Reading 2001 Review - Friday
Friday
If the loosely-knotted
school ties and putative afros of some of today's crowd are any sign, Friday is unofficially Strokes-day; but it's the other
music press darlings from Noo Yawk, the Moldy Peaches, who set today's ball rolling. Newly-augmented by a full band, their
guitarist compensates for Kimya's absent rabbit costume (easy tigers - she was sporting a fetching American Flag number instead)
with his Spiderman-meets-Jackie-Chan look; they might be louder, but the songs retain their wistfully obscene charm, sounding
as ever like the Velvets' 'Afterhours' being performed by sniggering pop-culture-savvy adolescents. The sweetness at the heart
of 'Nothing Came Out' might be obscured by comedy Eddie Van Halen guitar-twiddling, but the Peaches always teeter on the fine
line between absurdity and a rather touching sincerity - as they say, 'we like to contradict ourselves, and that's a rap'.
Over on the
main stage, Eels seem determined to
throw as many curveballs as possible, whether it's the gothic cover version of 'Get Your Freak On' or the Bo Diddley crunch
of 'Souljacker Pt.1'. It doesn't seem to deter the crowds, but then it's more likely they're gathering for the Strokes, who
are next up.
There's the
same cartoon frisson of recognition about seeing them striding onstage as provoked by the Ramones - iconic already - but there's
an 'impress me' wariness about the crowd, and the band seem nervous at first, Julian's Iggy-esque vocals wavering uncertainly
in the mix. 'Last Nite' seems them step up a gear, locking into that metronomic 'Lust for Life' chug while Albert Hammond
Jr flails his guitar; a sun-bleached stage this size might not be their natural environment, but their short, sour-sweet blasts
of garage pop convince that their reputation doesn't entirely rest in the hands of style mag journos fixated on their thrift-store
Clem Burke chic.
Related Artists
Related Events
Related Articles
Hide Search Results
