Palma Violets bring their trademark mayhem to Reading’s main stage

Palma Violets aren’t going to shrug off their shot at Reading’s main stage. There’ll be no half arsed attempt at engaging the audience. They’re going to go for it - at least, in their own special, haphazard way.

Like a tipsy pub quiz contestant trying to tease a brilliant answer from the back of their minds, moments of pure euphoria shine through the haze - Chilli shifting from full on preaching to buzzing around like an especially manic bluebottle.

Raucous and unruly, Palma Violets in truth probably suit the intimate confines of the tent more than the enormodome of the main stage. When they connect, though, it’s glorious - ‘Best of Friends’ remains the band’s biggest moment - and while sometimes they may retreat to their own private world, those sharp pangs of coherent immediacy come frequently enough to hold the crowd. At this level, that’s a victory.