THE ALTERNATIVE STAGE

The Carling Weekend: Reading and Leeds Festivals 2007 is already the event of the summer with over 150 bands playing on six stages, a host of campsite and late night entertainment and the biggest and best headliners of the year preparing to take to the stages over the August Bank Holiday.

Now we are proud to announce the debut of The Alternative Stage at both sites, featuring a host of unique musical and multi media collaborations, top name comedy and cabaret and audience Q & A’s to give you an unrivalled bill of exclusive entertainment throughout the weekend.

Leeds gets a special treat by starting a day early on the Thursday evening with a very special production called Dream Of An Opium Eater.  A unique collaboration featuring Ben Calvert from Killing Joke, Ivar S. Peersen from Enslaved, Reuben Gotto from Twin Zero / Johnny Truant and Julia Ruzicka from Million Dead, the quartet will revise the old silent movie tradition of a pianist accompanying films, by improvising a soundtrack of intense metal to accompany horror shorts. Also on the Thursday at the North’s only festival is a very rare showing for cult classic ‘American Hardcore’. 

The film that documents the US underground punk scene from 1980 to 1986 and features the legends that are Black Flag, Bad Brains, The Replacements and a host of others has never gained a general release in the UK and any serious fan of US alternative music will find the film both fascinating and enthralling.

Both sites will get a real treat in the form of a specially curated night courtesy of Transgressive Records, visiting Leeds on Friday before making the journey south to Reading for the Saturday. Featuring audio visual sets from the Transgressive roster, including the much tipped Battle and Jeremy Warmsley alongside Absentee, 3 Trapped Tigers, Noah And The Whale, Beans On Toast, Lucy And The Caterpillar and Mechnical Bride, these are one-off performances created for the festival and promise to be very special indeed. 

Able support will come from Transgressive DJs and label bosses Tim and Toby are looking forward to making your evening memorable in all the right ways; “Our nights at Reading and Leeds will be a snapshot of music in all its incarnations and forms – every act is different to the next, and attempting to do something unique and special. The video footage will see some familiar material aired, and some exclusive imagery / videos that aren’t quite so commonplace. We’re hoping to surprise, and delight, and also make you groove your arse off.”

Friday 24th August
Climate Change Short Films and Q & A
Comedy From: PAUL TONKINSON, KERRY GODLIMAN, DAVE FULTON, TIM MINCHIN, WOODY BOP MUDDY’s Record Graveyard, LLOYD LANGFORD, JASON ROUSE, MATT BLAIZE, ROB ROUSE , STEVE GRIBBIN
The Evening Entertainment
Audio Visual sets from YOUTHMOVIE SOUNDTRACK STRATEGIES / RALFE BAND / SHITMAT / CRAZY GIRL / BEENY ROYSTON & JADELL / WARLORDS OF PEZ / SOUND OFF DJ’s plus DJ Nic Gadget
DIRTY SANCHEZ WORLD PREMIERE

Saturday 25th August
The NME Question and Answer Session
Comedy From: DEREK MEINS, BEANS ON TOAST, ED BYRNE, MATT REED, KEVIN BRIDGES, JOHN FOTHERGILL, HUGH LENNON, TERRY CLEMENT, JUNIOR SIMPSON, ANDREW BIRD, BEN HURLEY
The Evening Entertainment
THE YOUTUBE LOUNGE, TRANSGRESSIVE RECORDS PRESENT: Exclusive Audio Visual Sets From ABSENTEE / BATTLE / MECHANICAL BRIDE / NOAH & THE WHALE with Fay SeaBuzzard / JEREMY WARMSLEY Plus Trangressive DJ’s and Video; PUNK ROCK KARAOKE, THE FIRE TUSK PAIN PROOF CIRCUS
DJ Nic Gadget

Sunday 26th August
The Vox n Roll Music Quiz
Crazy Girl Shorts
Comedy From: SIMON AMSTELL, HAL CRUTTENDON, BRIAN LAZERNICK, SEAN COLLINS, BARRY & STUART: 2Magicians, IAN COGNITO, RICKY GROVER, JOHN MALONEY, MILTON JONES, JIM TAVARE