I was at a party and a similarly alternative looking chap was there wearing a Cardiacs t-shirt. I said "Oh, I saw the Cardiacs at the Reading Festival" he got all joyful and said "Yeah, they're great aren't they!" I replied "No, they were f.ucking sh.it" and left him on the stairs in a state of bewilderment. You need to appreciate that this was entirely out of character for me at the time as I had an aversion to saying boo to a goose but I stand by the statement to this day. The chap may or may not have had to undertake years of therapy, if so I apologise for his torment but it's his own stupid fault for liking such a bunch of un-musical twats. I liked a lot of weird bands back in the 80's, Cardiacs were not one of them.
It would have been in the first few years after Reading re-started. It had been all heavy metal until there were riots in the town centre and it got banned. They started things up again in 1986 but as well as metal they had more indie/alternative bands too. The Cardiacs would have been around that time. I am leaning towards 86 because I was still drinking then and after a couple of bottles of Olde English or Merrydown cider my manners would have been compromised and led me to slap down his enthusiasm. Once I stopped getting regularly sh.it faced my manners improved. The Cardiacs needed a kick in the minge.
1990 was the first year I went but as usual didn’t watch many bands. When I look back at who I could have seen I realise I missed a trick there.
Saw some cracking bands at Reading, we all went for about 10 years or so but towards those later years it was more out of habit than because of the acts. Plus I had a connection that got me back stage passes for the last few years I went which was excellent mainly because of the clean toilets. Bands I've seen in no particular order of likes; Doctor & The Medics, Lords of the New Church, Zodiac Mindwarp and the Love Reaction, Wonderstuff, Killing Joke, Meatloaf (who stormed off after being hit in the face with a bottle of piss) Saxon, Status Quo, Pop Will Eat Itself, Smashing Pumpkins, Balaam & the Angel, New Model Army, Fields of the Nephilim, Icicle Works, The Mission, Alice Cooper, Iggy Pop, Ramones, Living Colour, Faith No More, Buzzcocks, The Cramps, Mudhoney, Loop, The Fall, Public Image Ltd, Rage Against the Machine, Primus, Cypress Hill, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Henry Rollins, Prodigy. Most notable omission from the list was Nirvana who played at the height of their popularity. Couldn't stand all that baggy trouser, awful knitwear, grunge thing at the time so instead of seeing what might well have been their last appearance before he kissed the bullet I was stripped to the waist stood on top of my transit van breathing fire whilst playing Abba's greatest hits. Now that's what I call Anarchy!
Meatloaf thing is funny. Would have watched loads of those especially FOTN. Saw Iggy Pop, Cramps, Sisters of Mercy and Psychic TV. That’s about all I remember. Went three times. So you’re a fire eater.
I'd seen "street performers" (crusties) doing it to beg cash and noticed they were using paraffin so I popped into the camping shop which was between the station and the festival site and got a 5ltr tub of blue paraffin and those long lasting 3ft long candles wrapped around bamboo. Before you knew it I was in the middle of a chanting circle of festival types spitting out huge plumes of fire. That was a party trick for quite a few years, lost my eyebrows more times than I care to recall and the taste of paraffin was disgusting. Couldn't help swallowing a bit of it and it made for an uncomfortable few hours of petrol burps. Kids didn't believe me until I showed them the photos. I was cool for about 5 minutes then they went back to their phones.
