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 think you will find something new to enjoy as well as maybe getting out to experience the thrill of live music. We have three new entries this week, all with a local connection of one sort or another. It is almost a year since Chris Hillman, the originator of this playlist, suffered a heart attack, and we are very pleased to report his recovery is progressing well, and he’s back contributing occasional entries for the playlist.
1. Verdagears – Antidote –
It’s always a pleasure to see new talent develop, and Verdagears are a case in point. Based in Reading, this young band have already put on a series of impressive performances over the last year or so, including at Wokingham Festival (several experienced musicians commented favourably on their set), and they’ve just released their self-penned latest single, Antidote, where some of their grunge influences such as Nirvana are apparent. The track was produced by local studio wizard John Mitchell, who is based in Reading. Verdagears are supporting classic rock band The Dead Can Wait at The Flowing Spring this weekend, on the 18th October. – https://www.tiktok.com/@verdagearsofficial
2. Cyernaut – Hydrophonix –
Escape from Samsara was a legendary London trance night back in the 1990’s and one band that played storming sets there was Cybernaut. Sadly, Mark Cybernaut, one of the writers of the band, passed away in 2017 so there has never been a full reunion. There have been a couple of great DJ sets though, led by Cybernaut manager, Bob, and on Sunday Oct 26th at Reading Facebar there will be the final Cybernaut DJ set, courtesy of Future Transmissions. The event will include other Samsara legends in a special day rave, so it’s a great opportunity to revisit those amazing times and still get home at a reasonable hour. ‘Hydrophonix’ is taken from the classic Cybernaut album, ‘Hydrophonics’ that was released on Magick Eye Records, the label that Chris, who set up this playlist feature, was running at the time – https://www.facebook.com/cybernautuk
3. A Dirty Soul – Antidote –
We’ve had a legion of Leoni/Leonies here before, but now we bring you an abundance of Antidotes! If you prefer your antidote to be more rock than grunge, then A Dirty Soul from Newbury can oblige. This is their latest single, which postulates that the world is poison, but love is the antidote. You have two chances to catch them in Reading, when they play a daytime gig at the Broad Street Mall (still the Butts Centre for some of us oldtimers!) on the 18th (so you could double up your antidotes by seeing Verdagears in the evening), and in the evening at The Purple Turtle on the 20th of October! https:// www.instagram.com/adirtysoulmusic
4. Spriggan Mist – Ianatores Teresteres –
Bracknell-based Spriggan Mist have been growing the following for their pagan-folk-prog-rock stylings with a series of impressive festival appearances, with many more already lined up for the rest of this year and into 2026. They are continuing their progress with this track, the first from their upcoming new album, The Glare. In case your Latin is as rusty as ours, Ianatores Teresteres translates as Doorkeepers of the Earth, and the song references the related Roman god Janus, and the idea of choices, which door to choose and what the consequences of following a different path might be. The album launch is next month at 4-Play Prog Fest IV, November 2nd at the Face Bar, where you can see not only Spriggan Mist, but also Kindred Spirit Band, Mother Black Cap, EBB and Mountainscape! https:// www.facebook.com/www.sprigganmist.co.uk
5. Sophie Lloyd – Battleground –
];lk;’/If you watched the sensational women’s Rugby Union World Cup Final, where England’s Red Roses triumphed over Canada at Twickenham, you will probably have seen Sophie Lloyd open proceedings with some blistering guitar shredding in front of the 82,000 crowd. Sophie grew up in Henley, and played lead guitar in Reading-based playlist-favourites Marisa and the Moths, before joining Machine Gun Kelly’s touring band in 2022. Battleground is from her debut EP, and is one of the tracks she played at Twickenham. https://www.sophieguitar.com/
6. Leoni Jane Kennedy – Sloe –
We make no apology for regularly featuring some artists, because they keep producing great tracks. Leoni Jane Kennedy is one of them, and this is her latest single, which it turns out is a plea to think twice before drinking and driving, but it’s done in a subtle way that doesn’t hit you over the head with the message. Leoni’s first album, New World Woman, consisted of acoustic guitar covers of Canadian prog rock trio Rush’s songs, and you can see her performing those next month just down the road in Aldershot at the West End Centre on November 1st. https://www.leonijanekennedy.com/
7. Rose Rey – baddest habit –
Readipop Fiesta was packed full of quality music acts, and this week we lead off with Rose Rey who headlined on the Mojos stage, with an energetic and engaging performance, and switching from electric guitar to bass halfway through. Originally from Venezuela, Rose was a crucial part of Reading-based Indie band The Valeras, and is now putting out excellent solo work. This track is her latest single and deals with an obsessive relationship with a former partner, but over a danceable synth-pop soundscape. https://www.instagram.com/rose__rey/
8. Los Fastidios – Back to Blackpool –
Fans of punk and related music have been annually flocking to Rebellion Festival for nearly 30 years now. Italian band Los Fastidios are one of the hardest-working bands on the music scene, travelling all over Europe, spreading their message of love and tolerance through their street ska and punk influenced sound, and reclaiming the image of the rudeboy/skinhead from some of its right-wing associations. They’ve recorded this track as a celebration of the Rebellion experience, and you can see them live (highly recommended!) when they play at the Face Bar on 21st October for Future Transmissions. https://www.losfastidios.net/
9. Sundaughter – Upstairs –
Formed only just over a year ago in Reading, Sundaughter have nevertheless been getting rave reviews from BBC Introducing and local music cognoscenti. They’ve just released this, their latest single, and they appeared last Friday at The Butler for Please Ban Music, and will be at South Street Arts Centre supporting Pale Blue Eyes on 17th October for Heavy Pop; we caught Sundaughter at The Butler and can recommend! https://www.instagram.com/sundaughterband/
10. Stealing Sheep – Dancing in the Rain –
We continue with a band that was on the main stage at Readipop Fiesta, Stealing Sheep from Liverpool. They’ve been around for fifteen years now, but flying under the mainstream radar by doing their own thing, known to various sub-communities online, and they’ve just released their sixth studio album. They describe their style as ‘visual pop’, and their set indeed showcased a very visual approach. https://www.instagram.com/stealingsheep/
You can listen to all the songs featured in our Spotify playlist at https://bit.ly/rawsoundstoday
