Jamie T and Kendrick Lamar leave Reading in awe on Sunday night

Jamie T and Kendrick Lamar at Reading 2015

Photo: Richard Gray

Jamie T and Kendrick Lamar both dominated Sunday night with sensational sets featuring fan favourites and a few surprises. The long-awaited return of Jamie T proves him as a permanent hero in the eyes of the crowd, and there’s clearly little that could ever change that. In fact, it’s besides the point since Jamie turned up to Reading today with a main stage, even headliner-sized performance. Opening with Panic Prevention’s ‘Operation’, the crowd fell into a groove the moment the last word of “I ain’t no abacus, but you can count on me” was uttered. From that point on, the audience were putty in Treays’ hands. For a man who has admitted to suffering severe stage anxiety, he didn’t show a sign of it.

The real stars behind the man himself were his incredible band, especially his drummer, who gives the performance an entirely new feel, a lot more driven, more technical. Though, when it comes to tracks like ‘368’, the technical aspects aren’t what stand out, the simply awesome songwriting does. It’s tracks like ‘Salvador’, however, that make you appreciate how far Jamie has come as a performer. The DIY teeth and nails recordings from the 2007 recordings are now dynamic and road-tested models of how to win over festival crowds with plenty of sing-a-longs and a heaping load of passion. Even the newer tracks from Carry on the Grudge, released earlier this year, have a grander scope than they sound on record. ‘Peter’ showcases the whole band’s versatility with it’s cut-throat attitude making it blatant that Jamie T isn’t a one man show anymore. That is until he sends his band off to wings to perform a low-key, solo rendition of ‘Calm Down Dearest’. The London songwriter admitted he hadn’t played it in a while but he obviously hadn’t forgotten the word, and neither had the crowd. Drawing to the end of his set a few conclusions have been made: ‘Sheila’ was unsurprisingly massive, ‘Rabbit Hole’ has become a staple among the highest ranks of Jamie T tunes and ‘Zombie’ has officially been inducted as one of the ultimate festival songs.

As his band takes the stage, and the backdrop shows stock footage of Compton, Kendrick Lamar stepped onto the stage met by chants of his name to the melody of ‘Seven Nation Army’. “I appreciate the love”, he remarks before bursting into a scorching rendition of ‘Money Trees’. Before we appreciate Kendrick for the awesome live performer he is, it’s equally as important to recognise the significance of his latest record, To Pimp A Butterfly. Kendrick articulately and passionately given insight into the authentic treatment of black communities in America in 2015 with this record to people who would otherwise never have realised the world from his perspective, and for that fact alone among many others, he is one of the most important figures in music today. This was cemented permanently with K.Dot’s Reading performance on Sunday night. Between the gut-trembling bass of ‘Backstyle Freestyle’ and rocking version of ‘Fuckin’ Problems’, Kendrick isn’t bringing a set full of politically-conscious tirades and deep cuts, he came with the intention to party. Addressing the crowd, the Compton hero asks both sides of the stage if they’re feeling good. “If we feel good on both sides and feel good at the back, then we can go home”, he pointed to his band: “and know that no vibe was killed”. A huge swell of screams met the first chords of ‘Bitch, Don’t Kill My Vibe’, a track that bridged the gap between die-hard Hip-Hop heads and pop fans. ‘m.A.A.d city’ following was a treat to see since there was a snap following the three Schoolboy Q’s ‘yaks’ that saw Kendrick switch on the thrusters and propel himself with a heightened vigour. The theatrical strings and sweltering intensity was unlike any performance this weekend. While the energy levels were peaking, the spritely and instantaneously recognisable guitar of ‘I’ was the feel-good kick that went down a storm, although that could be said for so many tracks in this set. The self-love philosophy is one most apt for a festival environment as people pushed the limits of their hedonism and vanity. More humbling, a moment of silence was attained before the funkadelic beat of ‘King Kunta’ filled the ears of the 50,000+ people that turned up to see the strongest lyricist in the game do his thing. Finalising his set with “one of his favourite songs” dedicated to those people that have been rolling with TDE since day one, the incredible A.D.H.D was performed with an effortless conviction. Kendrick Lamar performed with the strength and vitality of a headliner because, if we’re being honest, he did perform a headlining set.