Last year, iDKHow being brilliant was the worst kept secret of Reading & Leeds. Playing to a very busy The Pit, the cult band dealt in mystery and delight for those in the know. This year there’s nowhere for them to hide as they stand exposed on the main stage. Good job they adore the spotlight. Their decadent dance of glamour, threat and glee has always sounded louder than the secret clubs they’re used to, and today, with plenty of space to explore, the band quickly make it theirs. ‘Nobody Likes The Opening Band’ is a playful, warped start before the thumping urgency of ‘Do It All The Time’ snarls and snaps. By the time the closing menace of ‘Choke’ comes around, iDKHow’s brilliance is pretty damn obvious. The secret’s out.
“It’s been a while since we played any new music,” says Sam McTrusty, before launching into the freshest of cuts. It’s called ‘Volcano’, and it’s a proper stomper from a band who have a history of baiting the mainstream.
“World exclusive” aside, Twin Atlantic seem fully recharged and ready to go. Sparky and full of vigour. Their set may be relatively short for a band of their stature, but within seven songs they manage to prove they’ve still got what it takes to roll with the pop-rock punches.
‘The Chaser’ is bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, while ‘Heart and Soul’ remains a total banger. Clearly, there’s more to come very soon. When it does, it’ll be worth the attention.
Amongst the frenzy of wild hair, Press Club are dominating their own little corner of Reading. The Aussie punk newcomers are filed to the brim with a new energy that bounds between the sweatbox crowd and their own fired up chaos. Soon after, blossoming with the ferocity, Dream State are what the Lock Up is all about – bands who start up to channel their own struggles, and through it they find it all happening. Singer CJ is restless, but fuelled by an anarchic truth; she’s now someone who captures those dark and scary feelings for others. A point proven by the stream of fists raised furiously in the air in solidarity and the rife singsongs, particularly during ‘New Waves’. The echoes of hope that resonate around the Lock Up are the only thing louder than Dream State’s fury.
Main stage suits You Me At Six: they’re more than ready to fill the vast space and stake their claim as a band willing to give it all, and step up when the time comes. They’re a band that symbolise what it is to get together, play some tunes with your mates and see what happens.
New number ‘What’s It Like’ holds a bit more snarl to it live compared to the recorded version, but it’s, as always, those big-hitter singles from yesteryear that do the job. ‘Underdog’, teased by Josh at the very beginning of the set, leads to breakout dance troupes all over the shop.
Busting out a couple of the slower songs in their arsenal is an odd move given this should be an all-or-nothing moment, but they still hold their own, just with a bit more room to grab a beer. It’s hard to not consider their set a success – as always, they know what they’re doing – just, a few more bops wouldn’t go amiss.
It’s impossible to ignore the absolute riff-show Puppy bring to the Lock Up. Amongst the flared fake flames, comes a truthful and exuberant rocking time that is as much face-melting as it is fun. Next up, with the setting Friday sun pouring into the tent with spotlight precision, it’s somewhat emptied out for Laura Jane Grace’s first solo return to Reading, but that doesn’t stop her absolutely tearing up a punkcious storm, filling every gap with a soulful directive.
PUP have never been ones to indulge in hype, hyperbole or grand, over the top statements so if they’re reading this, they may want to look away now. Ready? Good.
PUP are probably the best punk band around. 2019’s ‘Morbid Stuff’ saw them take their scrappy rock show to dark corners of misery, rage and hope and today’s set on the Lock Up is a celebration of being imperfect but trying to be better. As the band scream admissions of guilt in four-part-harmony, it’s clear they’re not the only ones feeling shitty. The crowd bellows every word like their lungs are on fire.
From the want of ‘Kids’, through the reckless abandon of ‘My Life Is Over And I Couldn’t Be Happier’ to the rumbling rallying cry of ‘Dark Days’, PUP share their battered, bloodied and bruised heart time and time again. ‘Sleep In The Heat’ is ‘Best Of You’ for kids feeling let down but resilient, ‘DVP’ is a glorious blood-letting while ‘Free At Last’ is a no-nonsense reminder that feeling sad isn’t strange. With the world very much on fire, PUP offer a sanctuary. It’s a chaotic, carnival reminder of the power of people.
