Ahhh now I do like a band who have a lead singer that’s a bass player and right from the first number Milburn are clearly a different breed to many other four piece indie outfits. Okay so they sound rather like the Arctic Monkeys not just because of their Sheffield accents but they have the same phrasing. It’s a shame they have both risen to prominence at the same time, as I’m sure if I were Milburn I would prefer my music to stand up in its own right.
They play songs from the ‘Well Well Well’ album and "The book that you're reading's upside down". They have the crowd bouncing like mad and the basslines throughout are very funky. The crowd appear to know all the lyrics, and I have to confess I don’t but it creates a great atmosphere.
Their links to the Arctic Monkeys are highlighted when singer Joe Carnall says, “You’re really lucky you get to see the Arctic Monkeys twice.” And perhaps because they’re less exposed I prefer this lot on the day.
Stand out track is 'Cheshire Cat Smile', which has everyone singing along and even the safety guys on the barrier bouncing. There’s a lot of crowd surfing but it’s all friendly and even the girls join in. By the time the band finish half the crowd are more drenched than those in the drizzle outside.
A polished performance and a good band to see live they have the same spark as that other Sheffield band enjoying stardom at the moment, but if anything their arrangements are even cleverer live. And in Joe they have a man who finds natural affinity with the crowd something the AM never manage. Could this lot end up the bigger stars? Quite possibly.
Reading Festival 
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