Musical Whimsy.

It's kind of difficult to get the words out right now because there's so much that I have to say. I'll start by saying that I'm back from Reading Festival and it's so lovely to see some new faces, I hope I can keep you entertained. Today's been pretty lazy, given that it's miserable outside and I now have the luxury of bricks and mortar surrounding me rather than flimsy tarpaulin. Even though there was a last-minute raid of our tent by some idiot, which left them empty-handed (it's awesome being as poor as a church mouse), and us having to pack up in the dark, we managed to get home and washed by 1:30am last night. There are few things better than a post-festival shower, the colour of the water when I washed my hair was quite something.
Given the stories I've been told, Reading was actually really rather good, and I must say that Glastonbury should really book Reading's toilet guys because aside from the long drops being stinky for obvious reasons, they were practically immaculate, There were even flushing toilets in the arena, so fancy. That said, despite perfectly adequate toilets, certain festival-goers did seem to feel the need to go elsewhere, luckily I didn't have first-hand experience of this but I certainly witnessed the aftermath in passing. I think that's enough talk about toilets though, given that it's a music festival.

As I mentioned in my last post I only really bothered with Reading because my friends were going, I guess a part of me was missing an annual festival attendance, but there weren't really any bands I was dying to see that I couldn't see in other circumstances. I'll have to go back on myself though because the music was the best part! I saw so many great bands, and loved bands I didn't really think I liked. I don't think I'll go out of my way to head to Reading again for a few reasons but I did really enjoy myself. The average age was easily 16, at 23, I don't feel it's right to feel old but part of me really did.

Reading is absolutely tiny compared to Glastonbury so it was pretty luxurious to not have an hour walk to and from camp, but overall I'd say that aspect and the toilets are where it's oneupmanship ends, because it's just not Glastonbury - the theme park of festivals. I think I would recommend Reading but it's far to expensive considering the tiny price difference against Glastonbury and the lack of other entertainment and overall variety.

Anyway, I've yammered on enough, here's a list of my favourite acts from the weekend.
1. The Maccabees

(via BBC)

It was never not going to be because they're my favourite, they played a similar set to when I saw them at Alexandra Palace, but they were beautiful. The ended on 'Grew Up At Midnight' and had such pretty lights, I've actually decided it's the best when you see a band and you know all the words (it's even better when you know you're a crazy who's seen the band in question three times in the last year).

2. Florence + The Machine

(via BBC)

The weather was horrible and the stage was soaked, but she sounded CD-perfect, went into the crowd and looked beautiful. She's an amazing performer, and seems really genuine, I might be developing a slight girl-crush on her, very hard not to when she's such a total babe.

3. Dry the River

(via BBC)

I'm fairly certain this was the biggest gig the boys have played but they sounded as great as usual. Pete's vocals never fail to blow me away and it's kind of awesome to see how far they've come in a little over a year.
P.S. Pete's t-shirt is a winner.

4. Kaiser Chiefs

(via BBC)

There's always a soft spot in me for Ricky Wilson, but Kaiser Chiefs are so great live! Their lyrics and concept translate so well to large crowds, they had me singing along and thinking.

5. Of Monsters And Men
I must admit to being sick of them as Moon always has their CD in the car, but they were flawless and I might not complain so much about them now.

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Favourite new-to-me bands: Not necessarily my favourites of the weekend, but definitely acts that I'll be plugging myself into now I've given them a try.
Palma Violets — These guys were the second band we saw of the festival, I can't ever really get enough of indie-pop-rock.
Friends — The lead singer, Samantha Urbani looks so cool and is a mega-babe, they're also super-fun.
Metronomy — I know that they've been around for a while and it's not like I've avoided them, they've just never crossed my path. I saw them headline the Lock-Up/Dance tent on Saturday night and their bass was so high it vibrated through my whole body, which was pretty amazing, I just want to hear more.

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My 15 year-old self would definitely be very happy with me as I managed to take in the worst (best) kept secret of Reading and see Green Day, who were so good! I definitely feel like Foo Fighters and The Hives deserve a mention too, past-Me would be super happy with the energy they brought, I may have even teared up a little during Dave Grohl's speech during their encore.

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I have a few photos of my own to share with you soon too. I feel quite excited, if only it wasn't the bank holiday then I'd be able to get them developed. I hope you enjoy the rest of your bank holiday.