We left our hotel around 9:00 am, headed for the nearest underground
subway station (or tube as the locals say), a few minutes from our hotel
we hopped aboard, destination: Paddington Station - yes, like the bear,
they even sell them there.
At 10:30 am, after navigating an underground maze of tunnels connecting
various tube stations, taxi stands, entrances, and exits, we board
another train, this one above ground, for a 30 minute ride out and away
from London.
As the train pulls into Reading Station, passengers spill onto the
platform, ninety percent under the age of 21, carrying a weekend's worth
of supplies, and sporting a flashy pair of rubber rain boots (or
Wellies as the locals say) - to be referred to simply as "youths" from
this point on.
Reading is actually a decent little town, having never been there
before, and after wandering aimlessly for the designated ticket
collection office and eventually collecting said designated tickets, we
start walking. A good preview of how the rest of the weekend would be
spent - we walked, dodging people headed every direction, down
industrial looking blocks, past the train station, through suburban
areas where grandparents handed out free tea and coffee, and finally
into a large field - festival central - where we were herded through
lines by enthused security guards, shouting directions as the paths
forked and wearing tired expressions as we were clearly not the first
lost souls unsure if they had weekend or day passes.
It was about this time that I started to see the bigger picture - we
weren't just two people, trying to get into a concert, unsure in the
confusion if we were over or under 19. We were part of something much
bigger - a calling to celebration, to music and expression, to freedom,
rebellion, and fun. As I watched the mob of people move around me,
setting up tents, brushing teeth over a communal trough, carting flats of
beer around, and eventually leaving all that to join the mass of people
headed for the festival grounds, I no longer saw a group of barely
clothed youths, but a congregation of worshippers. I was part of Music
Festival Mecca.
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| Kasabian on the Main Stage (via) |
Entrance to the grounds is by wristband only, a hot commodity with over
90,000 sold, and the 187.50 Pound price tag (for three days) was well
worth it for a glimpse of music's hottest acts - from unsigned and
undiscovered bands to those topping the charts and setting out on world
tours. The Reading Festival has been an annual event since the first
performances in 1971. Initially held at Little John's Farm, the land is
now devoted to the festival, and it clearly needs some time to
recuperate afterwards - much like many of the attendees.
Although not an exclusive event for the youths of England, anyone with
the cash and good timing to buy a ticket can take in the amazing line up
of performances, they certainly dominate the festival scene - and it's
hard to miss hoards of youths sporting, what I can only assume are, the
current trends in camping attire. Before Reading I didn't know that
midriff tops and high waisted jean shorts were cool again, and should be
worn so the lower half of your bottom hangs out, exposed to the world.
Whatever happened to cleavage? Just as I was stocking up on deep v-neck
shirts and push up bras, assess get the nod and I'm left looking passe in skinny jeans with my boobs pressed up to my chin. It
seemed that the cooler a girl was (based on how many friends made up the
posse that followed her around) was related exclusively to how high cut
her shorts were - the whole thing created a wedgie-look that appeared
rather uncomfortable.
I also wasn't aware that tights could be worn as pants - and I'm not
referring to solid leggings, we have those at home - I'm talking about
transparent blank nylons. As pants. As we stood outside, drenched by
heavy rain, waiting for Florence + the Machine to hit the stage, I
looked down and saw two girls in front of me wearing matching jackets,
soaked through, barely long enough to cover their bottoms, without pants
on. It looked as though they'd forgotten to put on a skirt before
leaving the tent for the night. All I could think was 'they must be
really cold'. By the way, it only rained hard that one night and the
performance was well worth it.
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| Reading Festival Uniform (via) |
Fashion forward or not, in the end the weekend is about music - which we
enjoyed until my feet gave out, and then continued to enjoy seated away
from the stage. With four large stage,s Reading has it's bases covered
when it comes to music genres, and at any given time you're likely to
find something that suits your personal preferences. We ended up hanging
around the BBC Radio 1 stage for most of the weekend, which hosted a
range of alternative indie and rock bands, and then skipped over to the
Main Stage to catch some of our favorite headliners for an hour or two.
Three days and approximately thirty-three hours later we walked away, a
little worse for wear, with a list of new bands to add to our iPods and
slightly more obsessed with those we arrived loving.
Since the festival we've tried to list our top five performances and the
task has been nearly impossible. Not only because so many bands were so
good live (no lip-sync here!), but because they cover a huge range
of musical styles. Although not a true 'top five list', here are a few
of our favorite acts/performances...
Of Monsters and Men - Kaiser Chiefs -
Two Door Cinema Club -
Foster the People -
Florence + the Machine
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| Florence + the Machine (via) |
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| Two Door Cinema Club (via) |
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| Foster the People (via) |
Unfortunately, or fortunately depending on how you look at it, these are
not my pictures - I do not own the rights to these pictures - The
Reading Music Festival has professional photographers that capture the
entire weekend on film to share online. Although I wish I'd taken even
one of these shots (or been so close to the stage) the silver lining is
that my expensive camera gear stayed at the hotel, tucked away from
rain, dirt, and thieving youths, and I still have fabulous images to
share with friends unable to attend in person.
Overall the Reading Music Festival was a fabulous experience - big,
loud, and in your face. It roughed us up a bit (the late nights and
second hand smoke were too much for our immune systems) and overwhelmed
us at times (somehow more people squeezed into the festival grounds than
the total population of our home town) but it was an amazing
once-in-a-lifetime experience and we're so glad it fit into our trip!
