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. The Alabama 3 – If I’d Never Seen Sunshine –
The throng at Sub89 last week was treated to what felt like a revivalist meeting, courtesy of the Presleyterian Church of Elvis the Divine, commonly known as The Alabama 3 (despite there being more than three of them, and they’re from London), who brought their blend of sweet, pretty country acid house music for the delectation of the assembled congregation. They are most widely known for their track Woke Up this Morning, which was used as the intro to TV behemoth, The Sopranos. The current tour is revisiting their first two albums, La Peste and Exile on Coldharbour Lane, but we’ve chosen a track from their latest album, Cold War Classics Vol 1. https://www.facebook.com/ thealabama3
2. The Borough – Thursday in Baghdad –
Reading-based The Borough have been flying under our radar, but have popped up with this, their debut single. You might possibly have encountered them at their roughly monthly residency at The Butler which goes under the paradoxical branding of “Please Ban Music”; we haven’t seen them yet, but will be looking out for them now, having heard this example of their sound, described as “Surf Punk Funk” by masked surf-rockers Horse Rock (and they should know!). https:// www.instagram.com/the_borough_m16/
3. Crooked Shapes – Can’t Win For Losing –
Crooked Shapes are another Reading-based band, specialising in alt-rock. We saw them play live in Peach Place in Wokingham in 2021, and they’ve come on a bit since then. This latest single was co-written by George Twydell with Black Star Riders frontman Ricky Warwick, following a meeting which involved bonding over their choice of guitar and amps; the song deals with the pressures of having to conform to other people’s expectations and not being in control of your own destiny. (We featured Ricky’s Christmas song recently, and he played at the Face Bar in 2023). https:// linktr.ee/crookedshapes
4. Lake Acacia – What Have We Become –
Banbury-based duo Lake Acacia played a blinding set at the Purple Turtle the other 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
5. 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 April! https://linktr.ee/barrelhaus
6. 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
7. 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
8. 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. The Reading connection 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
9. 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
10. 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
You can listen to all the songs featured in our Spotify playlist at https://bit.ly/rawsoundstoday
