Just when you thought the line-up couldn't get any meatier, along comes Reading and Leeds 2012 with a slavering great helping of The Cure, the Foo Fighters and Kasabian to leave us chomping at the bit to get in there, pitch our tents and get involved.
Whetting our appetites for a rebel-rousing few days is all-female punk group Pettybone, who open the festival with a hardcore feminist jolt in what will be one of their last ever gigs.
Over on the Main Stage, neo-prog rockers Coheed And Cambria wail and solo their way through a discography-spanning set that hops from earlier tracks such as Delirium Trigger to the new Domino The Destitute, and finishes on the crowd-pleasing Welcome Home.
The skittish, punk electronics of Crystal Castles might be a bit lost in the acoustics of, erm, a massive field, but the anarchic on-stage antics of Alice Glass more than make up for the lack of sound quality. The purple-haired frontwoman is barely out of the crowd as she surfs, spits and kicks her way through a manic set, which draws to a euphoric close with Not In Love - though, sadly, sans the vocals of a one Robert Smith.
Graham Coxon brings his usual blend of Beatles-worshiping indie punk to the NME/Radio One Stage with typical geekish showmanship. The former Blur guitarist transforms the packed tent to a herd of shout-a-long hooligans with a set that sticks mainly to tracks from the brilliant A + E.
Pop punk powerhouse Paramore (count the Ps) might seem an odd main support for the forthcoming headlining act, but the young crowd in attendance seem not to care as they pogo their way through an energetic, but predictable set.
And, while Anti-Flag and Social Distortion give the Lock-Up Stage a thick earful of politically charged punk rock, The Cure take to the Main Stage concealed behind a wall of ethereal smoke, slowly awakening to their epic two-hour set with Open and High. Robert Smith's vocals are as chillingly emotive as ever as they meander through newer material, occasionally rousing their audience into motion with a handful of hits such as Lovesong and Friday I'm In Love. After One Hundred Days and End, the band leave the stage for a brief spell, re-appearing for an equally lengthy six-song encore, which includes The Love Cats and Close To Me - as well as a rare performance of Just One Kiss - before they finally end on Boys Don't Cry. There was always going to be an element of endurance attached to sitting through such a mammoth amount of The Cure, even as fans, but the ensuing back pain is worth every dull aching moment for a truly beautiful set.
Saturday gets off to a reminiscent start over on the NME/Radio One Stage, as the worst kept secret act in history - Green Day - drag us back to our school days during their one-off UK festival appearance. Contrary to popular rumours circulating in the music press, they avoid playing the whole of 1994 pop punk classic Dookie in its entirety, and instead span a range of material - the most well-received being Basket Case, and those tracks from American Idiot, which says more about the age of the audience in attendance than the standard of the setlist. After a fun-filled hour of sing-a-long Disney punk, the boys are, quite literally, dragged off stage as reels of fans stream out into the arena, baying for more.
Canadian electro star Grimes ups the cool stakes over on the dance stage with her trademark blend of chilled-out euphoria, commanding the audience in attendance powerfully, despite her tiny frame.
Santigold makes a welcome return to the festival circuit on the NME/Radio One Stage, with a gripping set that features renditions of Go!, Freak Like Me, Fame and Big Mouth.
Woman of the moment Azealia Banks proves that her reputation is far bigger than the size of the Dance Tent, and droves of style-conscious festival goers cram in, spilling out into the arena just to catch a glimpse of the Harlem electro-hop artist in action. Finishing on her hit 212, she causes a near riot as waves of people surge during the aggressive chorus, and there's a crush as they attempt to flee the scene as it stomps to an end.
After lack lustre sets from The Vaccines and Enter Shikari on the Main Stage, The Cribs' markedly more rock 'n' roll appearance on the NME/Radio One Stage acts as welcome relief. They destroy their kit at the end of their set, and walk off to a chorus of cheers and nods of approval.
Florence + The Machine brave the rain to play a suitably epic show that starts with Only If For The Night and ends on a rousing rendition of No Light, No Light.
Meanwhile, newly reformed Texan post-hardcore veterans At The Drive-In take to the NME/Radio One Stage - complete with winklepickers and trademark kettle - for their first UK appearance in over 12 years. The band stick to tracks from their classic album Relationship Of Command, as well as a cover of The Smiths' The Joke Isn't Funny Anymore. They finish with One Armed Scissor and slouch off to mixed reviews. Was Cedric's barnet impressive enough to draw attention away from the look of bordom stretched across Omar's face, we wonder?
Electronic legends Metronomy draw the Dance Tent to a stomping close, as Kasabian round off a rocking day on the Main Stage with a suitably bizarre performance that includes a covers of the Beatles and Fatboy Slim.
Sunday is hard rock day at Reading, and erupts to a jolting start on the Main Stage with a typically guitar-heavy set from Pulled Apart By Horses.
Bringing some serious ginger, balls-out rock 'n' roll (and not just because their special guest for the festival's entirety is Simon Pegg) are the Eagles Of Death Metal, who squeal through Cherry Cola, English Girl and I Want You So Hard, much to the approval of those headbanging along in the blazing heat.
While Bullet For My Valentine confuse the crowd by playing chronically out of tune on the Main Stage, chill-step London troop SBTRKT move a markedly younger audience over on the NME/Radio 1 Stage into a blissfully undulating sea of arms and nodding heads. Sampha's vocals are as smooth and pitch-perfect as ever, as he seamlessly flits from tracks such as Hold On and Trials From The Past through to Wildfire.
Ohio rock duo The Black Keys are the ultimate way to spend the balmy evening over on the Main Stage. Their reverberating retro burr lending a touch of old school authenticity to Howlin' For You, Gold On The Ceiling and I Got Mine.
Finally, it's time for the Foo Fighters to bring an epic three days to a triumphant close, in what would be, sadly, their "last show for a while". They roar to a start with White Limo and All My Life, and Dave Grohl's vocals are barely audible over the screams of the crowd as they croon every word of My Hero back at them. Walk, Monkey Wrench and This Is A Call follow, and the band end on Best Of You, leaving the stage momentarily. Yes, yes they do re-emerge moments later for an encore, which consists of Times Like These, a cover of Late!'s Winnebago, Wattershed, For All The Cows, Exhausted and Everlong. Is there any better way to round off the UK's original rock festival? We highly doubt it. No one does it quite like Reading.
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