Áine Deane – the one before the one –
This week we asked two members of the Wokingham Festival team to pick two artists each that they enjoyed the most at this year’s event. Helen Taylor & Julie Wills are key members of the team, dealing with all sorts of things that hold the festival together – ticketing, finances, web sites, volunteer coordination, stalls etc etc. Without them, the whole thing would fall apart and so we thought it would be interesting to get their views on the music! So, here’s Helen’s first choice! It’s Áine Deane and like those that packed out the Wokingham Music Club stage for her headlining set, Helen really enjoyed the infectious well played songs performed perfectly by Áine and the two talented musicians in her band, Scarlet Halton and Duncan Brookfield. Helen chose the song, ‘the one before the one’ due to the clever witty lyrics and its very catch tune. Áine has a new EP out at the end of September and a tour in October – https://www.ainedeanemusic.com/
Sour Kix – Take A Ride –
Here’s Julie’s first choice and it’s another exciting new artist. It’s a band we’ve featured recently with their new single, ‘Stranger Again’. The Wokingham Music Club stage at Wokingham Festival is a wonderful place to showcase original artists and there was certainly a lot of quality in that this year. Julie chose Sour Kix as she loved the fact that they were full of youthful energy and enthusiasm on stage. She chose their single ‘Take a Ride’ as a great example of that. This is a band to watch out for – https://www.sourkix.com/
That Joe Payne – Love (not the same) –
We’ve featured Joe many times before and that’s no surprise as he is one of the most talented vocalists and performers around. It’s therefore also no surprise that Julie loved his set at Wokingham Festival and chose him as her second choice. The set he performed on the main stage with his band of exceptional musicians was certainly a highlight of the three days. Julie was impressed with Joe’s amazing voice and stage presence and thought that the duet with Sarah Bayley from The Paradox Twin on the song ‘Love (not the same)’ was particularly memorable. This is the original version of the song featuring Amy Birks from Joe’s debut album – https://www.thatjoepayne.com/
The Room – Flesh and Bone –
Helen enjoys melodic rock with prog influences plus something she can sing along to. She therefore loved The Room at the festival and chose this song from the band’s debut album, ’Open Fire’, explaining that it ‘fitted the bill perfectly’. The band’s bass player Andy Rowe was very busy throughout the event. As well as playing with The Room, he was host for the day on Sunday, making announcements and introducing the artists, and he was also main stage manager for all three days – https://theroom.band/
Inspiral Carpets – Dragging Me Down –
Now, a non festival track and a classic from the 90’s band who showed what a great live band they are at Sub 89 – https://inspiralcarpets.com/
Wreckless Eric – Whole Wide World –
He’s at Reading Face Bar on September 9! It’s the legendary Wreckless Eric and this song is an all time classic – https://www.wrecklesseric.com/
Tomorrow Bird – Next Train Outta Here –
This duo’s new album was released last Friday, 30th August! The album is called ‘Braver Days – https://www.tomorrowbird.com/
Rila’s Edge – Deal –
This band from Wokingham headlined the main stage in style at Wokingham Festival. They were stunning – https://www.facebook.com/rilasedge
Ozric Tentacles – Burundi Spaceport –
They certainly blew a few minds at Wokingham Festival. Incredible! This is from their ‘Lotus Unfolding’ album – https://ozrics.com/
The Cold Blooded Hearts – Love’s Lost –
What a powerful and exciting performance we saw at Wokingham Festival from this band – https://thecoldbloodedhearts.com/
You can listen to all the songs featured in our Spotify playlist at https://bit.ly/rawsoundstoday