Reading & Leeds 2009: Radiohead, Reading Festival

In a list of things you don’t expect to see Radiohead do, opening a show at Reading Festival with ‘Creep’ might come fairly high up the list. It’s quarter to ten on a Sunday night and that’s exactly what they’re doing.

The shimmering behemoth of a light show illuminates the faces of a whole bunch of revellers suddenly filled with hope that, actually, the fact they’ve not listened to a single track since ‘Kid A’ proved a bit too difficult for them won’t actually matter. They’re going to be disappointed, but when they wander off thinking Lostprophets are a better bet, it’s they who lose out; this is Radiohead, after all.

It’s hard to fault a band like this. From our vantage point they possibly lose a few casual onlookers with moments like ‘The Gloaming’, but that’s as much down to a festival headliners crowd stuffed with those unfamiliar with anything not receiving airplay as it is to the annoyingly low volumes the main stage has been spewing forward all day. When the more forceful moments arrive (‘2+2=5’ and ‘Just’ to name but two), all is well in even the most casual onlooker’s mind.

‘Nude’ remains as awesome live as it is on record, ‘Karma Police’ rivalling anything else in the festival anthem stakes, and ‘These Are My Twisted Words’ showcasing new material more successfully than you could hope during a top of the bill slot.

Closing with ‘Everything In It’s Right Place’, there’s no doubt that in many ways Reading 2009 belongs to Radiohead, but then it has since the line up was announced. With a band this good, that is something you’re allowed to expect.