The Reading festival used to be a real Rock festival with loads of stuff you’d want to see. Now it’s an odd hotch-potch of stuff that seems to cater for the younger crowd….well let’s be honest – caters almost exclusively for the 16-18 year old group for whom this is now seen as an ‘entry level’ festival. I was working and so took my 15 year old Matty who LOVED it.

When in doubt – head for the comedy tent and the first highlight was Harry Hill who did a typically bonkers routine including singing TV shows along to the tune of Bob Marleys ‘No woman no cry’……..took ages before someone finally sang ‘Harry Hill’s TV burp’ and he could move on….

The only band I really wanted to see was The Blinders and they didn’t let me down. On the smallest stage they made the biggest racket. As the rain came down there was a Mosh-pit developing lead by this guy with a red flag who knew all the words and orchestrated the mayhem…

Matty got his first taste of the Mosh-pit thanks to ‘Bring me the horizon’. This then turned into Mosh-Pit fever with ‘Milk Tooth’ and ‘Yungblud’ and gave him the confidence to get up to the front of ‘Kendrick Lamar’ (his favourite), ‘Fall Out Boy’ and ‘Panic! at the disco’ – emerging sweaty, trampled and one happy camper…..that’s my boy!

I enjoyed ‘The Horrors’ ‘Slaves’ and ‘Hinds’…….and ‘The Vaccines’ were funny, but it was the last act on the Sunday who really impressed me – ‘Isaac Gracie‘. There were some doting females at the front who sang along with every song and screamed at everything he said and even that didn’t put me off. This boy has talent and his songs kind of sweep you along – Nick Drake? Bob Dylan? I think he’s his own man – give him a listen.

Bob the Chiropodist