The Gaslight Anthem

21st Century Appearances: 2010 Main Stage, 2009 NME Stage, 2008 Lock Up

The Defining Reading Moment: No surprise appearances from Bruce Springsteen at Reading, but who needs him, when you’ve got a set closer as poignant as “Hear’s Looking At You Kid” to Main Stage arms swaying in unison.

New Jersey natives Gaslight Anthem were always a natural fit for Reading and Leeds. The way they artfully blend the gritty working class romance of Bruce Springsteen with the live for the minute thrills of buoyant post-hardcore. The band felt urgent, immediate and modern, and yet carried a weight of emotion that appeared to belong to a bygone era cultural era.

At Reading Gaslight Anthem conquered effortlessly, providing the right mix of blistering rockers (“The ’59 Sound”, “Great Expectations”) and heartbreaking lighter in the air ballads (“Here’s Looking At You Kid”, “The Patient Ferris Wheel”) with a few inescapable pop songs thrown in for good measure (“The Diamond Church Street Choir”, “Stay Lucky”). Whether it’s the Main Stage or the NME, Gaslight Anthem were born to swim, and never to sink. David Hayter