reading02

23 August: Carling Weekend, Reading, The Rivermead Leisure Complex, Reading.

Reading was great, despite the monsoon type conditions. Pulp are really good at stopping the rain whenever they play outside, and this was no different. The set was altered at the last minute - they were going to play I Want You but opted for Common People, cos Jarvis thought you, the audience, might need a bit of livening up and I Want You isn't the cheeriest of numbers...as it happened the rain had stopped and people were partying anyway.

There was a party backstage afterwards, with DJs James, Jarvis and Steve playing some records in the Rough Trade tent. Lots of Fleetwood Mac going down and minor celebs trying to retain their cool whilst clad in cagoules and umbrellas.

Despite their best efforts even the Mean Fiddler (dis)organisation didn't manage to stop Pulp being amazing on stage. One might have thought a day ticket with parking might have ensured a parking space but after being sent from one overflow car park to another (ever heard of walkie talkies for your parking attendants?) and having to park on an industrial estate along with the burnt out remains of past victims', cars, we eventually got into the Rivermead space. It would have been unrealistic to expect this gig to bear any resemblance to the very special one in North Yorkshire but somehow it was still an incredible experience. Despite some good "support" bands such as the Dandy Warhols it seemed an age until 8.30 when the rain abated on cue and Pulp came on stage. Starting with "Feeling Called", like Yorkshire, seemed a good omen (even if we didn't have rainbows) and this Reading version of the previous line up didn't disappoint as far as Jarvis's performance was concerned and probably, if we could have heard it, the usual tight musicality of the band. If I hadn't been with a partner who had never heard Pulp live before I would have thought it would have been difficult for anyone to get an idea of their usual sound, but he thought they were magnificent as well. He even knew that Candida was brilliant on keyboards despite the muddy, despoiled, bass heavy sound that we were given by the sound system. Jarvis has spoken about his voice in negative terms before and if I hadn't heard him in Yorkshire I might have believed him from this experience. Feeling Called, Sorted, Weeds, Babies, Bad Cover Version and Sunrise in particular didn't suffer much but Trees, Something Changed, This is Hardcore and Common People were difficult to appreciate here. I'm sure the band didn't hear anything similar to us lot because they were enjoying it (and so was I - as I said earlier, nothing can spoil Pulp other than them not playing). The bold version of Common People in particular was difficult here as the bass was so overpowering the rest was left up to the imagination, unlike in Yorkshire where it worked brilliantly.

The notorious "heavy" crowd at Reading, for this moment at least, weren't anywhere in evidence. People even suggested I go in front of them (not being 6 foot tall) but maybe that was because they were fed up with my singing in their ears throughout. Again the contrast with Yorkshire was interesting in that there everyone started singing at the beginning and didn't finish until the end, but here, as expected, only Common People really got everyone going (so you were right Jarvis) until the quite magnificent Sunrise where even the most hardened metaller, danced out raver or fanatical junglelists would have to have gone down on their knees in homage. I would have loved to have heard Underwear as an encore but you were probably right not to have attempted this at Reading and Sunrise couldn't be beaten as a spectacular ending. We can't have everything and, in the circumstances, the experience couldn't have been better. Thanks. (Liz)

Quite different from any festival I have been to, what really impressed me was that many people have travelled to Reading from other places of England or other countries, like me, under 'difficult' circumstances, to watch Pulp. My love to Toni and Berry for making my weekend very special and my regards to Patricia even if we were lost and did not talk much - due to the heavy rain, which was a good thing to happen because by the time Jane's Addiction ended their set, I had managed to go quite front because many wet people have left the main stage. But until the time when Pulp got on stage, thousands of people had gathered-many thanks to that really huge guy who was behind me and protected me from all the pushing and the jumping the whole time! The set list was good, although I wish they had played "I Want You", since it is a song I like much and I've never listened to it live. Dedicating Something Changed to his wife was very sweet of Jarvis but this song along with a couple others faced sound problems, but maybe that was because I was standing next to the right speaker. But it was still wonderful to listen to. A song that really was distorted, unrecognisable like Mr Cocker's vocals as well was The Trees, the bass was too loud, and although I could listen Jarvis singing correctly, I think the song loses its power while performed live. A thing that really impressed me as well was the crowd that was calling "Jarvis" all the time, between the songs, something that I've never seen in a concert before. It was really uplifting, along with Jarvis playing on words about whether we had bought our books with us cause it was "reading festival". Although I have seen Pulp only three times, I can tell that the singer's contact with the audience is still fantastic, and now even better, he was really relaxed and funny-although I missed some lines due to the fact that english is not my mother tongue, which resulted in everybody laughing sometimes except for me :(. From where I was standing, the crowd was warmed up from the beginning, which means that I was not the only one singing the whole time, Common People really cheered all the audience-which of course is a usual thing to happen, but what I personally enjoyed most was the last song, when all the people were clapping enthusiastically along with the rhythm of Sunrise, a song that you cannot resist but dance while Mr Cocker is doing his personal funny little dance. No encore of course because someone put Strokes as final headliners, not a bad group but certainly a bad choice for a headliner. Apart from that, it was a great end to a fantastic concert, and even if I will not see Pulp again, it will be a very sweet memory. Thank you (Dimi, Greece)

Pulp were completely fantastic at Reading! Why, oh why, did they not top the bill? Nobody else could ever manage to follow Jarvis & co. My night there ended with Sunrise, as I found The Stokes & their 40 minutes of tunes rather flat in comparison. (Claire)

Just a quickie to say that I saw Pulp at Reading this weekend and as always they were great. J is the best entertainer. During the gig a full can of beer smacked me full force in the face. Despite the instant swelling and blood, I carried on partying to Pulp as I just couldn't miss them. How's that for dedication. (Anita Rennie)

I was at Reading for my 3rd Pulp experience, and yet again, was not disappointed. I also sensed that the crowd's mood changed during the concert. The people around me, who initially were chatting away became very connected by half-way through. For me, the personal highlight was "I love life". Jarvis sung the chorus with such conviction that I was left very, very, moved. It was almost life-changing, reminding me to focus on the positive rather than the negative points of my life. Party Hard. (Tim Almond)

I wanted to tell you I enjoyed myself at Reading. It couldn't be as special as the Forests or Eden, but it was great to see Pulp performing to a big festival crowd again & enjoy the different atmosphere. The hot sun & dry ground was too good to be true & it wouldn't be a festival if we didn't get rained on, so true to form it chucked it down for an hour. But miraculously, it stopped just before Pulp came on - fantastic! By the time they'd finished, I'd forgotten it had ever rained & wondered what the strange white plastic garment was that I'd got on! It's hard to be so far away after all the front rows of the summer, but it gave me a chance to enjoy the whole thing in a way. Oh & thank you very much to the very kind bloke who let me sit on his shoulders for the first 3 songs. Pity he got tired! The sound was a bit iffy (not Pulp's fault, they played fine) & I could only see now & again, so if I can still say they were wonderful it must be a demonstration of the power of Pulp. It was a stupid decision to put them on before the dire Strokes though. A shortened set & no encores felt very strange. But what they did play was very enjoyable & probably longer than I'd expected. The crowd around me certainly seemed to love them too. And I'm always sorry when it's over so I suppose I would be, even if they played all day. The set, a shortened & mixed round version of the Forests ones, seemed to work really well. I didn't expect Babies or Common People to turn up in the middle, but they seemed to fit well there. And I don't think there's a better way to end than the now normal trio of Hardcore, I Love Life & Sunrise, which are so perfect together. Sunrise proved to be the perfect 'festival' song & a great way to end. It was another great Pulpy day, thanks once again Pulp & Jarvis. Hope to see you again soon...!! (Toni)

Toni was very brave and wore her special edition T-shirt all day, and attracted a lot of attention. In the middle of Jane’s Addiction, we started making our way to the crowd at the front and awaited The PULP moment….I was not so keen on Jane’s Addiction, the music was OK, it’s the frontman’s attitude/voice that was making me edgy and uncomfortable. And besides, I was impatient for PULP. As the time approached, I started to worry about the crowd gathering around me. Usually I would stand at the front on the barrier and fight my ground, but there is two of me now and the cushion I brought to protect the baby seemed very futile suddenly…So I took a side step to watch the concert on the side screen. The concert was great although the sound quality was not doing the band justice. It was easier to watch it on screen as you could lip-read what Jarvis was saying. The set was short but varied and I really enjoyed songs such as Babies, F.E.E.L.I.N.G.C.A.L.L.E.D.L.O.V.E. and Something Changed. I would have like to hear "Do You Remember"… and Birds, but the set was a nice treat already, shame that there was no encore. Thank you again PULP. (Berry bonner Le Fur)