Reading Festival: It was awesome!!

Last weekend I attended my first festival in my 24 years of living. How I have gone this long without attending one, I do not know (lack of money probably) but I know now I WILL NOT GO ANOTHER YEAR WITH OUT ONE. That and not really attending live gigs? HOW HAVE I LIVED.

Reading Festival 2012 was an amazing experience for me. I arrived on the Thursday to my tent already set up by my friends, who arrived on the Wednesday. There was six of us and three tents, though my tent ended up being a food storage tent and I took over the empty compartment of my friends tent as they had no choice but to bring one of those big tents with three compartments (their normal one had lost a pole). I was grateful for this though as it was my first time properly camping and it was better to be in a tent with people!

Arriving Thursday morning, I spent the day chilling out with my friends (and perhaps getting a little bit drunk by 2pm on sidekick and then vodka) and experienced my first camp fire (no marshmallows though. Next time!) No gigs or music was on on Thursday, so we did spend the day at our little camp site, but it was nice, I loved having our own little bubble. The atmosphere and the camp fire and the lights of the camp site, it was all so lovely I can’t wait to do it again! I officially love camping!

Friday is when the excitement for the live music started! After an awful nights sleep (remember your blow up mattress kids) I didn’t actually feel tired as I was too excited!! We had some ASDA price tins of spaghetti and bread for breakfast on disposable BBQs and when we were all ready, we headed too the arena!! I was so excited!! The main stage was huge and it was amazing too see all the stalls of food and the different tents!! The weekend started with Deaf Havana (who I hadn’t really heard of but were really good!) and I soon got into the flow of the music, making my way to the front of the main stage for one of my favourite bands, You Me At Six. If you want to be at the front of the main stage for a band then you must be there early.

TIP: IF YOU ARE NEW TOO FRONT OF THE CROWD AT GIGS, FIND A BARRIER AND STICK TOO IT.

It was my first time fighting to the front and the band before YMAS was a band called Crystal  Castles...I hadn’t heard of them before. I wish I had because then I would of stayed near the barrier from  the beginning! Within seconds of them starting, the crowd heaved, sending a lot of us into each other in a wave of scary-ness. Three waves later, and an entire row of us were floored, but luckily there is a very friendly atmosphere at festivals and everyone helps everyone else up so no harm was done. It was pretty scary and I decided then that I should move out of this area, and managed to shuffle too the side a little and to the front barrier. That was my only scary experience of the festival!! You Me At Six were amazing and I completely forgot about the scary experience earlier!! We also saw Tom Delonge perform with his band Angels and Airwaves which was awesome!!

Saturday was a surreal start in the arena. The ‘secret’ Green Day gig started earlier than we thought and we didn’t get in the NME tent to watch them at first, since there were security guards and barriers up at all the through ways too it. We accepted this and sat down to watch on the big screens. And then they cut the big screens without warning. THIS IS MY FIRST FESTIVAL. I DO NOT TAKE THIS FROM ANYONE. I informed my friends I would meet them later and legged it to the nearest barrier as people booed. I wasn’t the only one and after about 5 minutes there was a count down. At the end of the count down we ran, the metal barriers dragged out of our way and we made it into the tent! I got to see Green Day live and in person!! Amazing experience (yes, that word is being used a lot in this post) and well worth the naughtiness of charging the barriers ;)

Billy Talent and Feeder were the other highlights of the Saturday and I will say, I think I thoroughly enjoyed the Billy Talent gig the most out of all the gigs I attended over the weekend!

Sunday was an epic day, with All Time Low (who I have now fallen in love with), Bullet for my Valentine, Foo Fighters and Less Than Jake. The weekend went so quickly and I was surprised that it was Sunday already!! Sunday was one of the only days me and Becky risked the camp site toilets (the other being Thursday) and they were disgusting. I was glad I only used them twice! The arena toilets were far nicer, flushable and with toilet paper. In the mornings, us girls actually had a ‘pee cup’ in which we peed if we were at the camp site, in the privacy of our tent. Worked a treat and much cleaner than those campsite toilets...

We left Sunday night after the Arena closed and managed to get home in good time, arriving back by half 1 Monday morning, which gave me all Monday to recover, and bathe. Sweet sweet bathing. We didn’t shower once, but we had baby wipe baths and on the Saturday, me and Becky performed a bottle wash on our hair and underarms at the campsite, so we felt fresher after that!

My experience at Reading Festival was amazing and I can’t wait to see the line ups for next years festivals so I can decide which one I want to attend!! Possible Reading again!! It was so awesome and I can’t wait to attend another festival!! Till then, I will be attending live gigs, planning already to go too a Billy Talent gig in November!!

The full line up that I saw was: Deaf Havana, Angels and Airwaves, Crystal Castles, You Me At Six, Green Day, Twin Atlantic, Enter Shikari, Billy Talent, The Vaccines, Mastodon, The Cribs, Feeder, Gaslight Anthem, All Time Low, Bullet for My Valentine, Kaiser Chiefs, Foo Fights and finished with Less Than Jake

I will be doing a ‘Festival Guide’ series of posts soon, and revisit them festival time next year!! So look out for them! If you have any questions that I might be able to answer  during the fesitval guide posts please ask them in the comments!!

Note: All photos were taken either by me or by my friends!

STAY BEAUTIFUL
Kitty xoxox~<3 font="font">