How was it for you?

[Ali p]

So that's 2008 over and done with. Overall I thought it was pretty good, some excellent music (Metallica, Black Tide, Seasick Steve, The D) & the weather just about held out ;D what did people think?
Was cool to meet up for a chat on Thursday night, saw Reg & Dan on Saturday who seemed to be struggling to get pissed enough dispite having been drinking in the Oracle centre all morning!

Downside, the campsite on sunday night was full of pricks intent on destroying everything in sight and (still) chucking gas canisters on fires only had an hours sleep last night! Might check out white camp next year (we were in Yellow H)

[Digsy]

we camped in a field in Red which had really nice people in it! apart from one bird who was wandering around throwing food on people and was eventually found to have a knife by security apart from that did anyone else see the 2 hot lesbians dressed as bottles of lager

[DAN]

It was good & White is definately the best camping space now, room to breathe & relatively clean.

Black Tide & Future of the Left were the highlights musically & really inspired by 'Heavy Metal in Baghdad'...shame only me Reg & Quayle saw it!

The size of the thing is getting out of hand now & the constant hassle of wristband checks & overcrowding took the edge off the enjoyment a bit.

After 26 years I'm calling it a day & will be elsewhere next year. Still doing festivals (maybe Download or Sweden Rocks) but Reading is just not for me any more.

Good to meet you all on Thursday tho'

[Fat Reg]

Well, I had a good time - mostly in the pub away from the ridiculous security, overcrowding and awful smell of the site. It was, however, fantastic to meet up with fatreg.com forum visitors on Thursday (and Saturday). Like Dan, this is my last one, I reckon - it's just getting too big. This site will continue, though - there's a huge box of photos from past festivals to be scanned, plus I'll still be going to other events (Download, Wireless etc). There'll be a full Reading 2008 review coming soon. Probably, but, in the meantime, here's some pics: www.fatreg.com/Reading2008/Reading2008pics/index.html

[DaveyC]

Another great year, despite the smaller camp for us to due to folks travelling the world etc. Some great sets - Black Tide, Metallica, Rage, Bloc Party, Seasick Steve spring to mind. Good to see you fellas again, nice pictures! Off to fall asleep now...


RIP My Eurohike 320TS, it served me well for a glorious 10 years.

[Nik]

Best year I've been I reckon, probably rant a bit more after I've got some sleep but briefly...some quality sets by the likes of Future of the left, John Cooper Clarke, The Briggs, Frank Turner, Anti-Flag, Rage, Jeffrey Lewis and the jitters, The King Blues, Flogging Molly, Beans on toast, Henry Rollins, Emmy the great, The D and Metallica. Plus, and actually more importantly, got the pleasure of meeting loads of sound new people, catching up with those I see every year in Indigo 1 (formally Brown1) and getting messed up with the NTown lot for almost a week. Good times indeed

Oh yeah, meetup was cool...for the 3rd year running I have no idea what the fuck I actually said (or perhaps even did?!) whilst I was there, but it would be kind of odd if I did really!

[Gail]

Hey Reg, Tis Gail,,, I went to Leeds festie on Friday to see Tenacious D and Metallica..... Had great time, not like the time had by you maybe you should try Leeds next year. Good vibe, didn't feel overcrowded, very muddy though outside the main arena, towards the camp sites, the mud was so sticky like glue most people were loosing their footwear...Phoenix started counting the shoes then gave up after about the hundredth one.... Went on the big wheel a very scary experience as it looked like it hadnt been put together properly but didnt quite die of heart failure on it.....never again.
Tenacious D were very funny and Metallica were Metallica brilliant as always....the rest of the crap that day was pretty dismal but hey we had fun and 'rocked our fuckin socks off!!!' (Jack Black's words not mine!!!)
Maybe see ya there next year???

Speak soon

Gail

[Ali p]

oh yeah my tent has gone to the great campsite in the sky after 10 years of valiant service, it will be sadly missed.....

[Nik]

ha yeah, any hopes I had of my tent making it through the season were harshly dashed mid-afternoon Saturday when some prick fell on it, snapping one pole and tearing the fabric.

...well, I say prick...he was actually not too bad. He seemed pretty sorry (it was an accident, not idiocy) and did give me another tent

Damn, one year I'll make it through the summer with the same tent

[Royston of Royston Vasey]

only managed to get there for the sunday, however the saturday was spent with my friend at our local town fair/music event. silly me buys an inflatable hammer, jumps and hits a mate, lands, and twists my knee. 'tis now quite swollen. didn't stop me hobbling across london underground and from reading station and around the site with said inflatable hammer.. and back again.. in my trusty red fatreg tshirt.

Highlights for me were the D - main reason I bought a ticket this yeare otherwise i would have stayed home - Hadouken! were a surprise, I didn't expect them to be that good, and their cover of prodigy's breathe was excellent. Mindless Self Indulgence surprised me also - hadn't heard anything from them before, and was quite taken aback at how entertaining they were. Oh and the weather from around 2pm onwards was glorious reading festy sunshine. woohoo!

Bad points for me - where the hell was the comedy tent!?!? why oh why have they taken that away? I'm glad to see that they have widened the arena and added another stage or two, but the removal of the comedy tent is a big loss. Another drawback for me - as i wear longsleeve evrything as i burn so easily, I bought a hat to cover my face and neck as is ritual for me at festivals, but, i still managed to get sunburn on the back of my hands.. *sigh* maybe next time i will put suncream on regardless of the weather we set off in!

Till next year...

[Fat Reg]

I saw someone (at a distance) on Sunday night in a fatreg.com T-shirt, walking towards the arena exit after Tenacious D. Wonder who it was?

[Catfood]

Leeds was really good, I went with low expectations and despite having the money stolen from my wallet on the first night, I still managed to have a damn good time. Mindless Self Indulgence, Blacktide, Solus Locus, Loqui, Fighting With Wire and a load other bands were great. I will get around to writing a review for Leeds(and Download) anytime now.