August 23, 2002

The Datsuns/Interpol/Dot Allison/The Kills : Reading Carling Weekend Carling Stage/Dance Stage

Unreconstructed rock, icy coolness, great suits and a certain future star

The Datsuns - Carling Stage
Seeing as Reading has a reputation for unreconstructed rock, it seems appropriate that New Zealand’s The Datsuns should pay us a visit. And a very popular one it is too - their live reputation attracts the 30-something AC/DC fans and the skate-punk kids with their Puddle Of Mudd T-shirts. As well as bridging the generation gap, they give us half an hour of killer tunes - and you can’t really argue with that, can you?

Interpol - Carling Stage
They must be bloody sweaty, but Interpol exude a cool, detached air which wafts around their NYC neighbours The Strokes. There’s where the comparisons end though - Interpol’s inspiration lies in the post-punk starkness of Joy Division or Pere Ubu rather than the skinny tie brigade. They’d sound better in a dingy bedsit...

Dot Allison - Dance Stage
Hate to go on about the weather, but Dot Allison’s icy cool has certainly thawed a few temperatures in here. Through a cloud of thick smoke (hmm, marijuana mixed with dry ice) the vibe is positively horizontal, and the title track from the Scottish chanteuse’s latest LP ‘We Are Science’ induces a state of narcotic bliss that is, erm, intoxicating.

The Kills - Carling Stage
It’s bloody hot, and a massive crowd have taken refuge in the shade of the Carling Stage - but there’s no way they’re leaving after witnessing The Kills’ malevolent, sexy garage rock. Well, might as well get in the mood, there’s gonna be plenty of that today. Singer VV is a total star, combining the feline prowl of PJ Harvey with the sexiness of Debbie Harry.