20 replies to this topic

[goodlookinout]

A friend and I had a discussion before about Reading and were talking about the importance of the bands. We decided we would prob go whatever the line up as its so fun (as long as it was somewhat of a "traditional" reading line up) and that sometimes the bands are just a bit of a sideshow to the whole festival experience.


what do you all think? Realistically I think I would need 1 -2 to corkers to justify going but fot the most part its the experience and getting away from it all that sells me!

Edited by goodlookinout, 16 March 2009 - 10:18 PM.

[kaosmark2]

Vital. I won't go to the whole festival unless there's at least 4 bands each day I want to see. Sure, the atmosphere is good fun, but if I wanted to go camping with my mates I could do it a lot cheaper than by buying a Reading ticket.

[DR OK]

Anyone who goes to reading for the atmosphere goes because they are nme gods or thieving chavs

Disclaimer: My view is bitter and twisted, ignore me.

[goodlookinout]

I AM GOD OF CHAVS!

[jammy2211]

I'm in between.

In some ways I don't care, cause Reading is a chance for me to meet all my mates from home I don't see often at uni, so I'll have a great time whether or not I like the bands.

Equally, I'm paying money, so I expect enough bands to see. Plus, in my experience, the more mainstream the line up the worse the atmosphere.

[fat_man_joe]

I agree, before my first proper festival (not including R1BW) I was under the impression that it was the bands that were the most important part of the festival experience. The fact that the Manics, Feeder, The Music and BSP were all playing was what made me so excited.
This year however I am totally set on going, and the fact that not really any of my favourite bands are on the line up doesn't bother me too much. The best part of the festival for me was the camping, getting drunk and spending time with my mates. That's why if the headliners do turn out to be AM, KOL and RH I won't be so disappointed, they're enjoyable enough, and Radiohead will be interesting to see either way.

[benisright]

Fact remains i have a wide taste in music and there hasnt been a single reading line up in the last 10 years that i wouldnt have enjoyed. So i do not worry about the line up at all, i just get curious.

[markeee]

agreed-for more it's a combination of both!

[howlin_pete]

I'm in between.

In some ways I don't care, cause Reading is a chance for me to meet all my mates from home I don't see often at uni, so I'll have a great time whether or not I like the bands.

Equally, I'm paying money, so I expect enough bands to see. Plus, in my experience, the more mainstream the line up the worse the atmosphere.

Pretty much this, it's the best way for a big group of us to meet up all together. There are even some friends I met at Reading and only ever meet when I go down there. But if it wern't for Radiohead this year I probably would still be considering if I was going to splash out on a ticket

[ilovemaiden]

Obviously no one would go for a line-up of utter crap, but drinking round the camp fire can be just as much fun as watching some of the bands on show..

[Ant_1310]

As a libra Im indecisive . . .well actually zodiac has nothing to do with Im just undecided full stop. I wouldnt go if there wasnt enough bands that I wanted to see but at the same time I wouldnt go if there was lots of bands but the atmosphere was crap, atmosphere heightens the euphoria of seeing the bands. The way I see it, cant have one without the other they go hand in hand. Thats just my input, each to their own

Though I deffo would not go just to go get pissed with mates of a weekend, I can do that all year round for a lot lot less haha.

Rant over I've said more than my piece haha

Fin

[worm]

The bands. I choose a festival on the basis of the bands playing there. Without the bands, there is no point. I'd rather go to the Algarve and drink Port in splendour than sit in a field with some friends drinking beer and doing f**k all.

I'm over 30 by the way. That may have shone through.

Edited by worm, 19 March 2009 - 12:44 AM.

[onthejazz]

Ticket prices seem to go up every year; I expect to see a varied and diverse line up each day to make the money worth spending. Don’t buy pre-sale tickets anymore as 2007 was shocking. I think its crazy forking out all that cash for something you don’t know will be any good.

Atmosphere of course counts a lot, but if all your going to be doing is wondering around getting drunk or sitting in camp the ticket money could be spent on something else.

[thetime]

I wouldnt go to reading or any other festival apart from glastonbury without knowing the lineup. last year I saw 4 or 5 bands at glasto and no headliners. tell a lie I saw biffy headline the jp tent.

I presume theres alot like me with glastonbury.

[harper11]

for reading its all about the line up

otherwise its a fairly average arena with bad food and average beer


but they usualy have good line ups

[VCK]

All these people who are all "I don't care about the bands, I just want to go so I can get f**ked" are morons, although credit to them for not being tight-fisted as they're effectively paying £150+ to get pissed in a field even though they can do that at home...

I wouldn't go if there wasn't any bands that I wanted to see playing.

[zeppelin]

i'd like to say i'm inbetween but me and my mates realised we're going whatever the lineup
to be honest there's always some bands we like and there's always a good chance to check out some new ones

so im more aboout the atmosphere, cos it is amazing

[kennyabis]

Well since the atmosphere has gone completely down the toilet in the past couple of years the bands are of utmost importance, hence the reason it looks like I will be retiring from reading after 9 years.

[Bradders]

I'll go whatever the lineup. There'll always be plenty of bands I want to see, but also I love the camping part. Just sitting round a camp fire with some beers.

I know I could do that on a camping holiday. But there's alot more rules and stuff, it's not the same.

[beLIEveR]

My opinion is that the atmosphere can make a mediocre lineup into a great festival, and Reading will always, at the very worst, have a mediocre lineup.

That said, the atmosphere at Reading isn't quite what it used to be, and I feel that there will eventually come a year that I will decide whether or not I'm doing Reading based on the lineup.