The Shins - Reading Festival 2012 review
'Mercer's strong songwriting will always win out'
Photographer:Jason Downes
Chris Eustace - 25 August 2012
Some may have feared for The Shins today. On paper,
their breezy indie pop looks a bit incongruous sandwiched between harsh, chaotic hip-hoppers OFWGKTA and
the heavy, human pyramid-loving Enter Shikari, but in reality, it’s masterstroke, providing the perfect
opportunity for the Main Stage crowd to kick back for a while.
While this is (literally) a very different band
to the last time The Shins
were here, with only singer/guitarist James Mercer remaining, the new-look group are still well-versed in all the things they
do best, with ‘Australia’ as perky as ever.
There’s nothing to worry about with the new songs
from the excellent ‘Port Of Morrow’ either, with a wordly ‘Simple Song’ sounding gorgeous, and a staccato
‘Bait And Switch’, an urgent ‘Rifle’s Spiral’ and the title track providing neat changes of
mood and pace.
That’s not to say the old favourites are neglected either, with ‘Phantom Limb’’s “ooo-woo-ooo”
chorus resulting in a hazy singalong, and ‘Saint Simon’’s clever wordplay helping those who’ve overindulged
claw back some lost brain cells.
As Reading’s head clears, it rises to dance again, even hitting ‘So
Says I’’s high notes, and the moves continue with a disco-esque take on ‘No Way Down’.
A
sumptuous ‘Know Your Onion’ helps the sun chase away some ominous-looking clouds to give these summery songs the
backdrop they deserve, and choosing the initially floaty ‘Sleeping Lessons’ as the set closer makes sense once
it bursts into punky, bouncy life, with lyrics like “You're not obliged to swallow anything you despise” handy
advice for anyone contemplating another dodgy burger.
The Shins
may not be the biggest-sounding band on the big stage today, but they’re probably the most catchy, and songwriting as
strong as Mercer’s will always win out.
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