Reading 2014: 'Gnarwolves Cru, Fuck you'

The bank holiday hits and everyone needs something to do, right? This year I joined all the school leavers and GCSE passers (or not) and spent my Saturday at Reading Festival. 

With my itinerary already planned I headed backstage at 10 o’clock to greet Gnarwolves who seem rather chilled considering they are about to play a show that could change their career path more than any other show so far. Opening the main stage at Reading and Leeds is something that these Cornish - migrated to Brighton - punks never thought they would achieve let alone being offered this spot only three years after forming. Their self titled album is yet to be released however, pre-orders are flying out the doors.
Midday hits and the nerves have finally kicked in, Gnarwolves take to the stage as I take a spot on the side balcony; what a view! Such an incredible turn out with dedicated fans sporting various Gnarwolves tees and a couple of fans have even taken their time to create banners which do not go unnoticed. 

Thom, Charlie and Max steam through a forty minute set opening with Melody Has Big Plans and ending with Limerence; both tunes off their latest EP; Funemployed. The crowd stay with them the whole time and although stage dives are near impossible, the endless circle pits and crowd surfers soon make up for it. 
The band give it their all knowing that this could be a make or break moment for them; there are certainly some important people watching and Gnarwolves do not fail to make a good impression. 
Vocalist/Guitarist Thom Weeks' comment 'This is madness!'  is more than enough to show how this band are feeling in this monumental moment of their career. 

The band could not be faulted for their sheer effort and enthusiasm. The set list is made up of a real mixture of songs from all three EPs and a couple of songs from their debut album are thrown in, including their latest release,Smoking Kills; it has only taken a month since the music video was released for the dedicated Cru to learn the words. 
Every song played is a fast paced banger, even the songs that seem to begin slow build up to exactly what the fans want; fast beats, heavy bass lines and raw vocals. 

In a moment of excitement, Charlie drops his bass at the end of the set and heads directly for the crowd only to throw himself into the arms of the loyal Cru; who says you can’t stage dive at Reading, well, kind of. 
As the band leaves the stage, the crowd begins to chant 'Fuck You' inspired by Gnarwolves themselves and their 'Gnarwolves Cru, Fuck You' catch phrase.

I caught up with bassist, Charlie, after the set who told me: "That was the most unbelievable experience; I think I'm in shock.

"We are so used to playing in tiny pub venues and even then we are often amazed by the turnout, but this was just something else entirely, main stage; madness!"

After this midday, opening performance the future can only look bright for Gnarwolves and I’m sure we will be hearing a lot more from them in the future. 

Gnarwolves’ debut album is available to pre-order here:
CD/LP: http://smarturl.it/gnarwolves-preorder 
iTunes: http://smarturl.it/gnarwolves