How to sort it out

[j...rox]

Ok let's be proactive its a good weekend all in all but as loads have said its full of idiots (angry mob, pikeys and scallies).

Sunday night - ridiculous.

Any suggestions?

[Matticus]

Crossbow.

[Budweiser]

Change the lineup from a less topshop/Radio 1 inflicted mess, too a proper festival like in the 90's early 00's.

More police/security.

Edited August 31, 2009 by Budweiser

[Explosions_In_The_Sky]

There isn't.

It's a festival primarily attended by the 15 to 19 market. Whilst many are mature for their age, or even too shy to make a big scene. Many many are always going to attention seek. It's a by product of their age, peer pressure, and volumes of alcohol.

Short of instilling a harsh culture of cutting off wrist bands and frog marching anyone off the site, there's little you can do. I guess banning fires will help (although it completely alienates the majority of the well behaved attendees) but there's always going to be dicks. There's a culture that 'what happens in Reading, stays in Reading'. It's this wacky, zany, mad place where you can go mental and pretend MTV have given you your own TV show. I can't really see solution.

[markeee]

There isn't.

It's a festival primarily attended by the 15 to 19 market. Whilst many are mature for their age, or even too shy to make a big scene. Many many are always going to attention seek. It's a by product of their age, peer pressure, and volumes of alcohol.

Short of instilling a harsh culture of cutting off wrist bands and frog marching anyone off the site, there's little you can do. I guess banning fires will help (although it completely alienates the majority of the well behaved attendees) but there's always going to be dicks. There's a culture that 'what happens in Reading, stays in Reading'. It's this wacky, zany, mad place where you can go mental and pretend MTV have given you your own TV show. I can't really see solution.

[MJMilz14]

Change the security and enforce the rules.

For the past year we have been told Gas Canisters are banned, and that anyone caught with them would be ejected. And it was mentioned time and time again in the literature that came with my ticket. Despite being annoyed that id have to find an alternative way of cooking my food because of the minority, I still thought the pros outweighed the cons and the promise of no tosspots exploding gas canisters on sunday night convinced me to come back, after I decided not to bother again after the sunday night in 2008.

So why is it that I sat watching fireball after fireball go up in Yellow over the hedge from me (I was in brown) in exactly the same place for well over an hour without being stopped? Most of the pricks doing it are pussies, a couple of ejections of the culprits would have sent a message to the sheep who followed chanting "angry mob" and "lets go f**king mental" whilst off there tits on 2 cans of Stella, and most of them would have buggered off back to there tents.

It's getting to the stage where I actually hope that one of these pricks gets injured by there own stupidity to teach them some respect.

Don't get me wrong, it wasn't the worst "rioting" ive seen at Reading, not even close, in fact it was the quietest sunday night in years, but why the hell have these dicks been allowed to get away with it, after weve been told for the past year how much they are cracking down on it.

Edited August 31, 2009 by MJMilz14

[Matticus]

anyone caught burning anything other then burning firewood gets rounded up in a cage and burnt/food thrown at them/ pissed on until they cry.

am i being harsh?

[moshing]

anyone caught burning anything other then burning firewood gets rounded up in a cage and burnt/food thrown at them/ pissed on until they cry.

am i being harsh?

[kyjenni]

I've started something but I don't think I'm allowed to tell you on here

[John Bunnell]

Personal thoughts for next year... (although i realise will never happen)

Make the festival 18+

Take the festival back to it's proper rock / alternative roots. Im sure we'll see the sunday metal day return next year. The RATM / Metallica headliners of last year felt like a move in the right direction. But still didn't manage to deter the twats. I guess it needs to be a non radio 1 lineup throughout, not just the headliners.

[chubbz]

Change the name to Goth Rock Festival and the pricks will not wanted to be associated with it.

[Lithium05]

Some sort of masked vigilante? I'd volunteer myself, but I fear I'd be more Punisher than Batman... no mercy would be shown....

Seriously though. Allow me to go in armed to the teeth. I'll sort the blighters out. Though in fairness it would probably end up like the opening scene of Team America.

[zahidf]

There isn't.

Short of instilling a harsh culture of cutting off wrist bands and frog marching anyone off the site, there's little you can do. I guess banning fires will help (although it completely alienates the majority of the well behaved attendees) but there's always going to be dicks. There's a culture that 'what happens in Reading, stays in Reading'. It's this wacky, zany, mad place where you can go mental and pretend MTV have given you your own TV show. I can't really see solution.

[Sparky]

i don't think its just pikeys.

also plenty of middle class kids, who are probably little darlings at home.

[lifelessfool]

As you buy a ticket you should have to complete a tolerance test and a dickhead test and failures will be cleansed abit Hitler esque I know, but its for the best. This should also apply to Youtube comments

[Mr_Grump]

Its easy - move the festival to Saudi Arabia - the scumbags who get caught thieving will have their hands removed! Is that enough of a deterrent?

[Alcatraz]

Its easy - move the festival to Saudi Arabia - the scumbags who get caught thieving will have their hands removed! Is that enough of a deterrent?

[Mr_Grump]

You're f**ked if you get caught with illegal substance though

[gooner1990]

How about putting a Silent Disco or a small stage within the campsites?

I know they do this at Leeds so why not at Reading?

[Spiky Mike]

I think they seriously need to consider making it over 18s only.

[mcalli2008]

How about putting a Silent Disco or a small stage within the campsites?

I know they do this at Leeds so why not at Reading?

[Explosions_In_The_Sky]

1) Making the festival 18+ will never happen, it'll come nowhere near to selling out.

2) Can we stop the 'pikey' or (and I hate this snobby term) 'chav' myths? It was your average 17 year old middle class A level student acting a complete and utter morons. Essentially they try to relive their favourite skins episodes.

I dunno, the only solution for me is for the festival to go back to the days of 2004 and before. Then, the festival didn't sell out for weeks. There was no media circus, just a 45 minute long 'highlights' show at some midnight hour on ITV. Most of all, the crowd was just a lot more mature. HOWEVER. That's impossible. With the advent of the casual youth crowd moving from dance and pop music to trendy 'indie' guitar bands, the festival has reached a more wider level of awareness. There's no way, even if the lineup goes more 'rocky' on the whole, that the festival will shift back much. Maybe over a longer period of time (five years or so), the demographic will quieten down a little. However, for the forseeable future, it's not gonna change.

[tree man 12121]

1) Making the festival 18+ will never happen, it'll come nowhere near to selling out.

2) Can we stop the 'pikey' or (and I hate this snobby term) 'chav' myths? It was your average 17 year old middle class A level student acting a complete and utter morons. Essentially they try to relive their favourite skins episodes.

I dunno, the only solution for me is for the festival to go back to the days of 2004 and before. Then, the festival didn't sell out for weeks. There was no media circus, just a 45 minute long 'highlights' show at some midnight hour on ITV. Most of all, the crowd was just a lot more mature. HOWEVER. That's impossible. With the advent of the casual youth crowd moving from dance and pop music to trendy 'indie' guitar bands, the festival has reached a more wider level of awareness. There's no way, even if the lineup goes more 'rocky' on the whole, that the festival will shift back much. Maybe over a longer period of time (five years or so), the demographic will quieten down a little. However, for the forseeable future, it's not gonna change.

[Azzy G]

Some sort of masked vigilante? I'd volunteer myself, but I fear I'd be more Punisher than Batman... no mercy would be shown....

Seriously though. Allow me to go in armed to the teeth. I'll sort the blighters out. Though in fairness it would probably end up like the opening scene of Team America.

[big_ted]

Take a leaf out of Glastonbury's book.. you get the odd tw*t about there but they are such a minority that everyone in the vicinity would turn round and tell them to where to go. The atmosphere just isn't conducive to acting up, running round shouting "angry mob" and Let's go "f*cking mental".

There's no age policy at Glastonbury though (I am 21) I felt young among the crowd there and very old at Leeds.

An 18+ rule will never happen. At Oxegen in Dublin if you are under 18 you must be accompanied by an over 18? Steps could be taken to prevent the unsavouries from coming in such as considering the lineup.. maybe if the festival were