Grand Theft Audio at Reading 2001
By Tim Mortlock

I meant to see Fear Factory for a bit on the main stage before GTA in the Radio 1 Evening Session tent but an attack of the munchies caused me to head to the back of the arena in search of Pizza. This was a lucky break for me as I noticed there was no sound coming from the tent, whereas it was meant to be Seafood. Upon going in and asking someone it seemed the tent was running 20 minutes ahead of time. I know that this caused a few people to miss the first half of the set, but not me.

So, content in my discovery of them being on early, I weaved my way through the crowds of people sat about and passed out on the floor to near the front. The tent was surprisingly empty to start with but quickly filled up just before GTA hit the stage. I'm not sure if a lot of people were the to see them, or to escape the sudden burst of rain that had occurred. In either occurrence, this has to have been one of the biggest crowds GTA have played to in this country. The Radio 1 tent was huge, and people were stood outside listening.

When the band hit the stage there was the usual mental response from the fans at the front (especially for Chris) and polite clapping from those who had come from curiosity and to find shelter. After Jay removed the mike stand some unknowing roadie had placed centre stage in an effort to be helpful, the band ripped straight into splendid renditions of "We Luv U" and "Stoopid Ass" straight after one another. It was obvious they were on form on the day and played well to the unexpectedly large crowd.

It was at this point that I thought they had shot themselves in the foot by opening with their two best know tracks at the start, leaving only album tracks for the remained of the show. How wrong I turned out to be. With each track the energy levels seemed to increase as Jay fed of the large crowd. Unlike (hed) PE, GTA made the transition from tiny venues to big crowds well, with Jay giving the bouncers a headache by repeatedly coming down to the edge of the mosh pit to sing and stir the crown into a frenzy.

The stand-out tracks had to be "Stoopid Ass", "As Good As It Gets",complete with female vocals from that banshee voiced, little blonde women the seems to always be with the band, "Rock The House" and a storming closing rendition of "Fight For Your Right To Party". The crowd was wild and surfing like crazy for most of the songs, despite "Blame Everyone" hardly being popular listening.

I think that this appearance certainly cemented GTA's reputation as being an explosive yet tight live band. And thanks to the rain, I think that they may have made a few people who've never heard of them leave with a desire to hear more. This could well be the break GTA have been waiting for in this country, the small spark that will start a massive explosion...

Tim Mortlock