Warpaint get jammy for Reading 2014

Warpaint make music that is echoey and insular, woven out of misted vocals skating over the top of vapoury lines of melody. It’s music for losing yourself to completely. At Reading today, though, they’re playing in the wide, cavernous expanse of the ginormous NME/Radio 1 tent. It’s hard to get lost in all the unfilled space, and so much sound is leaking out the sides that somehow the atmosphere doesn’t quite translate to the fully absorbing spectacle that Warpaint are capable of in a tightly packed and darkened room.

Still, in a more jammy sounding set 'Disco/Very' still sounds intriguing, if a little less minimal and more muddied. 'Undertow' is more propulsive and almost as irresistible, bathed in a litmus wash of blue and red. 'Love Is To Die' skates along with a leisurely groove and sizzles. Nothing, though, ever seems to ignite and burst into flames.

If it didn't feel so much like this was the makeshift Welfare tent of the festival, full of drifting souls with hoods up, and sullen alcohol glazes fixed across mugs in the audience, the mood might be lively enough to match the added layer of jamming. As it stands, it all unfortunately feels a bit jarring, and Warpaint sadly fall short of their full potential.

Following the set, SBTRKT 'drops' his new song 'War Drums', which Warpaint feature on. Although they're not on stage with him, in the now packed tent with darkness falling all around, it outstretches to full, industrial, pummeling potential. It's a glimpse of the kind of performance Warpaint normally give effortlessly. Today, the tent just wasn't right for them.

Photos: Sarah Louise Bennett

Tags: Warpaint, Reading & Leeds, Festivals, Reviews, Live Reviews