Reading Festival

So its been 3 days since me and Lynda have had showers... Usually I dont share my sketchy hygeine info with others, but Im finally sitting in a hotel room in Spain and Im only minutes from a shower and shave and im amped.

This morning when we woke in the oval that has been our home the past few days, the smell of burning tents was so strong in the air (people torch their gear to not have to carry it home) we were hanging out to strike camp and get everything packed up so showers weren't on the list of priorities. Still covered in mud and after waking up in yesterdays clothes, we packed as quick as 3 scattered monkeys could, did the runs of all our camp gear to good sammies and bolted from the venue. After another bum steer from security, we found ourselves lost in streams of concert goers looking tired and sore searching the town of Reading for the train station. The National rail misfired again by sending an 8 car train to the 80,000 strong concert goers with 3 First class coaches and threatened fines to anyone sitting in the first class seats. I actually got to sit on the floor this ride around so was i pretty happy.
Reading festival was awesome! The incredible bands just kept coming day after day. Slipknot cancelled and was replaced by a local act I'd never heard of (not happy) and there was another band that was struck from the lineup too. When I was interviewed by the BBC I let them know my dissaproval.

Not a comprehensive list, but most of the ones I saw as I recall them: Anti-Flag, Rage against the machine, Metallica, Pendulum, Dropkick murphys, mxpx, Pennywise, Less than Jake, Tiger Army, Dirty Pretty Things, The killers, Bloc Party, Raconteurs, Serj Tankian, Queens of the stone age, Dizzeee Rascal, Taking back sunday, Tenacious D, Feeder, The ting tings, sea sick steve, The music... damn ill stop, Thats about half of em. I missed Jus+ice and Manic Street Preachers- about the only things I regret.
Friday we got rockin for the first day. Headed out to get lunch and all the other supplies we forgot (Wellies, wilko's bed roll, more beers, some cutlery...) by the time we got back to camp there were even more people setup around our tent. Said a quick g'day, had lunch and headed into the pit for some tunes. Ended the day with Queens and Rage- The rage crew drew a bit of attention launching into the set dressed as gitmo detainees, and Zach fired up with a bit of a speil about tony blair and the war for oil. Wilko got pick-pocketed during the RATM mosh and lost his wallet (both me and tom felt people in our back pockets but moved our wallets). We found it handed in to security at the end of the day though, minus credit cards and a few hundred pounds. While looking for the wallet we also ran into Tom Seeber- glad to hear he made it and caught rage.

Saturday came around and we shot off to town to try and help wilko sort a replacement credit card. Thanks bankwest for the runaround- just what we needed. A few hours and some pricey phone calls later he had made alternate arrangements. A quick shower in the internet cafe and we were back into the tunes. At the end of the day we caught Bloc Party and Killers on the main stage. Half way through killers cannons of confetti fired and the entire place was filled in white paper snow for 10 mins- it looked pretty speccy. We ran into a good crowd including some aussies there and my night is kinda hazy after that. Lynda cashed in her effort at recycling beer cups and she made 4 pounds. wow.. all that cup collecting really paid off! I love the idea of that though- 10p refund per cup, so theres little kids (and lyn) running around all over the place like drunken bower birds on caffeine grabbing trash off the floor.

Some other highlights: When a punk band was replaced by the clowns that sing Hey there Delilah, bottles flew towards the stage and the fattest craziest circle pit I have ever seen fired up in protest. Seeing Pendulum and getting caught in a mosh heavier than any I have ever seen (It took me n lyn about 20 mins to push out 15m). My shoulders are still aching from carrying 20 odd kilo logs across the campsite instead of buying 5-pound chairs to sit on, If spain had a customs authority they would have had kittens over the amount of mud on my shoes from the mad cow paddock we had been living and wallowing in, I am only just getting over the DT's from such a fat weekend and my liver is pickled but damn Im keen on doing it again. Definately the top of the list though was the crew of strangers in the tents immediately around us. Cranking a camp fire, some brews and a chin wag topped each day nicely.

So for spain, I dont know what the better point is yet- The fact we are now in one place for 4 whole days or the point it creams the accommodation we have seen anywhere else. ooh... pink panther dubbed in spanish is on.... La Cheta rosa.