Municipal Waste Project - Lock Up stage

Municipal Waste were clear from the outset what they were aiming to achieve, stating that they were going to “f**k you up” with a tongue-in-cheek take on Thrash Metal, and even a little bit of grindcore thrown into the mix for good measure – their performance appeared to be centered around the consumption and effects of alcoholic beverages. With song titles like ‘Beer Pressure’ and ‘Head Banger Face Rip’, the audience were under no illusions as to what they were about to witness and Municipal Waste didn’t fail to deliver. 

"Thrash is my business, and business is good” was their manifesto, and with tracks that were no more than one minute long in some instances and fiendishly furious it was natural that the crowd was going to get fairly violent; in fact, the band actively encouraged this, asking the audience to form a ‘Wall of Death’. I felt almost biblical as I watched the sea of predominantly half-naked, sun burnt men part, only to come crashing together as the band performed more of their chaotically inspired pieces. The wall soon became a circle, and people were flowing around a pillar taking jabs at one another and really getting into the ethos that the band was presenting.

Municipal Waste are undoubtedly one of the most entertaining acts that I’ve seen at Reading this year, and I would recommend their raucous humour to anyone.

James Wright