Bringing The Jeresy Turnpike To A Field In Reading
If there was a prize for the most excited band to grace the Lock Up Stage then New Jersey’s The Gaslight Anthem would win hands down. Playing only their second UK show ever, the four piece exude an electrifying dose of eager exhilaration that threatens to cause all those within their radius to combust with sheer good-to-be-alive cheer.
Sticking mainly to tracks from their recent album, ‘The ’59 Sound’, the quartet instantly hit a wall of zealous cheers as their songs about drunken nights, dead end jobs and wild nights with girls immediately connect with the crowd, fuelled by Brian Fallon’s sandpapered voice that adds that touch of authenticity to each line. It's storytelling in its purest and most engaging form and as Fallon’s smile threatens to spread even further across his face, The Gaslight Anthem clearly find a home with the Reading crowd. Rippling with an uncontainable energy, latest single ‘The ’59 Sound’ ignites a burst of hand claps and feet stamping that is only matched by those that erupt to ‘The Backseat’ as The Gaslight Anthem’s infectious hooks grab more victims with every track.
But that’s not the only allure of this quartet. Not only do they have the songs up their sleeves to have the crowd in the Lock Up tent smug that they have witnessed such a great band, but they genuinely seem like ordinary working guys, happy to be at Reading and buzzing as much as the crowd from the experience. Jokes about watching The Mighty Boosh adhere them even more whilst Fallon’s ability to slip the odd cover such as a soul fuelled burst of ’Stand By Me’ at the start of ‘I’da Called You Woody, Joe’ and even a sneaky bout of ‘Sweet Soul Music’ just adds to the fun of the show.
Bustling with working class beats, storytelling lyrics that speak of real life and expelling grit that reeks of hard work ethics, The Gaslight Anthem bring a touch of the Jersey Turnpike to a field in Reading that leaves all craving a journey along the highway with only these Jersey natives for company.