Primals Reading the riot act

In the event, the thrown bottle which narrowly missed Gallagher might have changed his mind, but Oasis gave a professional if subdued performance. Maybe Noel was too busy thinking about his forthcoming visits to Ibiza and the Great Wall of China.

Primal Scream were expected to pull out all the stops in an effort to upstage the headliners, and to an extent Bobby Gillespie's boys achieved some of their objective. Mindful that Reading used to be a jazz and blues event, Gillespie's gang opted for their slick combination of Sun Ra fusion meets Sly Stone funk rather than a Detroit-styled blitzkrieg.

Limp Bizkit were as big a draw as anyone. Their sloppy metal and down with the kids type antics were ideal for a hot, no-brainer afternoon, which culminated in them showering the crowd in glittery foil, though for real glam rock you had to catch Clinic in the Evening Session tent.

Most of the better entertainment occurred under canvas. Ween trimmed their marathon stage show to a compelling 45 minutes and still managed to be the funniest, smartest band on offer.

Mixing up the effervescent vulgarity of their gay country anthem, Mr Richard Smoker, with various Prince-inspired epics and a pristine version of the current single, Even If You Don't, Ween were even more idiosyncratic than bearded surrealists Grandaddy.

Glastonbury may still be the ideal festival in terms of atmosphere, but for a concentrated crash course in contemporary rock tastes, Reading is hard to beat.

Reading Festival