Reading Festival 2008
My legs can barely take my weight.
My throat feels as if it's been violated by a cheese grator.
I can't feel my nose, to the point I keep having to touch it to ensure it is still there.
I don't even know why I am writing this yearly review now, as I am fairly unable to process simple thoughts in my
head after spending 4 days permanantly high, drunk, and generally fucked.
What a weekend though. 2008 now stands as the best festival I have attended.
I've lived in Reading all my life, an made sure I haven't missed a festival since 2000. But this was my first year
camping. The continual peer pressure from my brother and Joe who claimed I wasn't really doing the festival if I
wasn't camping finally gave. Gotta say though, loved camping, but also delighted to have a home to walk back for a
shower if I needed it.
So my festival started on Wednesday really. Festival starts as soon as you've finished work which I did at 2.
Despite the fact that I was going home for nothing, and wasn't even going near the site, I rushed home as if I was already full of coke, and almost crashed in the effort.
Unfortunately I had to go pick my Dad up from the airport at 1am that night/morning! So my and my brother decided we'd go to bed really early to make sure we had enuogh sleep, knowing that a 3 hour sleep for the next few days would be considered a lie in.
I had to go down to the site early in the morning, as I had to buy Sam a ticket on the door, and Joe was getting one too.
We had not realised that the internet, despite all it's charms, naked women, and social networking/young women stalking sites had ruined the festival.
Some fucked up website had sold about 10,000 people completely fake tickets. Obiovusly these people were not too impressed, and had bought ALL the tickets sold on the door the night before. Usually I rely on buying on the door, as it is too much hassle to buy them when they come out and sell out faster than I can knock one out. Thank fuck I had managed to buy some this year.
Joe was obviously, not just upset... but also dissapointed. And Sam sounded very dispondant when I called her to tell her, but that cold just have been the thought that she had given me 160 quid, and was worried that I would end up sniffing it!
Well I got in anyway and set about finding a camping site after the hour long fucking queue for a wristband!
They had somehow managed to fuck up the festival. Usually you can get into the main site with your ticket, and then exchange wristbands when you wanted. Oh no, that simply practice that had worked for years needed to be updated.
You now HAD to have a wrsitband to get anywhere in the site, making horribly queues and riots before you had even got in. Not only that, but they had placed the wristband exchange in wokingham, meaning you had to wait and walk for miles with all your shit on your back.
My bag even got searched randomly when I came in. Note to the festival, get better bag searchers. My borhter got in with a huge bottle of the shittest scotch whisky known to mankind, and we both got in with even coke to kill a small hippo.
Found an alright spot in orange after my brother joined me. Orange of course being the furthest field away from anything.
We randomly had quite a big campsite. Andy's best friend from Uni's mate, got his mate to call me on Wednesday and organsie cmaping with us. Was awesome though, the bigger campsite the better, and these guys were awesome.
So we had, me, Andy, Scurr, Mo, Joe, Stuart, Caroline, Jim, Pete and Scott. Ally and Kirsty were planning on buying a ticket on there. Note their absence.
But the less said abot Thursday probably the better. It can be summed up in just a few words:
Drink
Drugs
Sitting
Campfire
I have to say the collective people annoyed me. Every there would claim to be an individual alternative, and doesn;t follow the crowd. Yet one person would shout bollocks and it would then echo all around the campsite. In all honesty in was a fucking impressive sound a bollocks mexican wave... but it just goes to show how they all actually all sheep!
Joe, while all this was going on, was despretely still searching for a ticket of somekind. I'm fairly certain he had just got out the phone book and just called everyone in it asking if they had a spare ticket.
This was while even touts had run out of tickets! How they managed that when weekend ones were going for 500+ I'll never know.
Joe did get a ticket.
It was free.
And it was a VIP pass.
Wanker! He did have to go to London to get it though!
But after a day of carrying my heavy site and setting up camp... then being told I had to go walk another 500 miles to get crates of beer... fire wood... and what ever other shit were apparently a 'neccesity' I crashed at a fairly respectable 2am. Joe and Mo were not happy about this, nad had decided between that I did in fact have 17 hours sleep last night, and wasn't allowed to complain at all the next.
Friday began with a trip to Reading's best kept secret. The closest pub the the festival hidden round the corner
Colours. This was to be our only trip, as Mo and Joe bitched the entire way about feeling the worst they eve have in their life, a phrase they would utter every single morning. We got 4 breakfasts. 1 for me, 1 for joe, 2 for Mo.
They both had 2 bites of theirs and couldn't stand to eat anymore leaving me with 4 breakfast to put away. They saw something pretty special let me tell you!
Andy and Scurr were yet to turn up, as they were doing their usually not caring about any music, so I dragged Mo and Joe to watch a few bands I was wanting to see.
Anti-Flag were first up. The band like Jimmy Eat World last year, who were playing twice. And let me tell you, they were no Jimmy Eat World.
Empty sound, and kept speaing political shit inbetween all their songs which just made me stop listening. The sing a longs to the songs I knew were alright, but barely made me stand up.
Get Cape weren't much better. Love his album, but it is not a main stage gig. A bit like Dashboard a few years back, their a time and a place for acoustic rock, and the main stage at Reading certainly isn't it. Friday was probbaly the music I was most looking forward to... and it had started badly. To the point that half way through taking Back Sunday, who can keep it as long as they never play again, we headed to the BBC Introducing stage.
This was a new thing they had put up where the old orange tent used to be where all new talent they had spotted played. We saw a band called Our Fold who were awesome. The only problem being that we were able to rest against the barrier as obviously this place didn't have the biggest fan following, meaning my ear drums were absolutely rapped by the decibels!
Despite my protests we then ended up at Dizzee Rascal. It physically upset that not only was he not bottled off, he was in fact very popular! Livid.
It was awful. He had no live musicians, and his 'singing' is just talking over some shit track. Why the fuck was he playing Reading.
We did see first tits of the festival though as some bird got her tits out on the big screen. These were to be the only tits of the festival.
For some reason the average age this year was... about 13. While I obviously high fived this fact numerous times due to my semi paedophilic urges, it actually pissed me off. Everyone I spoke told me this was their first festival, and it meant any girl on shoulders on the big screen was horribly young, and therefore:
a: unwilling to pull their tops up
b: had nothing to show underneath their top
They need to be filled in one the rules. If your gonna be so fucking selfish to block the view for everyone behind you by going on someones shoulders, at least have the decency to give 60,000 people a memory to store for their wank bank. frigid bitches.
I finally meet up with Scurr and Andy just before Serj Tankian. What I paid attention to was very good, but I can't really comment too much as most of his gig was spent high fiving, bundling, and generally excitement for being together.
If I had a snort of coke everytime someone told me they loved me this weekend, I'd have followed Kurt Cobain to od'd heaven. (without the shotgun part)
There was a lot of man love going around. But as Scurr pointed out thats why the festival is so great. Everyone's in a good mood, loving at, and willing to talk and chat and piss around with anyone! Which is what led us to our first randomers of the weekend.
Me Andy and Scurr met a couple of girls, Georgia and Laigney, and this guy Alex.
Alex was a quality bloke, Georgia was a bit of a fucking retard, the kind of girl who is naively flirty to the point that I wouldn't be surprised if she i a continually victim of sex crimes through her entire life, and Laigney looked just like one of my ex's Charlotte, therefore I spent most my time chilling out with her. Oh, expect she looked like a younger, newer model version of her.
Should probably point these people were apparently 16. But looked younger.
BUT...
As soon as they weren't listening me and Scurr the mutual nod that said 'I'd TOTALLY go to jail for that'
Is pretty bad for me to say that... Scurr being the 28 year old saying that just goes to tell you how fucking incredibly fit they were.
Andy fucked off to go hang out with Walcott, who I believe had promised him Ketemine only a week before. No idea if they did that, or what they did. All I know is... I did not see Andy again that day. His reappearance the next day was the only assuarance I had that he wasn't dead and raped.
Us new group of 5 went off to see Biffy who started awesomely... dipped, and then saved it by playing on the best songs of the weekend 57. I had planned on staying and watching the Enemy and Fratellis, but just like last year my insistence to follow the skirt took over.
Jack Penate it was.
I didn't regret. Never been a fan of his, but absolutely loved the gig. Good happy tunes, dancing around like twats, sing a longs, and my crotch continually being rubbed my Laigney's fairly perfect ass.
It was starting t get cold, so being the gentleman I am, i.e. wanting to get laid, I offerce Laigney my hoodie, this may seem fairly pointless thing to tell you, but it was my Weezer hoodie. Anyone who knows me, knows this is my favourtie item of clothing, that I;ve had for 6 years, and worn every day since.
During MGMT who were fairly meh, one of Scurr's mate came over, and wating a piece of the underage action started making jokes Georgia wasn't getting. Asking if he could me Russia and invade her. Once she got this, she got offended, but of course took it out of Scurr.
Scurr had done it again. A girl had turned on him for no reason, and there was nothing he could do. Me and Laigney wne tot watch more MGMT while they had a hissy fit with eachother. When they returned laigney had to take Georgia away for consoling. My last words were, don't run with my hoodie.
I never saw her or my hoodie again. Scurr had not ruined his chance with Georgia, but mine with Laigney which had become a very hot prospect, and also lost my my favourite hoodie.
Somehow in all this confusion, I managed to lose Scurr as well. Where he went and what he did, again, no idea. I rejoined my brother and Joe who had picked up a bit of Frippette themselves. Mo was sat under a scarf huddled with this scottish girl called Emma. Girls really are suckers for punishment, as the majority of the conversation was Mo making scottish jokes, yet all this seemed to do was make up cuddle up more. I found myself fairly annoyed that Mo was onto a banker, where my jailbait had dissapeared like a THIEF in the night.
The 4 of us went to see Queens. Boring. Seriously boring. The only song that actually made me move was Little Sister, so me and Joe went to see the WOmbats. Mo and Emma were following. Mo quickly whispered in my ear if he get lost meet her before rage. I turned around to say cool, and he was gone. He had purposely lost us. This infuriarted me and Joe, but thankfully the Wombats were on form, and opened with the best sing a long ever Kill The Director.
Through fear of missing a single second of rage we left after on 15 to the meeting place for Mo and Emma. WE waited. They did not turn up.
We were fuming that Mo had apparently chosen to ignore us and not see Rage! Acording to Joe Mo had been going on about hoq excited he was about seeing rage with his brother, something it seemed was not gonna happen.
I was then appointed Joe;s new best friend. A title that would be given and taken away from more times than Paris Hiltons had cock.
Rage were incredible. Seriously epic. Morello is a god. I'm not gonna say anything mor about it, because not being a progessinal journalist my words cannot do justice to it. Just know, you wish you were there.
Mo and Emma did eventually turn up 15 minsutes into their set. Me and Joe attempted to not speak to Mo for as long as we could manage, unfortunately he was so drunk, he kept just doing that annoying thing where they grab your round the shuolders and jump completely out of time, and push you around.
I hate peopl that do that, they fuck up my sexy dance moves.
I then embarked upon my second night sleep in the tent. To be fair, it;s not that bad, the noise didn't keep my awake, and I wasn't too hot or cold. Two things I have to remember next year though:
Rollmat
Pillow
Fairly essential items for comfort were left at home, resulting in the equivalent of sleeping of the rocky beach.
The only other problem with camping is the tolilets. I have complained for years about the toilets inside the arena. The ones in the campsite made them look gold plated. Basically there is a huge vat at the bottom, with 16 holes cut in the top and seperated out into cubicles. When you piss, you are staring down into this vat, seeing everything that has been done before. And to make it worse, you can see the reflection of the opposite cubicle hole in the piss below you, which is fairly off putting. And the smell. Well it cannot be described. Going for a piss before you went to bed, the smell kept you awake longer than any coke or speed ever could. I finally realised why so many tents get pissed on, ruined someones tent is much preffered to those toilets. Of course my brother mainly choose to piss on the fire, which made or interesting smells when lit the next day.
I woke fairly early Saturday. It's fairly impossible to sleep past 9 at the site. The noise increases, the tent hardly keeps out the fun, and it becomes a sauna in there. Seeing Mo and Joe looked as if they weren't moving for a while, mainly as they had Emma laid all over them, I cracked.
My phone needed charging, and I was close to smelling like the campsite toilets, so I nipped home for a shower and to charge my phone. It was heaven. But I needed a quick turnaround as I wanted to see the Automatic. I cheekily got a lift back down with my dad, and meet Mo and Joe to head back in. The Automatic were fairly unimpresive.
I did go back to the campsite first, and found us playing frisbee with the next camp site. This was good fun apart from the fact that I got a frisbee in the back of the head about 5 times. We decided this game wasn't annoying enough people, so we ended up playing baseball. Which just meant one campsite pitching a ball to the other and trying to spank it as far as you could, then shouting sorry, and pass our ball back please!
It annoys me when I wanna see bands early on the main stage, as they turn the music down so low, that it just sounds crap. It would take a fairly special band to impress anyone that early on.
We tarted about a bit, looked at a few stalls, drank some beers, and watched the Subways. To be fair they were very good. The Lure of the fit bassist was enough for me to go, but I was happy to stay for the music. But seriously... 5 years in a row. Their in danger of becoming the new Ash. And the only song anyone actually gives a shit about is rock and roll queen, and obviously they played that last.
While walking around after that, I randomly bumped into Andy and Scurr sat with 3 girls. I styaed with them.
I think Mo and Joe were starting to resent the fact that it seemed as if I was ditching them for my mates whenver I could, despite the fact that they were looking after and standing by me through the whole festival. It wasn't like that at all.
I love Andy and Scurr, but unfortunately they go to the festival for one reason. Women. They only go to hit on birds, and stare at all the wellie clad, hot pants wearing frippette. And don't get me wrong, I love that about the festival, but the main reason I go is for the music. Which is why Mo and Joe go.
So it was awesome having Mo and Joe to hang with when I wanted to go and properly watch and enjoy a band, and Andy and Scurr to hang with when there was nothing much on, or I wanted to go have some silly fun and random banter.
I do have to hand the 'Vestival' idea to Andy though.
He bought us all Vest and just wrote Vestival on them, and gave us all a marker pen. We meet so many random people by just asking them to sign us. And I've got a great souvenir with the finished article.
So yea, I stayed with Andy and Scurr with these three girls, Emma, Tally, and something else. Had quite a lot of fun randomly sat outside some stall. Most of which ended in me being pretend raped by Scurr. Quite worried by the amount of times him and Andy groped my nether region this weekend. Wouldn't be so bad if that wasn;t the only gropes it got!
The 6 of us went to see We Are Scientist. Managed to catch the end of Dirty Pretty Things, and the only song I wanted to see. After seeing it, I'm glad I didn;t see the rest of their set. We were all sat down and chatting, and it seemed Emma took a shine to me which I was delighted with, as she was fit as. Unfrtunately I didn't get her number, but Sitrling did get Tally's number, so I am gonna try and get back in contact with her again. Stirling was sat talking with the other two, but they wren't the most attractive, and Emma chatting away to me. Scurr got bored and went to see Los Campinos afte realising he was on for nothing.
He missed out though, as We Are Scientists were one of the best bands of the weekend. Good tunes that got us all jumping, they wre very good at inbetween song chatter, which most bands aren't.
Seriously if one more bands tells me either:
This is the best day of their life
We're the best crowd they've ever had
or We are way better than leeds, I;m gonna scream.
And WAS played an Ace of Base cover. You don't get that everyday at Reading! And the crowd loved it!
We parted way with those girls after that and Me, Scurr and Andy went to joj my brother and Joe infront of the big screen at the back sat down.
The came the Editors. And the 2nd best band of the weekend. We were sat down, I was staring up at the Sky smoking, and enjoying the music. They were amazing. Every note perfect, and his voice just filled the whole arena. He does look like an anorexic Orlando Bloom though, so obviously the coversation of how we'd all like to do him, did come up.
Me and Joe were then left for The Raconteurs. They were enjoyable, but not really my thing. I did love Steady as She Goes though.
Bloc Party were waiting for too. They had what I think is the best spot. Second last, ust as the sun goes down. You can really feel the excitement and anticipation.
I rang Sam during their set in at attempt to make her finally hear them. She was appreciative.
Mo and Joe then planned to see the Manics, and I wanted to see the Killers, so I finally made an attempt to meet up with Jess from last year.
She seemed very happy to see me, and was very flirty all through the gig. The Killers unfortunately were spectacularly mediocre. They were SO quiet. This must be a decision they make, as Rage and Metallica were deafening, so it can't be a rules and regulations things. Obviously the best song ever written Mr brightside went down like a swedish hooker, and the paper parade at the end of All These Things I've Done was very impressive.
Gotta say as well, I've never heard a band finish, and the crowd continue to chant their songs. The impressiv tones of 'I've got soul but I'm not a soldier' were still being sung up to an hour afterwards by ten of thousand of people.
Gettng out of the site at the end of the night was a fucking mission every day. How they anage t fuck up people leaving I don't know, but it was as crowded as the front of rage trying push your way through. I didn't particularly mind that night as Jess basically grabbed hold of my hands and wrapped them round her the entire time.
We first went back to her campsite and hung out with her mates a little bit, they very nice, but not really my kind of people. They were going to bed, so Jess came with me to my campsite, with the promise of fire, and a good time. Unfortunately I provided neither.
All my campsite were in the neighbouring campsite where they had a fire, and only my brother and joe came and joined us. God I wish they hadn't.
Unknown to me, Mo had snorted about 3 grams of coke, and accepted a random pill he had been given. All he did was sit about and complain about how much they regretted everything he'd ever done in his life, esp that pill last night. Joe just sat in the chair rocking, barely talking after being so drunk, while Mo tarted about in a sleeping bag for hours, rolling around, and generally being a rimjaw!
The worst thing was they had Scott from our campsite with them when they were getting high, and he, as far as I am aware had never taken narcotics before. He, however was over at the next site having the time of his life, while Mo the experienced Narcotic user was dying. Of course Scott lived to regret it in the morning.
I balme Joe for the whole thing. I know it was obviously my brother accepting the pills, but Joe is meant to be the sensible one who keeps my brother in check. Obviously he wasn;t strong enough this time.
Looked like we'd be having 'Sunday MoJo' the next day, when all they do is sit about and moan, and detox.
Jess only stayed an hour or so, once the entertainment of those 2 being twats wore off she left. Kinda glad about it to be honest, as I was knackered, and it came fairly obvious to me that she has no romantic feelings for me left at all. That night became good closure for the whole Jess situation. Still a great girl, and a good festival buddy though.
Please once again notice Scurr and Andy's absence from the night time festivities. They didn;t camp once, despite putting up a tent.
I woke the next day to find Joe gone, and Mo claiming he didn't have any sleep the night before. They were clearly not going to be the best people to hang out with that day.
Scott however did not surface till about 3 ish. We did check on him in the morning to check he wasn't dead. He was farily close to it by the look of it!
I managed to drag Mo and Joe into the main arena for the start and we meet up with Andy. Mo and Joe were in fact on detox. They drank no alcohol, took no drugs, and didn't smoke all day.
This worked out pretty well for me being left with the last of the coke, which I gave a bit of a battering.
Slipknot had pulled out a few days earlier, and we found upon arrival Avenged Sevenfold has also cancelled due to strained vocal chords. No idea if they played Leeds as well, but I'll be livid if they did! don;t want that cheap imitation wannabe, shit festival getting acts the true carling festival deson't.
Unfrotunately they had asked Bring Me The Horizon to fill in at last minute. The offended me. SO heavy you couldn;t pick out a note, and a shit growling singer. They were continually bottled, but did not take the hint!
Scurr still hadn't turned up, so me and Andy went to watch Alexisonfire, who we were very excited about. They also suffered from being early on the main stage though. Emtpy sound, and failed to get the crowd going. This coyld be anywhere in the world was alright, but after that me and Andy got bored and wandered off. This was a good thing, as he got a very exciting phone call.
Unknown to me Ally had been trying to get tickets every morning, and today he had succeeded! Him and Kirsty had paid 120 quid for a weekend wristband each for one day. Not too bad for touts prices I guess.
While me Andy And Scurr we waiting for them to turn up we met our girls for the day. A couple of 17 years old called Leanne and Kat. They were FIT as.
We had planned to go and see Hadouken when Ally and Kirsty got there. Scurr wanted to see Lethal Bizzle however, and it turned out so did these girls. Scurr has arranged to meet them in an hours time to go see him. I was very much doubting they would turn up, but fuck me they did. And although the excitement of Ally and Kirsty being there was still ripe, I was now undecided as to who I was watching. Really didn't want to leave Scurr the lucky bastard with those 2 fitties, but I hate Lethal Bizzle.
Stirling took me aside, clearly keen for me to come with him, and laid it out simply:
They are two ridiculous fit 17 year olds... Life isn't THAT kind.
I didn;t care though, and went with them anyway.
We managed to push our way into the Dance tent, after it was disgustingly busy! We were getting battered all over the place, and being a gentleman I put my hands round Kat to 'protect her' This basically resulting in me groping her entire body for the entire gig. Totally worth going to see Bizzle just for that. We left after the only song I knew called something about the police... what a surprise a black man singing about running from the police, and managed to catch the end of Hadouken.
The girls then tarted off, we did exchange numbers though... but I don't think I'll use it. We the met up with Pete and Jim for the first time in the arena. Kinda gutted that was the only time we spent with them inside, as they were awesome at the gigs. Me, Ally, Kirsty, Pete and Jim watched the music, and danced around like lepers while Scurr and Andy went to try and get laid. We wuldn't see them again till much later. The Music were awesome, don;t even know any of their stuff, but they got me moving a lot. The main reasn we were there watching them was so we could get in early and a good spot for Pendulum, probably the band I was most looking forward to.
The 5 of us managed to push our way right to the front, and got very excited.I've not been to the front of a gig in about 4 years. I seem to have mellowed slightly as I got older, and I now watch at the back with space to move about, rather than get crushed and hit at the front. For the first time in ages I got the pre-gig nerves. The feeling where your not sure if your gonna fucking survive this, as I knew it was going to be MENTAL.
Previously my top three gigs were Thursday at the Garage in 2004, Coheed & Cambria at Reading 2006, an Dashbaord in OXford earlier this year for many different reasons. This beat all three with ease.
It had the hectic fun of the Thursday gig, the musical appreication of Coheed, and the intimacy with the music and the band of Dashboard.
We went fucking mental. Even when I was mini mosher I avoided the circle pits like the plague, here we seeked them out, and even started them. I have never been so knackered in my life! Dancing around like a twat for an hour, getting elbows in face, and just generally going crazy. And they even played the Prodigy Voodoo people cover. I could have been in the gig for hours If I had my way. I'd have probably passed out from exhaustion but I wouldn't have cared.
Nothing was gonna top that this weekend, so it was a good thing th next gig was VERY different. The D.
They were hilarious. And it was just odd seeing Jack Black in my home town, and saying it;s name. I know every band does that, but this was Jack Black. A hollywood A-Lister!
Obviously Tribute, Wonderboy and fuck her Gently were amazing. Thankfully still had voice left to chant it back at them. The only dissapoiting thing was I was convinced that they weren't actually playing. When you saw them strumming you could see they weren;t playing what was being played, and clearly had session musicians round the back playing everything for them. But musical perfection isn't what their about, and as Jack Black pointed out, comedy metal isn;t easy!
There was only one slot left, and that wsa Metallica. I know a lot of people were really excited about them, but I just wasn't too bothered. We met Andy, who had Louweez with him. Was really good to see her, bit of nostalgia as she pointed out. Spoke about dave a bit, and the legends that were flipcycle and Haze. Was convinced Id see them at Reading at some point... unfortunately they threw there talent away.
I hadn;t seen Mo and Joe all day. They had apparently just sat my the big screen all day barely talking to eachother. There detox did stick though. I kept ringing them to make sure they were okay, and they didn't any of the coke and fags i was holding for them, but they weren't interested. Think my brother was even worse as the dissapointment of not seeing Slipknot had really hit home.I arranged to meet them after an hour of Metallica though.
To my surpirse I actually really enjoyed them. My brother had been promising me all weekend that they were gonna crush. And fuck yea they did. A single guitar note was enough to dislodge your insides. You add the other guitar bass and drums, and you were raped by the sound. They only played one song I knew while I watched them. Thankfully it was the only sng I wanted to hear, for whom the bell tolls!
Andy throughout the entire gig was trying to perk me up. Hugging me, makaing jokes, and continually passing me the poppers. I just had NOTHING left. I was running on empty. I knew it was sunday, and the 4 day bender was coming to the end, and I was crashing bad.
I left to meet my brother, and we just picked our stuff up and went home. Metallica were still playing as we walked out, but nothing was keeping me there then. All I wanted my a hot shower and an actual bed. I even left my tent behind, not that I particularly had any intention of taking it with me anyway.
We got a taxi home and that was that. Anoither festival done. But what a fucking festival!
Songs of the weekend were:
57
Smokers Outside the Hospital Door
Ashes in the Fall
Voodoo People
Nobody Move, Nodogy Get Hurt
All These Things I Have Done
Rock N Roll Queen
and Torn on the Platform.
Was great making random friends. Probably never see them again, but be cool to bump into them next year.
As Scurr said, why can't every night out be like that... where you just stop and chat with everyone. Everyone in a good mood, and you love it.
Was so good meeting all Ally's mates. Good thing is I think we've found some proper festival friends for years to come.
Think my self-esteem was helped a lot this weekend. I may not have pulled, but got a lot of female attention.
Georgia the fittest girl I saw there kept telling how fit I was. Laigney was very keen, as was Emma, and the fatc that Leanne and Kat turned up, and Kat basically let me feel her up was fairly cool :P
Nearly every singly one of them said, unprompted by me, how cool my new beard was as well, which was nice :P
The comedown today has been fairly harsh though.
In 4 days I consumed more alcohol than I have in the rest of the year put together, snorted around 4 grams of coke, snorted 2 bottles of poppers completely dry, and smoked over 200 ciggarettes.
It;s a great motivator the festival, usually it inspires me to get back into music, start the band again, and put myself out there more.
This year it's motivated by Andy and Scurr to quit our jobs, and become full time junkies! ha ha!
So that's it... only 362 days till the next best weekend of the year!
My throat feels as if it's been violated by a cheese grator.
I can't feel my nose, to the point I keep having to touch it to ensure it is still there.
I don't even know why I am writing this yearly review now, as I am fairly unable to process simple thoughts in my
head after spending 4 days permanantly high, drunk, and generally fucked.
What a weekend though. 2008 now stands as the best festival I have attended.
I've lived in Reading all my life, an made sure I haven't missed a festival since 2000. But this was my first year
camping. The continual peer pressure from my brother and Joe who claimed I wasn't really doing the festival if I
wasn't camping finally gave. Gotta say though, loved camping, but also delighted to have a home to walk back for a
shower if I needed it.
So my festival started on Wednesday really. Festival starts as soon as you've finished work which I did at 2.
Despite the fact that I was going home for nothing, and wasn't even going near the site, I rushed home as if I was already full of coke, and almost crashed in the effort.
Unfortunately I had to go pick my Dad up from the airport at 1am that night/morning! So my and my brother decided we'd go to bed really early to make sure we had enuogh sleep, knowing that a 3 hour sleep for the next few days would be considered a lie in.
I had to go down to the site early in the morning, as I had to buy Sam a ticket on the door, and Joe was getting one too.
We had not realised that the internet, despite all it's charms, naked women, and social networking/young women stalking sites had ruined the festival.
Some fucked up website had sold about 10,000 people completely fake tickets. Obiovusly these people were not too impressed, and had bought ALL the tickets sold on the door the night before. Usually I rely on buying on the door, as it is too much hassle to buy them when they come out and sell out faster than I can knock one out. Thank fuck I had managed to buy some this year.
Joe was obviously, not just upset... but also dissapointed. And Sam sounded very dispondant when I called her to tell her, but that cold just have been the thought that she had given me 160 quid, and was worried that I would end up sniffing it!
Well I got in anyway and set about finding a camping site after the hour long fucking queue for a wristband!
They had somehow managed to fuck up the festival. Usually you can get into the main site with your ticket, and then exchange wristbands when you wanted. Oh no, that simply practice that had worked for years needed to be updated.
You now HAD to have a wrsitband to get anywhere in the site, making horribly queues and riots before you had even got in. Not only that, but they had placed the wristband exchange in wokingham, meaning you had to wait and walk for miles with all your shit on your back.
My bag even got searched randomly when I came in. Note to the festival, get better bag searchers. My borhter got in with a huge bottle of the shittest scotch whisky known to mankind, and we both got in with even coke to kill a small hippo.
Found an alright spot in orange after my brother joined me. Orange of course being the furthest field away from anything.
We randomly had quite a big campsite. Andy's best friend from Uni's mate, got his mate to call me on Wednesday and organsie cmaping with us. Was awesome though, the bigger campsite the better, and these guys were awesome.
So we had, me, Andy, Scurr, Mo, Joe, Stuart, Caroline, Jim, Pete and Scott. Ally and Kirsty were planning on buying a ticket on there. Note their absence.
But the less said abot Thursday probably the better. It can be summed up in just a few words:
Drink
Drugs
Sitting
Campfire
I have to say the collective people annoyed me. Every there would claim to be an individual alternative, and doesn;t follow the crowd. Yet one person would shout bollocks and it would then echo all around the campsite. In all honesty in was a fucking impressive sound a bollocks mexican wave... but it just goes to show how they all actually all sheep!
Joe, while all this was going on, was despretely still searching for a ticket of somekind. I'm fairly certain he had just got out the phone book and just called everyone in it asking if they had a spare ticket.
This was while even touts had run out of tickets! How they managed that when weekend ones were going for 500+ I'll never know.
Joe did get a ticket.
It was free.
And it was a VIP pass.
Wanker! He did have to go to London to get it though!
But after a day of carrying my heavy site and setting up camp... then being told I had to go walk another 500 miles to get crates of beer... fire wood... and what ever other shit were apparently a 'neccesity' I crashed at a fairly respectable 2am. Joe and Mo were not happy about this, nad had decided between that I did in fact have 17 hours sleep last night, and wasn't allowed to complain at all the next.
Friday began with a trip to Reading's best kept secret. The closest pub the the festival hidden round the corner
Colours. This was to be our only trip, as Mo and Joe bitched the entire way about feeling the worst they eve have in their life, a phrase they would utter every single morning. We got 4 breakfasts. 1 for me, 1 for joe, 2 for Mo.
They both had 2 bites of theirs and couldn't stand to eat anymore leaving me with 4 breakfast to put away. They saw something pretty special let me tell you!
Andy and Scurr were yet to turn up, as they were doing their usually not caring about any music, so I dragged Mo and Joe to watch a few bands I was wanting to see.
Anti-Flag were first up. The band like Jimmy Eat World last year, who were playing twice. And let me tell you, they were no Jimmy Eat World.
Empty sound, and kept speaing political shit inbetween all their songs which just made me stop listening. The sing a longs to the songs I knew were alright, but barely made me stand up.
Get Cape weren't much better. Love his album, but it is not a main stage gig. A bit like Dashboard a few years back, their a time and a place for acoustic rock, and the main stage at Reading certainly isn't it. Friday was probbaly the music I was most looking forward to... and it had started badly. To the point that half way through taking Back Sunday, who can keep it as long as they never play again, we headed to the BBC Introducing stage.
This was a new thing they had put up where the old orange tent used to be where all new talent they had spotted played. We saw a band called Our Fold who were awesome. The only problem being that we were able to rest against the barrier as obviously this place didn't have the biggest fan following, meaning my ear drums were absolutely rapped by the decibels!
Despite my protests we then ended up at Dizzee Rascal. It physically upset that not only was he not bottled off, he was in fact very popular! Livid.
It was awful. He had no live musicians, and his 'singing' is just talking over some shit track. Why the fuck was he playing Reading.
We did see first tits of the festival though as some bird got her tits out on the big screen. These were to be the only tits of the festival.
For some reason the average age this year was... about 13. While I obviously high fived this fact numerous times due to my semi paedophilic urges, it actually pissed me off. Everyone I spoke told me this was their first festival, and it meant any girl on shoulders on the big screen was horribly young, and therefore:
a: unwilling to pull their tops up
b: had nothing to show underneath their top
They need to be filled in one the rules. If your gonna be so fucking selfish to block the view for everyone behind you by going on someones shoulders, at least have the decency to give 60,000 people a memory to store for their wank bank. frigid bitches.
I finally meet up with Scurr and Andy just before Serj Tankian. What I paid attention to was very good, but I can't really comment too much as most of his gig was spent high fiving, bundling, and generally excitement for being together.
If I had a snort of coke everytime someone told me they loved me this weekend, I'd have followed Kurt Cobain to od'd heaven. (without the shotgun part)
There was a lot of man love going around. But as Scurr pointed out thats why the festival is so great. Everyone's in a good mood, loving at, and willing to talk and chat and piss around with anyone! Which is what led us to our first randomers of the weekend.
Me Andy and Scurr met a couple of girls, Georgia and Laigney, and this guy Alex.
Alex was a quality bloke, Georgia was a bit of a fucking retard, the kind of girl who is naively flirty to the point that I wouldn't be surprised if she i a continually victim of sex crimes through her entire life, and Laigney looked just like one of my ex's Charlotte, therefore I spent most my time chilling out with her. Oh, expect she looked like a younger, newer model version of her.
Should probably point these people were apparently 16. But looked younger.
BUT...
As soon as they weren't listening me and Scurr the mutual nod that said 'I'd TOTALLY go to jail for that'
Is pretty bad for me to say that... Scurr being the 28 year old saying that just goes to tell you how fucking incredibly fit they were.
Andy fucked off to go hang out with Walcott, who I believe had promised him Ketemine only a week before. No idea if they did that, or what they did. All I know is... I did not see Andy again that day. His reappearance the next day was the only assuarance I had that he wasn't dead and raped.
Us new group of 5 went off to see Biffy who started awesomely... dipped, and then saved it by playing on the best songs of the weekend 57. I had planned on staying and watching the Enemy and Fratellis, but just like last year my insistence to follow the skirt took over.
Jack Penate it was.
I didn't regret. Never been a fan of his, but absolutely loved the gig. Good happy tunes, dancing around like twats, sing a longs, and my crotch continually being rubbed my Laigney's fairly perfect ass.
It was starting t get cold, so being the gentleman I am, i.e. wanting to get laid, I offerce Laigney my hoodie, this may seem fairly pointless thing to tell you, but it was my Weezer hoodie. Anyone who knows me, knows this is my favourtie item of clothing, that I;ve had for 6 years, and worn every day since.
During MGMT who were fairly meh, one of Scurr's mate came over, and wating a piece of the underage action started making jokes Georgia wasn't getting. Asking if he could me Russia and invade her. Once she got this, she got offended, but of course took it out of Scurr.
Scurr had done it again. A girl had turned on him for no reason, and there was nothing he could do. Me and Laigney wne tot watch more MGMT while they had a hissy fit with eachother. When they returned laigney had to take Georgia away for consoling. My last words were, don't run with my hoodie.
I never saw her or my hoodie again. Scurr had not ruined his chance with Georgia, but mine with Laigney which had become a very hot prospect, and also lost my my favourite hoodie.
Somehow in all this confusion, I managed to lose Scurr as well. Where he went and what he did, again, no idea. I rejoined my brother and Joe who had picked up a bit of Frippette themselves. Mo was sat under a scarf huddled with this scottish girl called Emma. Girls really are suckers for punishment, as the majority of the conversation was Mo making scottish jokes, yet all this seemed to do was make up cuddle up more. I found myself fairly annoyed that Mo was onto a banker, where my jailbait had dissapeared like a THIEF in the night.
The 4 of us went to see Queens. Boring. Seriously boring. The only song that actually made me move was Little Sister, so me and Joe went to see the WOmbats. Mo and Emma were following. Mo quickly whispered in my ear if he get lost meet her before rage. I turned around to say cool, and he was gone. He had purposely lost us. This infuriarted me and Joe, but thankfully the Wombats were on form, and opened with the best sing a long ever Kill The Director.
Through fear of missing a single second of rage we left after on 15 to the meeting place for Mo and Emma. WE waited. They did not turn up.
We were fuming that Mo had apparently chosen to ignore us and not see Rage! Acording to Joe Mo had been going on about hoq excited he was about seeing rage with his brother, something it seemed was not gonna happen.
I was then appointed Joe;s new best friend. A title that would be given and taken away from more times than Paris Hiltons had cock.
Rage were incredible. Seriously epic. Morello is a god. I'm not gonna say anything mor about it, because not being a progessinal journalist my words cannot do justice to it. Just know, you wish you were there.
Mo and Emma did eventually turn up 15 minsutes into their set. Me and Joe attempted to not speak to Mo for as long as we could manage, unfortunately he was so drunk, he kept just doing that annoying thing where they grab your round the shuolders and jump completely out of time, and push you around.
I hate peopl that do that, they fuck up my sexy dance moves.
I then embarked upon my second night sleep in the tent. To be fair, it;s not that bad, the noise didn't keep my awake, and I wasn't too hot or cold. Two things I have to remember next year though:
Rollmat
Pillow
Fairly essential items for comfort were left at home, resulting in the equivalent of sleeping of the rocky beach.
The only other problem with camping is the tolilets. I have complained for years about the toilets inside the arena. The ones in the campsite made them look gold plated. Basically there is a huge vat at the bottom, with 16 holes cut in the top and seperated out into cubicles. When you piss, you are staring down into this vat, seeing everything that has been done before. And to make it worse, you can see the reflection of the opposite cubicle hole in the piss below you, which is fairly off putting. And the smell. Well it cannot be described. Going for a piss before you went to bed, the smell kept you awake longer than any coke or speed ever could. I finally realised why so many tents get pissed on, ruined someones tent is much preffered to those toilets. Of course my brother mainly choose to piss on the fire, which made or interesting smells when lit the next day.
I woke fairly early Saturday. It's fairly impossible to sleep past 9 at the site. The noise increases, the tent hardly keeps out the fun, and it becomes a sauna in there. Seeing Mo and Joe looked as if they weren't moving for a while, mainly as they had Emma laid all over them, I cracked.
My phone needed charging, and I was close to smelling like the campsite toilets, so I nipped home for a shower and to charge my phone. It was heaven. But I needed a quick turnaround as I wanted to see the Automatic. I cheekily got a lift back down with my dad, and meet Mo and Joe to head back in. The Automatic were fairly unimpresive.
I did go back to the campsite first, and found us playing frisbee with the next camp site. This was good fun apart from the fact that I got a frisbee in the back of the head about 5 times. We decided this game wasn't annoying enough people, so we ended up playing baseball. Which just meant one campsite pitching a ball to the other and trying to spank it as far as you could, then shouting sorry, and pass our ball back please!
It annoys me when I wanna see bands early on the main stage, as they turn the music down so low, that it just sounds crap. It would take a fairly special band to impress anyone that early on.
We tarted about a bit, looked at a few stalls, drank some beers, and watched the Subways. To be fair they were very good. The Lure of the fit bassist was enough for me to go, but I was happy to stay for the music. But seriously... 5 years in a row. Their in danger of becoming the new Ash. And the only song anyone actually gives a shit about is rock and roll queen, and obviously they played that last.
While walking around after that, I randomly bumped into Andy and Scurr sat with 3 girls. I styaed with them.
I think Mo and Joe were starting to resent the fact that it seemed as if I was ditching them for my mates whenver I could, despite the fact that they were looking after and standing by me through the whole festival. It wasn't like that at all.
I love Andy and Scurr, but unfortunately they go to the festival for one reason. Women. They only go to hit on birds, and stare at all the wellie clad, hot pants wearing frippette. And don't get me wrong, I love that about the festival, but the main reason I go is for the music. Which is why Mo and Joe go.
So it was awesome having Mo and Joe to hang with when I wanted to go and properly watch and enjoy a band, and Andy and Scurr to hang with when there was nothing much on, or I wanted to go have some silly fun and random banter.
I do have to hand the 'Vestival' idea to Andy though.
He bought us all Vest and just wrote Vestival on them, and gave us all a marker pen. We meet so many random people by just asking them to sign us. And I've got a great souvenir with the finished article.
So yea, I stayed with Andy and Scurr with these three girls, Emma, Tally, and something else. Had quite a lot of fun randomly sat outside some stall. Most of which ended in me being pretend raped by Scurr. Quite worried by the amount of times him and Andy groped my nether region this weekend. Wouldn't be so bad if that wasn;t the only gropes it got!
The 6 of us went to see We Are Scientist. Managed to catch the end of Dirty Pretty Things, and the only song I wanted to see. After seeing it, I'm glad I didn;t see the rest of their set. We were all sat down and chatting, and it seemed Emma took a shine to me which I was delighted with, as she was fit as. Unfrtunately I didn't get her number, but Sitrling did get Tally's number, so I am gonna try and get back in contact with her again. Stirling was sat talking with the other two, but they wren't the most attractive, and Emma chatting away to me. Scurr got bored and went to see Los Campinos afte realising he was on for nothing.
He missed out though, as We Are Scientists were one of the best bands of the weekend. Good tunes that got us all jumping, they wre very good at inbetween song chatter, which most bands aren't.
Seriously if one more bands tells me either:
This is the best day of their life
We're the best crowd they've ever had
or We are way better than leeds, I;m gonna scream.
And WAS played an Ace of Base cover. You don't get that everyday at Reading! And the crowd loved it!
We parted way with those girls after that and Me, Scurr and Andy went to joj my brother and Joe infront of the big screen at the back sat down.
The came the Editors. And the 2nd best band of the weekend. We were sat down, I was staring up at the Sky smoking, and enjoying the music. They were amazing. Every note perfect, and his voice just filled the whole arena. He does look like an anorexic Orlando Bloom though, so obviously the coversation of how we'd all like to do him, did come up.
Me and Joe were then left for The Raconteurs. They were enjoyable, but not really my thing. I did love Steady as She Goes though.
Bloc Party were waiting for too. They had what I think is the best spot. Second last, ust as the sun goes down. You can really feel the excitement and anticipation.
I rang Sam during their set in at attempt to make her finally hear them. She was appreciative.
Mo and Joe then planned to see the Manics, and I wanted to see the Killers, so I finally made an attempt to meet up with Jess from last year.
She seemed very happy to see me, and was very flirty all through the gig. The Killers unfortunately were spectacularly mediocre. They were SO quiet. This must be a decision they make, as Rage and Metallica were deafening, so it can't be a rules and regulations things. Obviously the best song ever written Mr brightside went down like a swedish hooker, and the paper parade at the end of All These Things I've Done was very impressive.
Gotta say as well, I've never heard a band finish, and the crowd continue to chant their songs. The impressiv tones of 'I've got soul but I'm not a soldier' were still being sung up to an hour afterwards by ten of thousand of people.
Gettng out of the site at the end of the night was a fucking mission every day. How they anage t fuck up people leaving I don't know, but it was as crowded as the front of rage trying push your way through. I didn't particularly mind that night as Jess basically grabbed hold of my hands and wrapped them round her the entire time.
We first went back to her campsite and hung out with her mates a little bit, they very nice, but not really my kind of people. They were going to bed, so Jess came with me to my campsite, with the promise of fire, and a good time. Unfortunately I provided neither.
All my campsite were in the neighbouring campsite where they had a fire, and only my brother and joe came and joined us. God I wish they hadn't.
Unknown to me, Mo had snorted about 3 grams of coke, and accepted a random pill he had been given. All he did was sit about and complain about how much they regretted everything he'd ever done in his life, esp that pill last night. Joe just sat in the chair rocking, barely talking after being so drunk, while Mo tarted about in a sleeping bag for hours, rolling around, and generally being a rimjaw!
The worst thing was they had Scott from our campsite with them when they were getting high, and he, as far as I am aware had never taken narcotics before. He, however was over at the next site having the time of his life, while Mo the experienced Narcotic user was dying. Of course Scott lived to regret it in the morning.
I balme Joe for the whole thing. I know it was obviously my brother accepting the pills, but Joe is meant to be the sensible one who keeps my brother in check. Obviously he wasn;t strong enough this time.
Looked like we'd be having 'Sunday MoJo' the next day, when all they do is sit about and moan, and detox.
Jess only stayed an hour or so, once the entertainment of those 2 being twats wore off she left. Kinda glad about it to be honest, as I was knackered, and it came fairly obvious to me that she has no romantic feelings for me left at all. That night became good closure for the whole Jess situation. Still a great girl, and a good festival buddy though.
Please once again notice Scurr and Andy's absence from the night time festivities. They didn;t camp once, despite putting up a tent.
I woke the next day to find Joe gone, and Mo claiming he didn't have any sleep the night before. They were clearly not going to be the best people to hang out with that day.
Scott however did not surface till about 3 ish. We did check on him in the morning to check he wasn't dead. He was farily close to it by the look of it!
I managed to drag Mo and Joe into the main arena for the start and we meet up with Andy. Mo and Joe were in fact on detox. They drank no alcohol, took no drugs, and didn't smoke all day.
This worked out pretty well for me being left with the last of the coke, which I gave a bit of a battering.
Slipknot had pulled out a few days earlier, and we found upon arrival Avenged Sevenfold has also cancelled due to strained vocal chords. No idea if they played Leeds as well, but I'll be livid if they did! don;t want that cheap imitation wannabe, shit festival getting acts the true carling festival deson't.
Unfrotunately they had asked Bring Me The Horizon to fill in at last minute. The offended me. SO heavy you couldn;t pick out a note, and a shit growling singer. They were continually bottled, but did not take the hint!
Scurr still hadn't turned up, so me and Andy went to watch Alexisonfire, who we were very excited about. They also suffered from being early on the main stage though. Emtpy sound, and failed to get the crowd going. This coyld be anywhere in the world was alright, but after that me and Andy got bored and wandered off. This was a good thing, as he got a very exciting phone call.
Unknown to me Ally had been trying to get tickets every morning, and today he had succeeded! Him and Kirsty had paid 120 quid for a weekend wristband each for one day. Not too bad for touts prices I guess.
While me Andy And Scurr we waiting for them to turn up we met our girls for the day. A couple of 17 years old called Leanne and Kat. They were FIT as.
We had planned to go and see Hadouken when Ally and Kirsty got there. Scurr wanted to see Lethal Bizzle however, and it turned out so did these girls. Scurr has arranged to meet them in an hours time to go see him. I was very much doubting they would turn up, but fuck me they did. And although the excitement of Ally and Kirsty being there was still ripe, I was now undecided as to who I was watching. Really didn't want to leave Scurr the lucky bastard with those 2 fitties, but I hate Lethal Bizzle.
Stirling took me aside, clearly keen for me to come with him, and laid it out simply:
They are two ridiculous fit 17 year olds... Life isn't THAT kind.
I didn;t care though, and went with them anyway.
We managed to push our way into the Dance tent, after it was disgustingly busy! We were getting battered all over the place, and being a gentleman I put my hands round Kat to 'protect her' This basically resulting in me groping her entire body for the entire gig. Totally worth going to see Bizzle just for that. We left after the only song I knew called something about the police... what a surprise a black man singing about running from the police, and managed to catch the end of Hadouken.
The girls then tarted off, we did exchange numbers though... but I don't think I'll use it. We the met up with Pete and Jim for the first time in the arena. Kinda gutted that was the only time we spent with them inside, as they were awesome at the gigs. Me, Ally, Kirsty, Pete and Jim watched the music, and danced around like lepers while Scurr and Andy went to try and get laid. We wuldn't see them again till much later. The Music were awesome, don;t even know any of their stuff, but they got me moving a lot. The main reasn we were there watching them was so we could get in early and a good spot for Pendulum, probably the band I was most looking forward to.
The 5 of us managed to push our way right to the front, and got very excited.I've not been to the front of a gig in about 4 years. I seem to have mellowed slightly as I got older, and I now watch at the back with space to move about, rather than get crushed and hit at the front. For the first time in ages I got the pre-gig nerves. The feeling where your not sure if your gonna fucking survive this, as I knew it was going to be MENTAL.
Previously my top three gigs were Thursday at the Garage in 2004, Coheed & Cambria at Reading 2006, an Dashbaord in OXford earlier this year for many different reasons. This beat all three with ease.
It had the hectic fun of the Thursday gig, the musical appreication of Coheed, and the intimacy with the music and the band of Dashboard.
We went fucking mental. Even when I was mini mosher I avoided the circle pits like the plague, here we seeked them out, and even started them. I have never been so knackered in my life! Dancing around like a twat for an hour, getting elbows in face, and just generally going crazy. And they even played the Prodigy Voodoo people cover. I could have been in the gig for hours If I had my way. I'd have probably passed out from exhaustion but I wouldn't have cared.
Nothing was gonna top that this weekend, so it was a good thing th next gig was VERY different. The D.
They were hilarious. And it was just odd seeing Jack Black in my home town, and saying it;s name. I know every band does that, but this was Jack Black. A hollywood A-Lister!
Obviously Tribute, Wonderboy and fuck her Gently were amazing. Thankfully still had voice left to chant it back at them. The only dissapoiting thing was I was convinced that they weren't actually playing. When you saw them strumming you could see they weren;t playing what was being played, and clearly had session musicians round the back playing everything for them. But musical perfection isn't what their about, and as Jack Black pointed out, comedy metal isn;t easy!
There was only one slot left, and that wsa Metallica. I know a lot of people were really excited about them, but I just wasn't too bothered. We met Andy, who had Louweez with him. Was really good to see her, bit of nostalgia as she pointed out. Spoke about dave a bit, and the legends that were flipcycle and Haze. Was convinced Id see them at Reading at some point... unfortunately they threw there talent away.
I hadn;t seen Mo and Joe all day. They had apparently just sat my the big screen all day barely talking to eachother. There detox did stick though. I kept ringing them to make sure they were okay, and they didn't any of the coke and fags i was holding for them, but they weren't interested. Think my brother was even worse as the dissapointment of not seeing Slipknot had really hit home.I arranged to meet them after an hour of Metallica though.
To my surpirse I actually really enjoyed them. My brother had been promising me all weekend that they were gonna crush. And fuck yea they did. A single guitar note was enough to dislodge your insides. You add the other guitar bass and drums, and you were raped by the sound. They only played one song I knew while I watched them. Thankfully it was the only sng I wanted to hear, for whom the bell tolls!
Andy throughout the entire gig was trying to perk me up. Hugging me, makaing jokes, and continually passing me the poppers. I just had NOTHING left. I was running on empty. I knew it was sunday, and the 4 day bender was coming to the end, and I was crashing bad.
I left to meet my brother, and we just picked our stuff up and went home. Metallica were still playing as we walked out, but nothing was keeping me there then. All I wanted my a hot shower and an actual bed. I even left my tent behind, not that I particularly had any intention of taking it with me anyway.
We got a taxi home and that was that. Anoither festival done. But what a fucking festival!
Songs of the weekend were:
57
Smokers Outside the Hospital Door
Ashes in the Fall
Voodoo People
Nobody Move, Nodogy Get Hurt
All These Things I Have Done
Rock N Roll Queen
and Torn on the Platform.
Was great making random friends. Probably never see them again, but be cool to bump into them next year.
As Scurr said, why can't every night out be like that... where you just stop and chat with everyone. Everyone in a good mood, and you love it.
Was so good meeting all Ally's mates. Good thing is I think we've found some proper festival friends for years to come.
Think my self-esteem was helped a lot this weekend. I may not have pulled, but got a lot of female attention.
Georgia the fittest girl I saw there kept telling how fit I was. Laigney was very keen, as was Emma, and the fatc that Leanne and Kat turned up, and Kat basically let me feel her up was fairly cool :P
Nearly every singly one of them said, unprompted by me, how cool my new beard was as well, which was nice :P
The comedown today has been fairly harsh though.
In 4 days I consumed more alcohol than I have in the rest of the year put together, snorted around 4 grams of coke, snorted 2 bottles of poppers completely dry, and smoked over 200 ciggarettes.
It;s a great motivator the festival, usually it inspires me to get back into music, start the band again, and put myself out there more.
This year it's motivated by Andy and Scurr to quit our jobs, and become full time junkies! ha ha!
So that's it... only 362 days till the next best weekend of the year!