Reading Festival 28th August 2011

The atmosphere on the final day at Reading was good humoured, and it's worth noting in view of publicity about the recent riots in the UK that there was no disorder (crime was down 60% on last year). Even the last minute cancellation of Jane's Addiction the night before and a lacklustre set by the Strokes (so disengaged that Julian Casablancas forgot his lyrics) failed to dampen the enthusiasm of the predominantly youthful festival goers. As you'll see below, whilst I had one amazing experience which will stay with me for years, the acts on the main stage didn't move me like Arcade Fire at Coachella in April.

F*cked Up from Canada are an indie band with strong hardcore punk influences. Frontman Damian Abraham is charismatic and spent a lot of time at the front of the crowd doing bellyflops, shirtless. I liked his sentiments about everyone being beautiful, whatever you look like, and admired the energy in the music. I enjoyed this set more than I expected and Damian's engagement with the crowd was excellent. 7/10

Best Coast impressed me: Bethany Cosentino's voice is powerful and clear, as she plays the guitar and sings about love. There's a dreamy, stoner quality to their rock, which brought some easy going Californian sunshine to Reading. It's accessible music, which doesn't stretch boundaries, but is so well executed that I'll be keen to see this trio next time they're in the UK. 9/10

The View from Glasgow are a typical festival band playing sunny, uncomplicated rock, not making too many demands on the crowd. Even so, they fell flat: surely the main stage at Reading deserves better than this, especially given the talent in the NME Tent? 4/10

Chapel Club, a quintet from London, offered something more creative and imaginative than the mediocracy of The View. They owe something to Joy Division, but they have their own dark, hazy quality. Frontman Lewis Bowman rights lyrics about love and rejection, and I've a feeling, like Two Door Cinema Club, they'll be receiving an invitation to the main stage soon. I enjoyed this set, but it's not an experience which wowed me. 7/10

Warpaint were sublime, my discovery of the Festival, and made many of the other acts look forumulaic and unimaginative. This female trio from LA created a spellbinding atmosphere, other-wordly, laid back on stage as they produced ethereal, layered harmonies. Highlights included Elephant and Undertow, but the set cohered beautifully, one song blending into the next in the darkened tent, reverberating to sub-terranean bass. They had an hypnotic effect, without obvious hooks, but once I'd succumbed to the brooding effect of those pounding drums and seductive vocals, the outside world became irrelevant. Nothing here afterwards recreated this magic, but until my musical revelation last November, I haven't known emotions on this plane at all. 10/10

Interpol may be well respected, but I found their Reading performance uninspiring and dispiriting, and I'm not even sure the assembled masses enjoyed it much either. It's not easy trying to identify a highlight in a set as drab and lacking in passion as this one, but if pressed I'd say 'Evil'. I haven't seen Interpol before, so I can't say if this is typical of their current form, but after this run through, Elbow were almost a relief. 2/10

Elbow's  front man Guy Garvey sees himself as a comedian with his bloky manner: I find him patronising. This band is extremely well loved in the North West of England, and as a feel good anthemic crowd sing along, they are peerless. My issue is that this final evening on the main stage was short on musical substance, and Elbow lean far too heavily on simple melodies, lush strings, and crude emotional manipulation. This is junk food music, accessible but with little to satisfy beyond the its superficial appeal. 5/10

Muse controversially played their second album Origins of Symmetry in its entirety to celebrate 10th anniversary of its release: later material such as Super Massive Black Hole, Absolution and the closer Knights of Cydonia got a better reception. There was much theatricality: lasers, flames, giant balloons and fireworks. I appreciate the classical reference to Chopin, but their ambition was more Wagnerian. Few people would have felt let down by this two hour show, but I just wish they had some of Wagner's musical inspiration. For me Muse's music is too much about surface gloss and lacks subtlety: it’s impressive, likeable, but doesn't inspire deep thoughts or insight. If you simply want to be entertained, fine, but if you want to get totally lost in yourself, look for something greater and more profound. 6/10