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Post by Nik on Jul 26, 2011 13:26:02 GMT -5
...And with one month to go until Reading there are still Friday day tickets and weekend tickets available. There's enough stuff on the lock up I'd enjoy to make it a decent enough weekend but simply can't afford it right now...and even if I could I'd not be pushed to think of better ways to spend the cash!
EDIT - And just because I wrote the above they've now sold out!
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Post by Ali p on Aug 10, 2011 3:52:43 GMT -5
Long time no post, but with the festival coming up I thought I'd have a bit of a nose around for old-times sake!I'm not going this year either. Reading through the previous posts reminded me of a news article that came out recently about the current state of the festivals market in the UK www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/14446562. Seems it's reached a bit of a saturation point and there's a shortage of truely worthly headline acts to maintain quality line ups without having to rotate around the same bands.... Even Micheal Eavis thinks Glasto may only have 3-4 years left and they're taking next year off too!
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Post by Ali p on Aug 10, 2011 3:54:17 GMT -5
Oh and thanks to Reg for the bootleg work, sat listening to the Darkness right now....
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Post by Nik on Aug 22, 2011 11:05:34 GMT -5
Not sure that Eavis wasn't just being a grumpy old git or perhaps pushing for some publicity, how a festival that sells out that quickly (even the 'poor sales' year of Jay-Z still sold out on the door) and charges 200 quid a pop can be in trouble is beyond me. There's plenty of smaller, less rip off festivals that are doing fine (the majority at least), it just seems to be some of the big squeeze as much cash out of its punters festivals that are struggling a bit. No great shame I think!
As of last week I actually live in Reading, though I don't have a festival ticket and am not honestly all that fussed about going...
...however...
Getting the train past the festival site (which is mostly up already, they were hoisting up the radio 1 tent as we shot past) at the weekend made me a touch nostalgic...plus a look on ebay reveals that a weekend ticket would only set me back about a hundred quid...what with work I wouldn't be able to get there until 5pm Friday but have Sat and Sun off...
There's a possibility I may snap!
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Post by gooner1990 on Aug 23, 2011 20:21:46 GMT -5
Used to post here back in 2000/2001 so long time since i've been on here!
I have attended all Readings since 1999, and last year was going to be the year I broke the run and missed it, although I went. Then I finally said no more for this year...well I got as close as the weekend just gone when I picked up a spare ticket off a mate for £120. Well he virtually put it in my hand with that price!
Think the line up is mostly to blame for poor sales this year, saturated market etc etc. I suspect with no Glastonbury on next year it will sell out faster and will have less competition for bands too.
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Post by DaveyC on Aug 25, 2011 7:53:57 GMT -5
Have a good one anyone who's going this year
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Post by Nik on Aug 30, 2011 5:53:50 GMT -5
Predictably enough I snapped and went in the end. Was a bit odd what with not camping and my only company being my girlfriend...and she only went on the Sunday! Also broke new ground by not being at all drunk at any point, in fact I only forked out for a massive two drinks all weekend. This meant, oddly enough, that I managed to catch more bands than I'd ever been able to do before and must confess that if that had be accompanied by the standard tonnes of mates and booze shenanigans it could well have been a fantastic weekend...though what with the ridiculous price (if you don't ebay a ticket half a week before!) I'm still unsure whether I'll return again. In case anybody gives a damn my weekend went something like so:
Friday
Health and safety training course till 3.30pm (truely the only way to kick off the festival!), some truely crap beatboxing in the alternative stage followed by a great, but brief, spoken word set from Henry Rollins. Left after that and ended up drinking cocktails in town. The Friday lineup redefined bollocks, if I'd been camping my liver may well have given out.
Saturday
Lots and lots but highlights included Seasick Steve (with bass duties amply filled by John Paul Jones), Street dogs whipping up the early morning crowd on the Lock up, Madness drawing an almost worryingly gigantic crowd and whilst being a bit naff also lots of fun, Glassjaw pissing everyone except my off my playing their new commerically unavailable record (it was handed out at shows) from beginning to end, Capdown being Capdown and as such fucking brilliant, Pulp slightly surprising me by being ace, Jane's addiction pulling out moments before they were meant to play with a piss taking 'I'm joking...actually, no, I'm not' announcment from one of the band and The Mighty Mighty Bosstones managing to make me dance in spite of my sobriety.
Sunday
Watchable yet not all that memorable lock up bands at the start of the day followed by a slighlty unbelievably well recieved Frank Turner set on the main stage, complete with Slipknotesque everybody sitting down then jumping up moment. OFF! bringing some genuine hardcore brutality then a slight change of pace with Bedouin soundclash mellowly rocking a bulked out crowd. Hot water music being gruffly amazing. Death from above 1979 being utterly bonkers but mezmerising with it. Worst kept secret special guest Frank Turner playing again in the Lock up with only one song the same from the set earlier and a Queen cover for the hell of it. I had work early the next day so left after that, unfortunately missing Flogging Molly (who in my defence I've seen many times before) and The Descendents (who in my defence I'd seen 4 days before!)
Might well write a longer, more rambling, review at some point...just not right now!
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Post by DaveyC on Aug 31, 2011 9:47:43 GMT -5
Good work making an appearance Nik.
Watched a bit of the fest on telly, Muse looked good but other than that I wasn't really bothered. Bet camping was a bit damp/cold this year too. Was the crowd ever-younger?
Lets see if the lineup's any better for 2012.
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Post by Nik on Sept 5, 2011 11:57:20 GMT -5
The crowd did seem ever younger...but that’s probably more to do with me being ever older! The Lock up stage had a fairly wide spread demographic with more than its fair share of grey/no haired elder statesmen…both off and on stage! It did all make me feel a bit ancient, not helped by the not camping and sobriety, but then again for better or worse it is a young person’s festival and having gone to it when that age myself I can’t really fault them for attending! As said I very much enjoyed it still but for me smaller festivals are still definitely the way forward - a revisit to 5 pound unspecified meat burgers and booze prices that would stall in the mouth of a London barman wasn't exactly the highlight of the weekend!
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Post by gooner1990 on Feb 13, 2012 18:49:28 GMT -5
Yeh I did feel quite old (30) although me and my mate (who's aged 27) managed to camp next to a group of people who were in and around our age which was quite cool as it meant we had plenty to chat about!
Although it's been said before I really don't know if I'll go in 2012.....2009 nearly was my bowout. 2010 only happened because I changed jobs and was allowed the time off as 'holiday already booked' and I only went last yr as it was a half price tickets.....I am also going to Bestival two weeks later this yr.
I think the age thing is a factor too...everyone I used to go with is either married or tied down with mortages these days....far cry from the drink and drug taking 4 day sessions of over 30 of us each year. This year was just me and one mate and his missis for it.
We shall see!
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