Click on pics to see 'em bigger
The year that it all kicked off for us. Dan said he was going, and Wigg decided he'd go, too. I reckoned it was just a load of bad metal bands and didn't go. Wigg's reaction afterwards got me and Kev interested... the rest is history. The arena in 1982. Bands played alternately on the two main stages. While one had a band playing, gear was being set up on the other stage. There was always a rush from one side to the other between bands. There were no small stages. Note also lack of burger vans and stalls selling hippy shit.
Wigg, firmly under the influence of Comrade Popov's finest and shortly to lapse into unconsciousness, an honourable festival tradition he keeps up to this day. Good work, fella!
Dan and Wigg took Popov vodka as their drink of choice. Wigg passed out on a path through the campsite after drinking an entire bottle. A couple of passing coppers were prompted to advise that if he hadn't moved by the time they passed that way again, then they'd "take him to the vet"

Good things about Reading 1982
• It started all this nonsense for us every summer
• Vodka
• Heavy metal

Bad things about Reading 1982
• It started all this nonsense for us every summer
• I wasn't there

Best Bands of Reading 1982
Tricky, as I wasn't there, but I bet that Iron Maiden were pretty good... and that Marillion sucked. it was, of course back in the halcyon days at the tail end of NWOBHM (that's the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal for anyone too young to remember).
Wigg in tent. The feet belong to Dan. Sadly the "opposite" pic, looking at Dan, has been lost along with any others from 1982. The tent had "Ozzy" written on the door, and some years later was lent to Graham. Who lost it at a festival. And the tent...
Thanks to Dan for loan of the pics for scanning. And for going to Reading in the first place
• If anyone has a copy of the 1982 festival programme that they could scan the cover of, please e-mail Fat Reg