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Yeah Yeah Yeahs

Reading Festival reviews

By Scott Williams | Published:


Before Karen O and Co. grace the main stage Mani from Primal Scream bumbles out to make the draw for the tickets to festivals for those who handed in their empty gas bottles. “Anyone seen Charlie?” He grins, “There’s a lot of people backstage lookin’ for him!” There’s a murmur of a laugh, although most of us find it a bit of an embarrassment and then he shuffles off and the wondrous Karen O appears a vision of errrr ultra bright loveliness!

She’s got her usual drink in one hand and she’s not happy there’s an interloper on stage pretending to be her in a frilly dress and draped in a purple scarf. She’s err lookin’ very colourful in a green costume and her eyes are vibrantly made up. She’s got a grille around her neck which becomes a mask and at dragon headpiece at one point!

She throws herself around the stage in her purple tights, and howls and chews the yellow and black mic lead, she hops down into the pit to thrash around on the chippings, before climbing back onto the stage. As usual she’s a great performer and that’s without the talented musicians behind her and those great songs.

The mask is donned for new song ‘Fancy’ and ‘Dudley’ is also aired alongside old classics ‘Turn Into’, ‘Maps’ before the final tune, new single ‘Gold Lion’. She’s as wonderful as ever I’m just gutted the sound was so bad on the main stage at the time, as there was a fair bit of wind. Karen O is hugely well received by the crowd and the songs are well received, Reading was all the better for having Karen O again this year.

review by: Scott Williams