Festival Republic Stage - Reading 2010

In my previous post I eluded to the quaint yet iconic intimacy of the BBC Introducing Stage at Reading Festival and its glory as a vehicle of great new music, but let me stress... this is not the only place at Reading where one can discover great new live acts. On the contrary, tucked away at the edge of the arena there is another venue that gives new, exciting and perhaps more established bands the chance to rock the crowds of Reading --> The Festival Republic Tent.

This small yet vibrant stage is the ideal forum from which to experience tomorrows big acts before the big crowds find out about them. Don't just take my word for it though, just look at the calibre of bands that have played daytime slots on this stage in the past five years: Friendly Fires, Kasabian, Foals, Frank Turner, The Maccabees, Klaxons, We Are Scientists, Arctic Monkeys, Kaiser Chiefs... the list goes on... Indeed, it would appear that event organisers seem to have an uncanny knack of booking bands that go on to grace bigger stages at later times at some of the world's greatest festivals. (Check out how many of this list played the festival this year for example... http://www.readingfestival.com/lineup/index.aspx) This Festival Republic Tent has become so synonymous with great live music that even alternative rock heavyweights Ash returned to Reading for the eighth time to headline this tent this year - a performance I was fortunate enough to be in the front row for!

My main point is that where the BBC Introducing Tent is at the forefront of cutting edge new music, the bands that play there are very raw. In the Festival Republic Tent the bands tend to be a little more polished whilst still maintaining a humble attitude and infectious awe at being on stage at Reading. Here is a little rundown of my own personal highlights from the Festival Republic Tent this year with a few hot tips for the next year... 

Kasiuss - a fantastic live act: dynamic crescendos, energetic yet controlled vocals, powerful piano, raw guitar work and an aggressive edge fill the atmosphere of the tent, instantly gripping the crowd and commanding their complete attention - in a word, epic. The studio recordings on their website and myspace can't do enough justice to this band, the true atmospheric and dynamic qualities that they posses in abundance can only be realise live. Check their Myspace, Facebook and even Twitter to experience their uncompromising sound... http://www.myspace.com/kasiuss

Kassidy - four very hairy chaps, four guitars and four sets of lungs all blend seamlessly together to create some really rich and uncomplicated sounds. Considering they were first up on the final morning of the festival - a time when four consecutive nights sleeping in a field on a £2.50 foam mat begins to take its toll - they created a great atmosphere with their resonating and harmonious vocals. Listen to some of their tracks on myspace and see what i mean... http://www.myspace.com/kassidyuk

Villagers - one of the highlights of the weekend by some distance. An amazing new band who's awesome new album "Becoming A Jackal", I have since found out, has been shortlisted for the Mercury Music Prize. Every element of this band from the memorable and slightly haunting vocals, dark lyrics, enchanting ambience and humble tones had me mesmerised for the entire set. Solo artist Conor J O'Brien has taken the singer-songwriter style to a new and exciting level I can can't quite put my finger on.

In his own words, the music shouldn't be "too dressed up", instead it is written to sound, "like someone whispering in your ear, but also to get the epic-ness at times".
Myspace... http://www.myspace.com/villagers, or on Spotify... Villagers – I Saw The Dead

Freelance Whales - a really interesting and distinctive band. On stage: a wonderful mish-mash of harmonium, banjo, glockenspiel, synthesisers, guitars, bass, drums and a waterphone have you intrigued and excited before the show even starts. Once the music does start the "interlocking rhythmic patterns" and "lush textural layering" that make this band so unique, emerge for all to hear. Great 'innocent-sounding' tracks with an edgy and energetic element make Freelance Whales a band you will not forget in a hurry.

Myspace... http://www.myspace.com/freelancewhales and on Spotify... Freelance Whales – Generator ^ First Floor

Ash - right, close your eyes for a second... (after reading this of course) and think of such classic tracks as "Girl From Mars", "Shining Light" and "Burn Baby Burn". Got that? Right, now imagine how good they would be to hear live; the energy, the sing-alongs, the chords, the guitar solos... Yeah, got that image? Ok, now TREBLE IT and you still wont be anywhere near knowing just how good this band are live, especially in such an intimate setting as the Festival Republic Tent! Ash (playing their eighth Reading Festival) remind us that the true musical geniuses only need a small stage, a simple light show and a few thousand ecstatic fans to put on a truly special show. I feel so privilaged to have been there... front row!