Each week we like to champion the music scene with ten songs in our playlist that all have a connection to the RaW (Reading and Wokingham) area and sometimes beyond. This week we have three new tracks for you from acts with connections to Reading and Wokingham. As always, we have a wide variety of musical styles, but we think they’re all worth a listen and we hope you find something new to enjoy as well as maybe getting out to experience the thrill of live music.
1. The Kokroachez – Vampire Town –
The Kokroachez are a dynamic (see photo!) young alternative rock band from Oxford. We saw them play last summer at The Oracle as part of their Riverbeats event curated by Readipop and were blown away by their energy (again, see photo!). This is their most recent single, released at the end of last year, but they’ve not been idle since, with gigs in Oxford and Abingdon supporting the likes of Reading’s InAir, and shooting a video to go with their next single, That Kind of Girl, that we’re looking forward to hearing. We’re also looking forward to seeing them at this year’s Wokingham Festival in August, where they’re opening the second stage on the Sunday. https://www.instagram.com/thekokroachez/
2. Vinyl Blair – Housework –
On Sunday 29th March, Future Transmissions are hosting their second Day Rave with legendary DJ Billy Nasty headlining at Reading’s Face Bar. As a producer, Billy went under several aliases – including Vinyl Blair, whose ‘Horsework’ is included in this week’s playlist. Support on the day comes from Frome’s Nuts’n’Bolts DJs (Tommo Hawk, Jimige and Dale Martin). We used to love raving all night until the early hours but thought that the idea of a Sunday Day Rave was great so we went along to the first one that DJ Bob Hughes and the Future Transmissions crew put together last September. It was brilliant! Dancing on a Sunday afternoon to excellent music and home at a reasonable time. What’s not to like! – https://www.facebook.com/djbillynasty
3. SEREN – Maybe, I Don’t Know –
We featured Belle Dame a few weeks back, as one of the lucky winners of the Battle of the Bands that Only The Poets held at the Purple Turtle to find the support act for their gig at the O2 Academy Brixton. SEREN was the other chosen, since the two bands were equally popular in the voting. This is the lead track from SEREN’s latest EP, Where The Heart is, which is a collection of songs about her adolescence and how to deal with growing up in an ever-changing world, and this song captures the strangeness of returning home after living in a new place and seeing the people you left behind. https://www.instagram.com/serenmusic__/
4. Mordecai Smyth – Breaking the Backs –
It’s always good to hear about a new music venue in the area so, when we heard that Crumbs in Woodley was going to try a music night and that night was going to be a special show by the renowned artist, Mordecai Smyth, we had to get along! We were so pleased that we did. It was a wonderful evening in a relaxed friendly environment and it was great to see so many there on a Sunday evening. We were firstly treated to an excellent opening set from the well respected musician, Robert Sowden, and then Mordecai and his group of musicians stepped up for an impressive performance. They are a very tight band and are the perfect vehicle for Mordecai’s music, a sort of prog, psych, pop, garage hybrid which has flavours of the 60’s/70’s rock scene but still sounds current. Apart from a powerful version of Pink Floyd’s ‘Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun’ the set was predominantly Mordecai originals which was no bad thing as they are very strong songs and so the forthcoming release of his new album, ‘Gather the Scattered Mind’ on local label, Mega Dodo Records, from which the single we feature is taken, is well worth watching out for. Let’s hope too that there are more music nights at Crumbs as it’s a big ‘well done’ to the venue for trying something new – https://www.facebook.com/stickytapeandrust
5. One Last Day – Ash & Bone –
Alt metal rockers One Last Day continue to release great songs with their Eyes Like Glass // Thoughts Like Fuel EP, released at the end of last year, including five new tracks from which we’ve chosen this one, Ash & Bone. The band will be out and about later in the year, including a gig at the Face Bar in Reading on May 31st alongside Purple Grace and The Hellfire Club; see you there! https://onelastdayofficial.com/
6. Rose Rey – Dirty Martini –
We last saw Rose Rey, onetime frontwoman of Reading indie-rock darlings the Valeras, perform at the Readipop Fiesta last year. With her latest single, she reminisces about a night out at a cocktail bar, where she lets us in on her favourite drink, and also her preference in girlfriends. Rose suggests you go listen to it loudly until the neighbours complain; we’re not sure we can endorse that, but do please listen to it responsibly! Rose Rey has a mini tour in May, starting with Bristol on the 7th at the Exchange Basement. https://www.instagram.com/rose__rey/
7. Reckless & Blue – Stormy Night In Denver –
The music scene in Reading and nearby is very much alive right now, with plenty of home-grown talent making great sounds plus more established artists on tour visiting local venues. Of the latter, one recent visitor to the Purple Turtle was Reckless & Blue, all the way from Denver, Colorado, on a tour of the UK, courtesy of Radio Wigwam. This track from their latest album, Seven Deadly Gins, is a powerful and soulful slow blues ballad, with vocalist Shaunda Fry mourning the absence of her man as the weather echoes her emotional state. https://recklessandblue.net/
8. White Label – Something About You –
White Label formed in Reading in 2024, and have played several gigs locally in that time, including in the Fanzone at Reading FC last week, as well as releasing half a dozen singles and EPs, though so far we haven’t managed to catch them live (something we hope to remedy soon!). The partnership of Toby Taylor and Joe Alexander first formed in 2017, and they’ve worked together in a number of guises before White Label evolved with a sound based on a wide range of influences, mixing rock and dancefloor energy. Always looking for a new perspective on things, their EP release show took place in Flamingos, the vintage clothes store in Reading! Something About You is their most recent single but one, that’s been running round our head for a while now, but all their output is worth a listen. https:// www.instagram.com/whitelabeltheband/
9. The Outliers – Without You –
Bracknell-based The Outliers have continued to produce new music and gig locally; we caught them at the Purple Turtle just last week, and while you’ll have other opportunities before then, we are looking forward to seeing them grace the Marquee stage at this year’s Wokingham Festival in August. Like Reckless & Blue, this is a ballad about lost love, but with a rockier edge to it. https://www.instagram.com/theoutliers_band/
10. Solar Culture – Another Evening –
Jack Daynes is clearly a talented musician. As well as his own solo music and shows, he is an excellent drummer playing in top tours and gigs around the country and beyond. Now he has also created music with another musician, Tom Kavanagh, and, judging by this debut single, Tom is also a great talent. If you were at Wokingham Festival in 2023 you’d have had an advance chance to see them live and will have seen how good they are! Jack and Tom are lifelong friends who say they want to create well crafted songs with no gimmicks and with this song they have clearly done that. It’s well produced with a laid back feel, strong vocals and instrumentation that perfectly suits the song. The duo say they plan to release a song a month. That’s certainly something to look forward to. https://linktr.ee/ wearesolarculture
You can listen to all the songs featured in our Spotify playlist at https://bit.ly/rawsoundstoday
