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. As well as Wokingham Festival this weekend, there’s apparently something happening in Reading, too, so we’ve picked tracks from some of the artists who have an extra connection with the area. Whatever you do, have a great Bank Holiday weekend!
1. Lambrini Girls – Bad Apple –
We saw Lambrini Girls Are You Listening? Festival in Reading just a couple of years ago, and then on a RaW Sounds Today road trip to Crystal Palace as part of Dog Day Afternoon, where among some big names from punk music history, Lambrini Girls had the most punk attitude of all. They’re on the main Reading Festival stage on Saturday, this is their latest single, as always unafraid to tackle a controversial issue. https://www.lambrinigirlsband.co.uk/
2. Songer- ALIVE –
Wokingham may not be the obvious hometown for a successful drum and bass artist, but Songer defies convention with his eclectic output, exploring different vehicles for the message in his lyrics. This latest release finds him rapping over gritty guitar riffs rather than slick beats, and he’ll be on the main Reading stage on Sunday. Check out the video for the track, too, filmed outside Reading station! https://www.instagram.com/5onger/
3. Heartworms- Extraordinary Wings – Laurie Vincent Remix –
Heartworms is the stage name of Jojo Orme, who’s from Cheltenham, but we’ve seen them perform at Are You Listening? Festival a couple of times now, and we love the dark vision and metronomic beats of her music and lyrics. Extraordinary Wings is a track which starts slowly and builds intensity. Heartworms are appearing on the Festival Republic stage at Reading Festival on Friday. https://www.iamheartworms.com/
4. JNR x Natalie Gray- Meant to Be –
Natalie Gray qualifies for the playlist on at least three counts. The flame-haired synthpop artist is originally from Reading, she headlined at Readipop Festival last year, and she’s jis part of the line-up for Wokingham Festival on Sunday 24th August! This is an epic tech-house dance track, a collaboration with producer JNR, and what we believe the young folks call a banger! Her just
released latest single, Camouflage, dedicated to anyone who is tired of wearing a mask, or not fitting in, is also well worth a listen. https://www.facebook.com/Natgraymusic
5. Tom Robinson Band – Power in the Darkness –
TRB emerged in the days of punk rock in the late 70s with a blend of sing-along anthems and campaigning lyrics. Tom Robinson himself built a career as a radio presenter of both music and speech, and is an accomplished raconteur. Nearly 50 years on, the messages of the band’s songs, such as this one, are just as relevant as when they were written, and we are thrilled at the prospect of seeing the band headline at Wokingham Festival on Monday 25th August, where they’ll be sure to play all the hits! https://www.facebook.com/tomrobinsonmusic
6. Solstice – Plunk –
Another track from Solstice’s acclaimed latest album, Clann, its prog rock credentials of an unusual time signature and longer run-time are augmented by a funky feel and heavenly vocal harmonies, plus a great guitar solo from founder-member Andy Glass. Just one more reason we’re looking forward to this year’s Wokingham Festival when Solstice will be on the main stage, just before Tom Robinson on Monday 25th! https://www.solsticeprog.uk/
7. Selina and the Howlin Dogs – Gemima –
Selina and the Howlin Dogs have been delighting audiences with their original blues rock for some time now, with appearances at festivals including several at Wokingham Festival. They are back on the main stage again this year, and one of the songs we’re looking forward to seeing performed live is this brand new release, Gemima, which was originally written by band
member Alan Burgin forty years ago! This timeless piece of rock and roll is the second track from their forthcoming album, “Third Time Lucky”. https://www.facebook.com/SelinaandtheHowlinDogs
8. Bonnie and the Jets – Naked –
Wokingham Festival has been developing an international flavour in recent years, with Focus and Sonic Whip from the Netherlands. This year, already featuring in the playlist is Leonie Jakobi (from Germany, though living Liverpool) and, flying in from Oslo, Norway, we have Bonnie and
the Jets bringing their brand of upbeat blues rock. This recent number reminds us that whoever we are and whatever we do, we all came into the world the same way. https://www.facebook.com/bonnieandthejetsmusic
9. EBB – No One’s Child –
EBB were voted Best New Band by the readers of Prog Magazine for 2024, and they’ve just been announced as an addition to the Monday line-up at Wokingham Festival. This newly released track from their live album recorded just down the road in Southampton will give you a flavour of what to expect, though it doesn’t convey the full theatricality of their performance – find them on youtube or come along to the Festival to experience that! https://www.ebbband.com/
10. Leonie Jakobi – The Life My Parents Had –
We’ve featured Leonie Jakobi before, after we saw her on a road trip to Southampton, and we’re delighted at the prospect of seeing her perform again soon, on the Marquee stage at Wokingham Festival on Monday 25th August. This is a lovely upbeat track as Leonie muses on what she has in life and how it compares with what her parents had. https://www.facebook.com/ leoniejakobi
You can listen to all the songs featured in our Spotify playlist at https://bit.ly/rawsoundstoday
