attitude, and managed to get everyone in the place jumping around with him and basking in the glory of his rapping. And not only was he an incredible hype man but no matter how much he was jumping around (which was a lot) he never faltered in his vocals. Such an amazing man to see live, and definitely someone I recommend EVERYONE to start listening to.

Act 3: After the high of Raleigh Ritchie I was so excited to head to the mainstage to see The Vaccines- a band I’ve loved since hearing their debut album ‘what did you expect from the vaccines’. Unfortunately there’s always one that has to disappoint. I hate to say it but The Vaccines were really a massive disappointment for me. Their whole performance was ridiculously lack-lustre and just bleh with lead singer Justin Young seeming to care more about looking like a rock-star than actually being one. Even playing classics such as Norgaard and post-breakup sex couldn’t save them. Sorry to any Vaccine fans but I wouldn’t bother wasting your time catching up on their set.

Act 4: I won’t lie but the massive disappointment of The Vaccines kind of put me in a bad mood… which was soon fixed with the help of Fall Out Boy. I’ve always loved FOB ever since their whole Dance Dance phase, but then wasn’t really a massive fan of their new stuff, finding it more commercial and not really my style, however still thought I’d stay at the mainstage to listen to them- and god I made a good decision!!! Their set was the perfect blend of their old-school classics and newer songs with highlights including ‘This ain’t a scene’ and ‘sugar we’re goin down’. Not to mention they used some pretty impressive pyrotechnics including flames exploding from the top of the stage and dancing acrobats. Take note Vaccines because if you want to see a performance look no further than Fall Out Boy.

Act 5: Unfortunately I didn’t get to see the whole of FOB’s set because I had to leave early to see a band I’ve been wanting to see for god knows how long- The Wombats. So I left the Main Stage and headed towards the NME tent to go fucking nuts over The Wombats quirky electro sound that I adore so much. If I’m going to be honest I didn’t anticipate the amount of people that were going to be in that one tent. I thought a lot of them would stay and watch FOB considering they’re an American band and don’t really tour that much over here in the UK, but oh how wrong I was. The whole NME tent was basically over-flowing with anxiety fans waiting to see a band they’ve loved for years. The atmosphere was almost as electric as their sound, as they completely got the crowd going with their oldies, including my all-time favourite ‘let’s dance to joy division’. I cannot even remember another time that I screamed and danced so much at a gig but it’s just what they do to me. They were most definitely one of the highlights of the festival for me, and the perfect band to get me hyped for Biffy.

Act 6: And finally, after getting pumped at The Wombats, came the moment I had waited 18 years for… BIFFY FUCKING CLYRO! It’s hard to explain just how excited I was to see this legendary band, but all I can say is that I had waited years to see them live, and to see them on a stage right in front of me brought tears to my eyes. They started explosively with one from their new album, ‘Wolves of Winter’, before progressing into the classics which obviously included ‘the captain’ and ‘mountains’. The thing that I absolutely adore about this band is that they are incredibly heavy in some songs being a guitars and drums band, however they have these incredible songs where it’s just a gentle drum beat and acoustic guitar, and it’s these songs that created the most beautiful moments during the gig. A particular highlight of mine had to be when every single person at the Main Stage sang as loud as they could with Simon Neil to Many of Horror and created the most beautiful sounding moment I have ever had the pleasure to be a part of. Not only did this gig allow me to hear some of the songs I’ve been playing air guitar to since I was 13, but also allowed me to hear some of their newer stuff, and it is with great pleasure that I can say Biffy are going back to their old-school stuff- heavy as fuck and I absolutely love it. Their new album is an absolute masterpiece and something every single person should listen to. They were the perfect band to end the day, and festival, with, ending perfectly with Stinging Belle, and showing Scottish pride with them bagpipes. All I can say is Mon the fucking Biff!!!!

#Reading #Festival #Summer #2016