Big D and The Kids Table - Lock Up stage

Originating from Massachusetts, Big D and the Kids Table, are a band who have, in the past, been labelled as one of the most outstanding practitioners of ska. They are also rumoured to be named after a band member’s pet, but let’s not digress from the point in hand. This was a band who came to leave their mark on the Reading crowd and who truly succeeded.

The reggae and ska beats produced by the saxophones, trombones and trumpets which make up the seven piece ensemble, helped give those in the crowd the perfect occasion to get involved in perhaps one of the first serious mosh pit opportunities of the festival so far. Tracks like Checklist from their 2002 Gipsy Hill album provided the backing for one of the liveliest sessions the Lock-Up tent has seen so far today.

She Knows Her Way from their latest album, Strictly Rude, ended proceedings on a fairly chilled out note, but make no mistake - this was a session of loud and heavy proportions.

David Ricketts