Friday 25/08/06 Day 1 @ Reading Festival, Richfield Avenue

Festivals are an experience-from the newbies to the veterans, each year is different from the last and the 2006 Carling Reading Festival is no exception. This year's 72 hour marathon of musical shenanigans and debauchery began early for Gigwise as a Thursday night arrival was heralded by beer, bonfires and a polite chanting ‘angry mob’. Hmmm.

Pre-festival celebrations aside, the real shock to the system rose with Friday’s morning sun as the masses swarmed through the arena entrance - which according to some numbered over 80,000 and ran to their respective stages with many heading for the main stage to set themselves up in the ‘golden circle’ for the day as the first band strolled on. Cue the Towers Of London. “Good Morning Campers!” frontman Donny Tourette sneers as they launch themselves into their set which can only be described as Guns N’ Roses’ sound meets punk style- ****ed up for a first taste of music in the morning eh? Yes - and it’s brilliant as they leap around on stage to the delight of the clapping crowd especially during ‘On A Noose’ when shouts of ‘Oi! Oi!’ burst from them like a vicious bark.

Meanwhile in the Carling tent Mumm Ra have started; they’re not bad but their style varies from the slightly punky to the slightly emo…hmmm. Either way Mumm Ra receive a warm response which is nothing to that for Fields. ‘Fields?!’ you say- ‘that must be some kind of weird prog rock band!’ well you’d be right only they truly are brilliant. With songs that sound like they’ve been pulled right out of the 60’s and shot with a modern twist Fields will take you on a sublime trip of strong and quiet sounds that explode without warning- this band is most definitely a must see.

Up next is The Long Blondes typically disco/indie they are what you’d expect, but Gigwise has to give it to them- they certainly know how to get a crowd moving- and in particular one song springs to mind, the wicked ‘Weekend Without Makeup’. As soon as the set is over it’s a mad dash back to the Carling tent to see Scissors For Lefty, a San Franciscan four-piece with more panache than you can shake a stick at. With elements of indie, punk and vocals that are so varied it’s clear singer Bryan Garza has a vocal range greater than the Alps, including a twinge of Carl Barat to them! Scissors For Lefty are Gigwise’s brand new hotly-tipped band.

The rest of the day passes quite normally for Reading - the mix of indie, punk and emo kids is phenomenal this year so inevitably there’s a spilt in tastes. Perhaps this explains the reason why Panic! At The Disco really did turn into Panic! On The Main Stage as frontman Brendon Urie was hit by a bottle temporarily knocking him unconscious- security rushed to help him up and once back on his feet Panic! went straight back into the number that’d been interrupted. It definitely seems the band’s name is a prophetic one at least. The next act proved to be an all around crowd pleaser, receiving a massive reception not just for their loud and energetic set but also for the scaling of stage scaffolding and diving into the crowd. Yes it was The Subways.