British Sea Power

• This Event
• Line-up
• News
• Reviews
• Photos
• Interviews
• Forum
• Event Home

Reading Festival 2005

Friday 26th to Sunday 28th August 2005
Richfield Avenue, Reading, Berkshire, England MAP
£125 for weekend (including camping) - SOLD OUT, £60 any day

Daily capacity: 55,000

To a sea of foliage sprung from the crowd BSP board the stage through the smoke. ‘The Spirit Of St. Louis’ is delivered with the tent relishing it, and I’m sure the band are a member light, but I’m distracted by a bloke crowd surfing strapped to a blue lilo.

‘Remember Me’ is masterfully presented and they may sound much more polished and less rough around the edges, with less mad cap exploits on stage but it’s still brilliant. They’re playing up a storm.

‘Carrion’ and ‘Apologies to Insect Life’ are note perfect and I think they’re even better than the last time I saw them and the owl looks like it’s agreeing with me!

I’m mesmerised during ‘How Will I Ever Find My Way Home?’ and ‘Please Stand Up’ by the crowd, there’s foliage and the dancing has kicked up dust which is caught in the sun like a glade in a forest. It’s a beautiful sight.

The band present us with ‘Oh Larsen B’ and I turn to a friend and say where’s the drummer and the bear? As we try to hunt birds on stage.

The light swirls, blue in the smoke as strange below deck creaks and groans and guitar noises and for a moment they almost play ‘It Ended on an Oily Stage’ but it’s not it’s ‘Lately’ and as it ends I have to dash off to see Marilyn Manson, who is bound to start early like everyone else on the main stage.

I get there to find he hasn’t and moments later get a text saying that during ‘Rock In A’ just after I left the bear appeared with the guy with the drum and they roamed through the crowd, fantastic! How gutted was I?!

They’re at the top of the game and played a wonderful set, they went down fantastically well and rate as one of my highlights of the weekend, just wish I’d seen the return of the bear!