Reading Roars!

Reading Festival, last year

We’re a little late with this one, so you might already have realised that Reading Borough Council has decided to chuck the town’s hat into the ring and bid to be granted city status in 2010.

Reading has tried this twice before; on previous occasions we were beaten by economic powerhouses like Wolverhampton and Newport. Third time lucky, perhaps?

Backers of the idea talk of vague economic benefits and the notion of “putting the town on the map”. Seems a bit hopeful - none of the cities created in the last ten years have grown much in the national consciousness since they received their charters from the Queen. So why would Reading be any different?

Reading as a rock town

If you want something that already raises Reading’s profile more than becoming a city ever will, something people get excited about, and something that’s actually, well, cool, look no further than our world-famous rock festival.

The lack of fuss the town makes over the Reading Festival is a little puzzling. It’s the biggest single event that happens here and the one thing people are likely to think of when they hear the town’s name*.

So, instead of becoming another average city, what would it take to make Reading a rock town, synonymous with good music and with the festival at its core?

I know what you’re thinking. It’d take a lot. And you’d be right. But give us another live music venue or two, a few more decent independent clothing and music shops, an expanded Reading Fringe Festival and a few more regular, higher-profile live music events and maybe we’d get some festival-goers returning at other times of the year.

We could even run a mini-festival along the lines of the Camden Crawl, affiliated to August’s big event.

A small step in the right direction would be to at least put up “Home of the world famous rock festival” signs on the main routes into town. At the moment, you could be forgiven for thinking we’re embarrassed by it all.

It’s our biggest asset

Reading’s biggest asset is the festival. Sure, it has its problems, but it’s still one of the country’s top live music events, even with strong competition from Download and plucky upstart Sonisphere.

Here’s the idea: instead of focusing on a city bid with questionable benefits, let’s put that effort (and any cash) into making more of what’s definitely our biggest event - across the whole year.

What do you reckon to all that? I’m not sure I’ve hit the nail on the head, but I am convinced there’s something in it. Somewhere inside this wannabe city is a rock town just waiting for its chance.

*True story: a few years back I met a Russian chap in Vladivostok who’d heard all about the festival. I doubt news of the town’s ability to attract large IT companies has ever made it that far.