Reading Festival, August, 2005, by Claire Lower
From MemoryArchive
Who: Claire Lower What: Reading Festival When: August bank holiday 2005 Where: Reading, England
Thurs aft: Well, there I was loaded up with my 10 ton backpack, wearing enough layers to visit the arctic! Did I know what to expect?...of course not! I had heard many a story of the famed Reading Festival but had never experienced it for myself, it was a totally new thing for me and I couldnt wait. First we had to sit on the dreaded train for hours, picking up more and more clones like us (backpacks on with enough stuff in to last a month or more). Eventually we made it and arrived in Reading, we joined the hundreds of others walking to the site. It was raining but that didn't bother us, we just stopped off to buy wellies at one of the many stores selling everything you could think of to do with the different weather. We walked through the mud to the campsite and rung our friends to find out where they were camped. Then we walked to the site where they were. What a relief to finally put that backpack down! Add (my boyfriend) pitched our tent whilst I helped the boys with the marquee. Eventually I gave up with it and let them finish it off! The finishing touch was the black and white skull and crossbone flag that we attached to the marquee with tape. The flag was to help us slightly with finding our tent when we came back from the main arena in a drunken stupper in the dark!
We went to get our tickets exchanged for the green (this years colour) Reading wristband. Then, tent up, and standing (for now anyway) we decided to check out Reading town. I was starving as usual, and had heard that the town had a 'Walkabout'. I had to find this place, I love the food there! We went past 'McDonalds' where people swarmed around the entrance door like a pig does food. Nexto this was a cash point and the amount of people getting money out was ridiculous, all from the festival, and just waiting to spend it on beer and food! Eventually we found 'Walkabout' horray! My hair's rather frizzy in the poto from the rain!
Thurs eve:
This is or first night here and I am loving it, why havn't I ever done this before I asked myself. What could possibly be better than being at one with nature and the environment, and talking to anyone who passed you?! The rain had turned the ground to slush which made our clothes and tent dirty. It was a nippy night so I bought one of the 70s £5 suede, fur coats to keep myself warm. We took a look around the stalls selling just about anything, then we walked back through the clouds of smoke from peoples' fires to the yellow area where our home was for the next 4 nights. First thing we saw was the flag, good job for that! The others had got a fire going so we all sat round drinking beer. Add and I contributed a 24 pack of Carling that we brought from the local Sainsbury's in town (Add carried them back!). We all crashed earlish tonight as it had been a long day, and we had a big day ahead tomorrow, the bands, wohoooo!
Fri morn: I'm looking forward to a good day of music, beer, and food! The bands start at 12pm as they do everyday so Add and I headed to town again to 'Walkabout' and the cheap shops (£1 shop and Primark). In the £1 shop we got a pair of sunglasses each, 2 throwaway barbi's, wetwipes, and glowsticks. We walked back to our tent, changed into some lighter clothes (as the weather was turning warmer), put our sunglasses on, and grabbed a Carling from our seperate enclosed tent bit, which seemed to keep the beer colder! The sun was out and I was feeling on top of the World! First band we saw were 'Goldie Lookin Chain' mainly to have a laugh at them! Well they were funny. Then we grabbed food on site, they do the best veggie burgers!
We queued up for hours to get 'The Killers' autograph (Add wasn't too pleased about that but I love them), look to the right of the photo, that is one long queue! I remember some prats messing about in the queue and winding everyone up!
...anyway eventually we got to see them, and got their autograph, and here they are!
Fri eve: After getting 'The Killers' autograph we headed to see 'Queens of the stone age' who were really good, then to the dance arena for 'Audio Bullys' who were good too. Then back to the main stage for 'THE KILLERS' wohoo, and they were brilliant!!! Shame they aren't doing any more music for a while.
At 9.40 we went to the bacardi tent for some good dancing, it was mad in there!! God I'd love to work there! Here we are in the bacardi tent!
