Lostprophets - Main stage

Darker, harder and wielding the power to turn an entire field into a thundering mass – as well as make them laugh along the way – they earned their place on the Main Stage for the final day at the Carling Weekend: Reading Festival. 

A fever of excitement engulfed the arena with bottles and water screaming through the air as the rammed field eagerly anticipated the arrival of the six from Wales. 

And the Lostprophets answered. Launching into an explosive Everyday Combat they continued to throttle the crowd with A Town Called Hypocrisy which left many gasping for more. A succession of their harder songs left noone in doubt that The Lostprophets mean business and have shaken off any trace of the difficulties they have faced recently. 

As they tried out a new song it was like watching a band infused with electricity as every single member thrashed around the stage to the fast powerful rhythm. It was an image of a band submerged in making an arena thunder and a crowd bounce in awe. 

Vocalist Ian Watkins worried that he talked too much, then he worried that he was talking too little but no one could resist a little bit of Welsh sparkle. As he scolded the audience with a cheeky ‘it’s not my fault you’re s***!’ the field answered and fed off the band’s insatiable energy. 

Rooftops saw an arena scream every word while Watkins got more than a little excited as Last Train Home created a teeming bouncing mass.
And as a testament to the harder metal direction the band is taking Lostprophets proved they can really grip a crowd. As Watkins demanded a circle pit ‘so big it will suck up every tent in here’ the crowd answered his call. A fast writhing throng formed as the band reached its booming and powerful climax, leaving a trail of destruction worthy of any headline act. 

Definitely a highlight - and one of the most powerful audience reactions of the entire weekend.

Claire Carter