Each week, there are 10 great acts in our playlist, all with a connection to Reading or 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. Lake Acacia – What Have We Become –
Banbury-based duo Lake Acacia played a blinding set at the Purple Turtle last week, including this, their latest single released just last month. The song examines the state of a relationship that has maybe gone on too long; are they staying together just because they’ve been together for so long? The track is another fine example of their distinctive sound, of bass and drums augmented by synths and harmonised vocals. https://linktr.ee/lakeacacia
2. BarrelHaus – Black Tar –
Another duo from Oxfordshire, but Oxford itself this time, BarrelHaus have featured in the playlist recently, and they’re back again already with a 5-song EP, including this cracking alt rock track with an infectious riff and shuffling drum patterns – play it loud! They were in Reading just a couple of weeks ago, and will be visiting again next month, courtesy of Club Velocity, catch them at the Rising Sun Arts Centre on Friday 25th! https://linktr.ee/barrelhaus
3. Solstice – Firefly –
Compared to the length of the last two tracks, this one is positively epic, but since Solstice were voted Best Band 2024 by Prog Magazine, and progressive rock is not noted for producing 3- minute singles, it’s not all that surprising! This is their latest single, and is a great example of their sound. They have also been announced as one of the top bands at this year’s Wokingham Festival, this coming August Bank Holiday, so you’ll be able to enjoy the full live experience (get your Early Bird tickets now!). https://www.facebook.com/solsticeprog
4. Belizaire – Taste –
Belizaire previewed their upcoming debut album at the Hope and Anchor in Wokingham recently. We caught them not long before that supporting AlphaLine at the Acoustic Couch in Bracknell and we were impressed with what we saw. Judge for yourself, Taste is the first single from their upcoming album Unravel. https://www.facebook.com/belizaireband
5. Karmakanic- Cosmic Love –
Karmakanic is a solo project from Swedish prog-rock bass player Jonas Reingold, and Cosmic Love is the first track from the new album, Transmutation. You might be wondering what the Reading or Wokingham connection is; the answer is that the excellent vocals on this track, and most of those on the album, are supplied by Reading’s own multi-talented John Mitchell. https://
www.facebook.com/KarmakanicOfficial
6. Lucca Mae – Wasted –
Lucca Mae is based in London, but we caught her playing at South Street Art Centre in Reading, at the launch event for Summit Production Services. Her influences include Sam Cooke, Paolo Nutini and Amy Winehouse, and her resulting blend of jazz and soul is infectious (this track also reminds us of Ez Dickens who we featured a few months ago). Check her tour dates! https://linktr.ee/
luccamae
7. TV Smith – Who’s Got the Time? –
If you’re looking for an evening of quality music in Reading, you can do a lot worse than see what Club Velocity have on. Our most recent visit was to see punk legend TV Smith give a master class in solo performance, and a selection of his songs from his distinguished career, from the Adverts 1977 hits to tracks from his current album, with some deep cuts thrown in to reward a knowledgeable audience. This track is the opening one from his Handwriting album released last year. https://www.facebook.com/TVSmith77
8. The Amazons – Love is a Dog from Hell –
An interesting new direction for the biggest current indie band to come out of Reading! They started 15 years ago as Peers before adopting their current name a couple of years later. This energetic track with Southern influences was apparently inspired by Dolly Parton’s version of the Country standard, ‘Mule Skinner Blues’, and is an exuberant examination of the dangers of infatuation – https://theamazons.co.uk/
9. Madi C – Holy –
This soulful track is from Madi C; she’s originally from Buckinghamshire, but has just been announced as part of the line-up for this year’s Wokingham Festival, and Festival supremo Dean
Nelson was involved in production of the track. We look forward to seeing her on the Marquee stage on Saturday 23rd August. https://linktr.ee/madicofficial
10. I See Orange – Mental Rot –
We featured Swindon-based I See Orange about a year ago, after we saw them just down the road at The Acoustic Couch in Bracknell, supporting another band in the current playlist, AlphaLine. This, their latest single, is another fine showcase for their mix of grunge, classic rock and pop influences. https://linkr.bio/ISEEORANGE
You can listen to all the songs featured in our Spotify playlist at https://bit.ly/rawsoundstoday
