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 hope you had a great Bank Holiday weekend, whether at one of the local music festivals or somewhere else. This week it’s all change as we’re catching up with a lot of recent releases with a local connection.
1. Kindred Spirit Band – The Track –
Kindred Spirit Band are based in Twickenham, but have played many times in Reading and surrounding areas. They are at the Face Bar on November 2nd, as part of a great prog line-up for 4 Play Prog Fest IV , and before that, on October 10th, they are launching their album in Richmond-on-Thames, and raising money for Richmond Mind, a very worthy cause. This is the first single from that album, an uplifting optimistic song about finding your destiny. https://www.facebook.com/ KindredSpiritBand
2. Only The Poets- Guess She’s Cool –
Reading’s Only The Poets have been touring the world, but are returning to their roots this month with a gig at The Purple Turtle this Saturday (30th August). This is their latest single, about regrets and misgivings, finding yourself comparing a new partner to the one you really loved. https://www.facebook.com/onlythepoets
3. Hoopy Frood- The River –
Hoopy Frood are based in Reading, and formed as a live band in 2004 after an offer to open for Ozric Tentacles (who happened to headline at Wokingham Festival last year) followed the release of a studio project. This track is the first single from their recently-released fourth album, and we absolutely love the groove, though we don’t have the vocabulary to adequately describe the styles of music involved; psychedelic rock and reggae are both involved somewhere! https://www.facebook.com/ hoopyfroodmusic
4. The Dynatronics- My Eyes are Turned Inside –
Based in Maidenhead, The Dynatronics are a trio of chums who used to be in a band together a long time ago, and have got back together to record the sort of music they love, which has a lot of influences from 60s beat groups such as The Who, The Move and Cream, and later bands influenced in turn by them. Dan Taylor is one of the three and we’ve featured some of his work with The Veras on the playlist before. This is The Dynatronics debut single and has a magnificent sound, in part due to a sprinkling of Hammond organ magic from Morgan Nicholls. https:// thedynatronics.bandcamp.com/
5. One Last Day – Still Breathing –
Bracknell-based hard rock outfit One Last Day have featured in the playlist a few times already. They’re back after a brief hiatus due to a minor line-up change, with bassist Huw Roch now on vocal duties, and it’s been worth the wait if this new single is any indication. Their material has always had an awareness of mental health issues and this track looks at how to conquer your fears and break out of a cycle of negative feedback. https://www.onelastday.co.uk/
6. Darcy Hope – Late To The Party –
We featured a track from Darcey Hope a couple of years ago, after seeing her perform in Reading, so we’re not late to the party in appreciating her mellifluous vocals, though we didn’t originally pick up on this indie-pop track’s popularity on TikTok (probably because we’re much too old for TikTok!). The song is about coming to a realisation about yourself very late, and reflects on Darcey’s personal experience. https://www.darceyhope.com
7. Skunkworm – Burst –
Skunkworm are a local post punk band (we bumped into Harry Burgess, their bass player, at a vinyl club meeting recently), and have just released this, their debut single. They played at Are You Listening? Festival, supported playlist regulars The Go Go Cult at the Facebar, and have just returned from playing on the Introducing stage at Rebellion festival in Blackpool, so we think they’re worth watching! https://www.instagram.com/skunkworm/
8. 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 was on the main stage at Reading Festival. Check out the video for the track, too, filmed outside Reading station!
https://www.instagram.com/5onger/
9. 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 was part of the line-up for Wokingham Festival last Sunday! 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
10. 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, the most recent just last weekend. This is their 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
You can listen to all the songs featured in our Spotify playlist at https://bit.ly/rawsoundstoday
