Reading 2011 - Friday

Friday saw the first day of live music at Reading Festival 2011 with appearances from the likes of My Chemical Romance, New Found Glory, The Vaccines, Noah and the Whale, White Lies, Beady Eye, Architects, The Blackout and more. This is my write up of the bands I saw. Obviously I couldn't get to see everyone so I tried to see a good mix of bands that I enjoyed and others that I didn't really know that well.

1. Architects - Main Stage.
Being the first band on at a festival is never easy and a festival such as Reading is even harder, Sound quality wasn't great for the first band but fortunately Architects performance made up for it. Drawing in a big crowd so early in the day seemed to give them confidence which they used to their advantage to put on a good show to keep the crowd entertained and stopping them from drifting off to one of the tents to escape the heavy morning rain. The band played some slower songs which showed off vocalist Sam Carters great singing voice, showing that they have a softer side but also creating several mosh pits and urging the crowd to get involved.  4/5.

2. The Blackout - Main Stage.
Next up were The Blackout who continued the energy that Architects breathed into the main stage crowd with fast paced, sing along anthems that seemed perfectly suited to the large stage. They benefited from much better sound quality which enabled the crowd to appreciate the songs a lot more. Vocalists got fully involved, showing off really good vocal skills as well as novelty microphone swinging. 4/5

3. New Found Glory - Main Stage.
New Found Glory brought their bouncy pop punk tunes to Reading with the aim to have everybody singing along and having a good time and it's safe to say that they achieved this! They might be getting older and older but this didn't stop them from running round the stage and bouncing around like they were teenagers. 3/5.

4. Rise Against - Main Stage.
I'm not a great fan of this band and was dragged to see them with some mates but i'm glad that I did go along! The sound quality was awful and for the majority of their set it was impossible to hear the vocals but this didn't stop them from putting on a great show and the sound of the crowd singing along almost made up for the poor mix. 3/5.

5. The Offspring - Main Stage.
This is a band that I used to listen to when I was younger, In fact I remember getting a greatest hits CD for my 12th or 13th birthday but I was reluctant to miss out on seeing The Vaccines over this band. However i'm glad I made the decision to see this giant rock band because this will most probably be one of their last UK shows whilst I have the opportunity to see The Vaccines whenever they tour. The Offspring brought out all their hits which pleased the crowd but it must be noted that they left out several of their biggest songs such as 'Original Prankster.' and then left the stage without a word which confused the crowd quite a lot. 3/5.

6. Don Broco - BBC Introducing Stage.
This was the Bedford Boys first time at the festival and judging by this performance it wont be their last. Full of energy and eager to impress they launched into a 25 min set full of their biggest tunes off their latest mini album - 'Big Fat Smile.' Opening with classic 'Thug Workout', front man Bobby D got right into the crowd to conduct the wall of death from the audience which reflects the lighthearted, fun loving side to this band which is making them into one of the biggest up and coming bands in the country. Would love to see them on a bigger stage next year. 5/5.

7. 30 Seconds To Mars - Main Stage.
This was to be one of the bands last UK performances from this band as front man Jared Leto strongly hinted at a break up for the band saying 'This is the last time we'll be in the UK for a very long time.' They certainly played like it was the last time they'd be in the UK with a performance full of emotion and passion for their music. They got the crowd involved at every chance, dragging fans up from the crowd to sing along and dance on stage with them. The atmosphere was amazing, with the crowd singing along to every song so loud that it almost defeated the point of Jared being there. 5/5.

8. My Chemical Romance - Main Stage.
If i'm honest, the only reason I went along to see MCR was to see what reaction the crowd gave them and i was surprised! They went down really well with the massive crowd, bringing out some massive songs won the crowd over straight away. The hits kept on coming with an extra special ending when Queen guitarist Brian May joined them onstage to close the evening with a cover of 'We Will Rock You' and classic 'Black Parade.' 4/5.

Stage collapse at Pukklepop Festival

At least 4 people have been killed and many more injured after a stage collapsed at Europes Pukklepop festival today (18th).

The stage collapsed in a huge storm in a situation much like that in the USA in the past week where a stage collapsed into the crowd during strong winds.

Many bands have had to cancel their performances at the festival which included the likes of Foo Fighters, 30 Seconds to Mars, Katy B and Kids in Glass Houses on it's bill.

Red Hot Chilli Peppers announce free London show

The Red Hot Chilli Peppers have announced a free show to celebrate the release of their new album.

The show will take place at London's Koko, an intimate venue in the capita on September 2nd following the release of their 10th studio album 'I'm with you' on August 30th. The show is being organised by Radio 1 and it is possible to apply for tickets on BBC.co.uk

Peter Doherty to dedicate Reading and Leeds slots to Amy Winehouse.

Troubled singer Pete Doherty has announced that he will honour the late singer and friend by dedicating his slots at Reading and Leeds festivals to her memory. A friend of his said that 'Pete was really great mates with Amy and He's still really cut up about her death. He hopes to get rid of his deamons by dedicating his festival slots to her memory.

He has previously admitted to feeling down about the singers passing, saying that it had hit him hard.

Doherty was recently released from prison after serving a sentence for cocaine possession.

Charlie Simpson rules out Busted reunion.

Fightstar frontman Charlie Simpson, also known for his role in energetic, teenage pop punk band Busted has rules out any chances of a future reunion. Saying 'a Busted reunion with me won't happen in a million years.'

However he didn't rule out the possibility that the other 2 members wouldn't re-form the band, claiming that they may go ahead on their own.

Charlie recently announced a headline tour to support his new acoustic solo project which takes on a different vibe to the heavier rock that Fightstar create, although he mentioned that he still thinks of his music as rock music.

See Charlies website for his solo tour dates.

Kids In Glass Houses album launch tonight (August 14th)

Welsh rockers Kids in Glass Houses are due to launch their new album 'In Gold Blood' tonight with a special launch show in Cardiff. The band will also be doing an in store midnight signing session at HMV Cardiff.

Support for the show comes from fellow Welsh pop punkers Save Your Breath.

The band will follow up the album release with a tour in October along with several festival appearances including V-Fest to add to the collection that they have already played this summer.

In Gold Blood will be available from all good record stores, both physical and digital copies. See the band's website for October Tour dates.

Don Broco announce Reading and Leeds Warm up show

Don Broco have announced an intimate local show to act as a warm up for their performances at the Reading and Leeds festivals.

The show will take place at Danny's Bar at Bedford Esquires next saturday (20th August) and only 100 tickets have been made available which have almost sold out following the shows announcement at 5pm today.

Don Broco play the BBC Introducing Stage at Reading and Leeds Festivals this year, Sub Headling below General Fiasco.

Tickets cost only £4 from wegottickets but sold fast following the announcement which gave members of their mailing list an hour longer to buy tickets.

New Music - We'll Always Have Paris

Coming from Montreal, USA this band is bringing a new sound that comes from several different influences. Combining catchy, sing a long chorus's which compare to those of Mayday Parade and All Time Low with heavier melodic hooks which could come from Emarosa.

At the moment their fan base is relatively small, but with time this band could become much bigger, especially if their first single is anything to go by.

They've got the songs, they've got the songwriting ability. All they need now is a larger fan base.

http://www.facebook.com/alwaysparis?

New Found Glory release new single

Pop rock group New Found Glory have released a single off their forthcoming album on iTunes.

The song 'Radiosurgery' comes from the unreleased album of the same name. The CD is due to be released in October.

'Radiosurgery' is available to download from iTunes now:

Mayday Parade release album artwork

The Pop Punk band Mayday Parade have released the album artwork for their 3rd studio album.

The self titled album is due to be released on the 4th of October and will feature the track 'Oh Well, Oh Well' which has been made available on the internet for several weeks.

You can view the artwork (which features their trademark Umbrella logo) below:

Here is the video for the first released track off the album, 'Oh Well, Oh Well'

Don Broco release new song and video online

Bedfordshire four piece Don Broco have posted a new track and video online. The song 'We're on Holiday' is due to be a B-side on the 'Dreamboy- Deluxe Edition' single package which will be available later this month. 

The song comes after the band made appearances at several festivals this summer, including Download, Sonisphere, Slam Dunk and Hevy festivals.  

The video was filmed at a headline show from Don Broco at Luton Hat Factory by Lawrence Hardy who has worked with many other big names such as Enter Shikari, You Me At Six and We Are The Ocean. 

'We're on Holiday' is available to download from iTunes from the 22nd August. Don Broco sub headline the BBC Introducing Stage at Reading and Leeds Festivals on the 26th and 27th of August.

DON BROCO - WE'RE ON HOLIDAY