fire and forget

With the news that Google is cutting Jaiku loose, I thought it was time to rescue my review of Reading 2007 (the reason I signed up in the first place, because Twitter wouldn’t work with my phone) before it disappeared into the ether, typos and all…

Thursday, 23 August 2007

Starting as I mean to in on: failed to get a haircut, go to the post office, or eat. But i do have wellies. Wellies! In August!

The last pair in Forest Hill Garden centre, no less.

Waiting by the gate for tickets. Enterprising souls have just sold me 2 tall Buds for 1 pound

We’re about to get on a boat and cross the River… Reading? There better be beer on the other side.

Tent is up! Beers on board!

Beers onboard! Have stolen some guy’s Becks while on a boat. Still wearing wellies.

All of a sudden it’s nighttime. We have wristbands, so let’s go to the leisure centre for a indiedisco!

The noise! Reading is loud. I am old and I may in to bed

Friday, 24 August 2007

Gah. I had forgotten about the wondrous experience that is waking up in a tent with 8 beers clamouring to get out.

Arena isn’t open yet. No-one’s going anywhere.

Big in Reading: Writing swearwords on your tent. Writing swearwords on your arm. Swearing.

Fuck yeah.

It’s only the first morning and I feel like my whole body is covered in a fine layer of grit. Especially my eyeballs.

It’s easy to be cynical about the Pipettes, but there picture-postcard pop has am irresistably breezy charm. I’m in love with all three of them.

I don’t have Little Man Tate as much as I want to. Sure they have the posing Northern swagger and a tendency to insert swearing into their song titles, but those songs are actually quite hummable.

That’s meant to be “I don’t hate…” of course.

The Riverboat Gamblers are every bit as sleasy, bluesy and raucous as the name suggests, but Jasper H. Crisp, what’s with the sightlines in the LockUp tent?!

The Sounds are a scandodisco party in your pants and everyone’s invited! It’s like the ’80s, only sexy.

I tried the King Blues because I heard their uke. Then they revealed themselves to be a reggae band, of all tings. I’m off.

The Long Blondes have choruses that grab you by the immaculate ponytail. So why are the rest of the bits so anonymous?

I’m supposed to be getting batteries, but i’m enjoying the blue collar riffing of the Street Dogs too much.

For the girls: oversized shades and undersized shorts. For the boys: shit slogan t-shirts

It’s about four seconds before Beth Ditto’s dress is up sound her waist. All hail the Gossip!

That’s meant to be “around her waist”, obv.

Stumbled into Alberta Cross, all surging redneck rock. For the first time, I forget where I am. Which is awesome.

Maximo Park leap, twitch and jerk into our hands with their fistful of great tunes. I’m singing along - Well, I say ’singing’…

I think ATP may have spoiled me. I’m not enjoying the crush. At least in the Radio 1 tent you can see

Youth Movie Something kind of rock. Aha! I must be drunk, I see multiple people…

Youth Movie Soundtrack, of course.

EnterShikari bring the motherfucking house down. A to the power of Awesome!

Razorlight? Are you fucking kidding? Back to my tent!

Saturday, 25 August 2007

I seem to be spending half my life in queues: for water, for beer, to get in the arena, to get out of the arena, to go the toilet. At least I’m not in the giant queue to, get this, charge your phone. Dumbasses!

I later joined that very queue, inevitably. Or rather I loitered about pretending to look for someone until I could push in.

Does It Offend You, Yeah? are teh awesome. They’re a vocoder stomping rave riot in a speak’n’spell factory. Awe, seriously, sum

Those typos are deliberate. That’s how the kids talk.

Mute Math make a howling racket, a wig-out that involves the drummer taking his skins and climbing the keyboards. A show!

Bought an awesome jacket for the cashback and I’ve just discovered it’s reversable! Cashback!

God knows where that jacket is now. Probably on a nightbus.

Nine Black Alp actually look about nine years of age. But they make a great squalling racket

Nine Black Alps, of course.

Metronomy: Fisher Price Kraftwerk. Look Ma, I’m dancing!

Metronomy: Kraftwerk doing big beat sea shanties

Panic! At The Disco have just bored the shit out of everyone.

Silversun Pickups are a cheerful bunch making a noise like the world is ending, with a bang and a shower of sparkles.

Battles is the sound of a supercomputer being dropped down the stairs and mysteriously being endowed with the funk.

!!! have everyone moving like a dance-off in a special needs home.

Sunday, 26 August 2007

Sat by the river in the blazing sun, drinking chilled beer. If only life was always like this

Me and Craig left the site, desperate for ice. We got drunk by the river by about 11 before heading back.

I really wish Clare was here

Well, I did.

Billy Talent! Er, that’s it

I was wankered by this point, and it was only about 2. After this I fell over and didn’t bother getting up for several hours, and only then because I really wanted to see the Cold War Kids even though all available evidence suggested I was about to die.

I’ve come home drunk and the Cold War Kids have pushed me down the stairs. Spiteful.

I like Fall Out Boy and everything, but is there any need for three covers in one mid-afternoon set?

A Vimto ice lolly has literally just saved my life

Thought I was going to die for a minute there. Even Jamie T couldn’t help.

My hair is so greasy I actually thought I was wearing a hat. lolz!

I also saw Charlotte Hatherley, the Noisettes, the Subways and loads of others but evidently couldn’t be bothered to Jaiku about them. Photos are here.

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