WOW...If you want an experience...click here! (The Carling Weekend (Reading) in general)

Member Name: Haz123

Product:	The Carling Weekend (Reading) in general
Date:	30/08/01 (42 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: See loads of great bands, Great fun, Brilliant Experience

Disadvantages: Drinks are expensive, Come home with a few bruses, You may catch the ''i need to go to reading next year'' ilness when u get back.

Reading 2001...

Situated in a muddy field, thousands of people make their way down to reading. They pitch their tents and make themselfs feel at home. This year when the first line up was announced it looked pretty crap but as time went on more bands signed up and in ended up being a 'well worth ya money' experience. Opening time are as follows:
Friday - Arena opens 12 noon
Saturday - Arena opens 11am
Sunday - Arena opens 11am

With appearences such as The Manics, Greenday, Feeder, Mogwai, My Vitriol and many other top quality band these looked like three days not to be missed although last years line up was so much better (Rage Agaisnt The Machine...last ever gig...last year) :-( and i missed it !!!

The reading atmosphere is absolutly brilliant, you get the occasional bottle thowing contests where people start launching bottles everywhere, the old croud surfers and moshpits etc. etc. etc. The list goes on.

At reading there are many stall dotted arround the place, some selling very cool novelty bongs, lighters and general usless pieces of junk that no-one in particular would ever buy.

Make sure you get a good bunch of mates who you know like the style of music...and most of all make sure they dont moan! Reading is a tough weekend but enjoyed by everyone unless you break a leg or somthing...but there are stories of people breaking bones and getting admitted VIP backstage passes...whether this is true i am still yet to find out...doesnt sound it to me though!

There were four basic places to hang out where there was always action:

The Main Stage: Most of the large bands play here with some exceptions. Usally this stage is most exciting in the evening. Noticable from everywhere in the arena apart from places like inside the toilets or crouched down behind some food stall.

The Dance Tent: Usally comes alive in the evning when everyone is in for a bit of chilled out dance music. Also this y
ear Gary Numan played here...yes, i know...wierd!

The Evening Session Stage: Some large bands do play here but it is generally the none heard of bands. Probably my favourite stage because the atmosphere here is great (apart form thr main stage of course)

The Carling Stage: The smallest of band that are on the reading bill play here. I have friends that have played here and they tell me it is a very good experience. Bands are usally unsigned and they use this opputinity to hitch a record deal. A great stage for the bands because they thourghly enjoy playing at such a large venue. Imagine being able to say... 'i've played at reading' !

The Toilets...lol...everyone makes them out to be real bad. Ok, so there not the nicest of places to be but ive seen worse and anyway if your deperate for the toilet, trust me, u'll visit it then.

Best Act of Reading 2001: Most people at this stage if they were faced with this question would just pick their favourite band; but not me. The Manics are no way my favourite band and i wasnt even planning on watching them but i decided to when everyone said they were going...let me tell you they were truly on fire.

The second day was the best because i love punk and there was a special satge called 'the concrete jungle stage'. This was dedicated to punk including acts from Reel Big Fish, Rocket From the Crypt, Good Ridance, Snuff, Mad Caddies, 28 Days, Dropkick Murphys, Ignite, Snapcase, Capdown, Save Ferris, Linea 77, Kids Near Water.

The best act on this stage in my oppinion was the band Capdown, but then this could be because ive seen them before. They are a band from Milton Keynes. In Milton Keynes there is a venue called the pitz which loads of people go to every friday night...very fun. Capdown make quite alot of appearences there and alot of people including me have seen them go from small to big...(from rags to reading you could say)...so seeing them play at reaidng was fantastic.


The Bands that played at reading were:

Alien Ant Farm
Amen
American Hi-Fi
Andy Votel
Anyone
Arab Strap
ASH
Andy Robinson
Backyard Babies
Backyard Dog
Ben Onono
Biffy Clyro
Big Dog
Boy Hits Car
Bridge and Tunnel
Bright Eyes
BS2000
Ben Norris
Brendon Burns
Capdown
Cat Power
Clearlake
Cooper Temple Clause
Cosmic Rough Riders
Crackout
Cult
Cyderdelic
David Kitt
Defenestration
Delinquent Habits
Dirty Harry
Dislocated Styles
Dropkick Murphys
D12
DJ Erol
DJ Dee Kline
David Haddingham
Eels
Elbow
Electrelane
Eminem
Evan Dando
Easyworld
Fear Factory
Feeder
Folk Implosion
Frank Black and the Catholics
Freestylers
Fun Lovin’ Criminals
Fuzz Light Years
Gary Numan
Gay Dad
Gene
Gloss
Godhead
Goldrush
Good Riddance
Gorky’s Zygotic Mynci
Grand Theft Audio
Green Day
Green Velvet
Grooverider
Guided By Voices
Glen Wool
Gavin Webster
Hamel on Trial
Haven
Hed Pe
Hefner
Hell is for Heroes
Hopewell
Hundred Reasons
Hugh Lennon
I am Kloot
Iggy Pop
Ignite
Ikara Colt
Infinite Mass
Ian Moore
Ian Cognito
Jeff Green
JoJo Smith
John Bishop
Kids Near Water
King Adora
Kosheen
Terry Alderton
Ladytron
Lift to Experience
Linea 77
Little Hell
Lo Fidelity Allstars
Lowgold
Living End
Lost Prophets
Mad Caddies
Marilyn Manson
Mark B and Blade
Mercury Rev
Mo Solid Gold
Mogwai
Moldy Peaches
Mouse On Mars
Mower
Mull Historical Society
Murder City Devils
My Vitriol
Manic Street Preachers
Marcus Brigstocke
Mitch Benn
Nebula
OPM
Oxide & Neutrino
Original Bedroom Rockers
P J Harvey
Papa Roach
Pepe Deluxe
Proud Mary
Publi
c Domain
Posies
Paul Tonkinson
Phil Kay
Queens of the Stone Age
Rancid
Reel Big Fish
Regular Fries
Richard Hawley
Rocket From The Crypt
Roots Manuva
Run DMC
Ross Noble
Ritchie Hawtin
Rick Right
Roger Monkhouse
Rex Boyd
Save Ferris
Seafood
Skinny
Shelter
Snuff
So Solid Crew
Soft Parade
South
Spek
Staind
Stephen Malkmus
Supergrass
System of a Down
The Strokes
Sean Lock
Smiley
Stu Who?
Steve Gribbin
Steve Harris
Simon tully
Sonny Mann
28 days
Trail Of The Dead
The Donna's
Tahiti 80
Teenage Fanclub
Terris
Thirteen:13
Travis
The Parkinsons
The Pattern
Terry Cole
Ugly Duckling
Vex Red
Voy
Wookie
Weapons Of Sound
Xposure
Zephyrs

Now, you dont get the chance to see that many bands for £80, its a hell of a gig, and definatly worth the money you pay for. I now cant wait for next year.

+ dont ruin it for everyone else by:
jumping fences (so it gets closed)
taking drugs
taking weaponry
etc.
stuff like that because this really can ruin it for other people. Reading is generall a really cool place, stories about slashed tents and people getting crushed are usally fake but it can happen.

Reading costed £80 this year, this included a camping and parking. Remeber to take spending money because you need to buy food and drink. Drinks are very expensive but vital.

Now..go out and buy a notice board and get a list of things to do...write at the top...buy tickets for reading festival 2002! DONT MISS IT FOR THE WORLD.

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