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.