Mini Band to meet Metallica at Reading Festival
Thatcham and Cold Ash youngsters to open The Pit stage
THATCHAM and Cold Ash-based Mini Band are to rock out with legendary heavy metal band Metallica at the Reading Festival this weekend.
Harrison Read, Harry Esson, Zoe Thomson, Charlie Emmons and Archie Zolotuhin first caught Metallica’s eye after an online video of the youngsters performing the iconic at the Bucklebury Beer Festival in 2011 went viral.
Metallica were so impressed that they replied with a video of their own.
Drummer Lars Ulritch said that the mini band “rocked” and if they needed an opening act, Metallica, which he joked were “an up-and-coming hard rock band”, were available if the Mini Band would have them.
And, tongue in cheek, the youngsters replied saying they thought Metallica “were quite good” and wouldn’t mind them opening one of their gigs.
Now the heavy metal superstars have gone into a collaboration and agreed to meet the West Berkshire prodigies at the Reading Festival on Saturday.
The band posted on their Facebook page: “Awesome news! Remember we did a video to Metallica after they sent one to us? Well, Metallica have asked to meet us backstage at Reading festival next Saturday!
“Can’t wait! It’s going to be epic, and the BBC are filming it for TV!!”
And not only that, but the Mini Band will also be performing at Reading on Saturday.
Managing director of Let’s Play Rock Ltd, Leo Westby, of Cold Ash, said: “They just couldn’t believe it and thought you have to be kidding.
“This is the biggest metal band in the world they’ve been talking to these kids and now want to meet them.
“They’re an enthusiastic bunch at the best of times but they seemed to have extra energy; saying ‘oh my god it’s only a week to go until we're meeting one of the biggest bands of all time’.”
He said that playing Reading would be “mind blowing” for the Mini Band, adding they had “done some pretty awesome things since they started”.
Indeed, this isn’t the first time that the Mini Band have struck a chord with international superstars.
In 2012 American virtuoso guitarist of Dream Theater, John Petrucci, invited the youngsters backstage at Wembley Arena; then in 2013 rock legend Slash of Guns N'Roses tweeted “so cool” after watching a 10-year-old Zoe perform .
They’ve also played at the O2 arena, reached the finals of Live Unsigned and performed on Britain’s Got Talent.
The band released their first single this year, which has had 130,000 views so far.
