The Polyphonic Spree

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Reading Festival 2003

Friday 22nd to Sunday 24th August 2003
Richfield Avenue, Reading, Berkshire, England MAP
£95 for weekend (SOLD OUT), £40 any day

Daily capacity: 55,000

Here they are the madcapped robbed wonder Tim Delaughter and his crazy cult of robbed musicians. I'd seen them in their red robes at Glasto in glorious sunshine and it was uplifting.

Tonight in the Radio One Tent they're bedecked in white and absolutely stunning! Before their late arrival the crowd filled out with robed fans, bright, excited and revellous. The music works better at night. It's suits the darkness and the mood lighting. Punctuated with blinding flashes of bright white light like a visual exclamation mark.



Soldier Girl is the highlight it's truly uplifting and we sing our hearts out. The crowd know all the tunes and we sing as one giant chorus. Bouncing through Light and Day, It's the Sun. You notice the musicians more in the night time and their sumptuous sound wraps around us, at times edgy, at times blissful, at times spacey and always full and layered. It's like watching Jesus Christ Superstar, Joseph and Hair all at the same time and reminds me of The Who live which is no bad thing, it has that glorious 70's excess feel to it. At other times it's like a good Paul McCartney singalong where you belt out all the classic Beatles standards.

As it ends, I remember Tim Delaughter saying he'd like to do a musical, and you can see why. They are almost one already. So Friday finishes on a high and just remember, listeners, you've got to be good, you've got to be strong, you've got to be 2000 places at once!