Each week we like to champion the music scene with ten songs in our playlist that all have a connection to the RaW (Reading and Wokingham) area and sometimes beyond. This week we have three new tracks for you from acts with connections to Reading and 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. Mordecai Smyth – Breaking the Backs –
It’s always good to hear about a new music venue in the area so, when we heard that Crumbs in Woodley was going to try a music night and that night was going to be a special show by the renowned artist, Mordecai Smyth, we had to get along! We were so pleased that we did. It was a wonderful evening in a relaxed friendly environment and it was great to see so many there on a Sunday evening. We were firstly treated to an excellent opening set from the well respected musician, Robert Sowden, and then Mordecai and his impressive group of musicians stepped up for an impressive performance. They are a very tight band and are the perfect vehicle for Mordecai’s music, a sort of prog, psych, pop, garage hybrid which has flavours of the 60’s/70’s rock scene but still sounds current. Apart from a powerful version of Pink Floyd’s ‘Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun’ the set was predominantly Mordecai originals which was no bad thing as they are very strong songs and so the forthcoming release of his new album, ‘Gather the Scattered Mind’ on local label, Mega Dodo Records, from which the single we feature is taken, is well worth watching out for. Let’s hope too that there are more music nights at Crumbs as it’s a big ‘well done’ to the venue for trying something new – https://www.facebook.com/stickytapeandrust
2. One Last Day – Ash & Bone –
Alt metal rockers One Last Day continue to release great songs with their Eyes Like Glass // Thoughts Like Fuel EP, released at the end of last year, including five new tracks from which we’ve chosen this one, Ash & Bone. The band will be out and about later in the year, including a gig at the Face Bar in Reading on May 31st alongside Purple Grace and The Hellfire Club; see you there! https://onelastdayofficial.com/
3. Rose Rey – Dirty Martini –
We last saw Rose Rey, onetime frontwoman of Reading indie-rock darlings the Valeras, perform at the Readipop Fiesta last year. With her latest single, she reminisces about a night out at a cocktail bar, where she lets us in on her favourite drink, and also her preference in girlfriends. Rose suggests you go listen to it loudly until the neighbours complain; we’re not sure we can endorse that, but do please listen to it responsibly! Rose Rey has a mini tour in May, starting with Bristol on the 7th at the Exchange Basement. https://www.instagram.com/rose__rey/
4. Reckless & Blue – Stormy Night In Denver –
The music scene in Reading and nearby is very much alive right now, with plenty of home-grown talent making great sounds plus more established artists on tour visiting local venues. Of the latter, one recent visitor to the Purple Turtle was Reckless & Blue, all the way from Denver, Colorado, on a tour of the UK, courtesy of Radio Wigwam. This track from their latest album, Seven Deadly Gins, is a powerful and soulful slow blues ballad, with vocalist Shaunda Fry mourning the absence of her man as the weather echoes her emotional state. https://recklessandblue.net/
5. White Label – Something About You –
White Label formed in Reading in 2024, and have played several gigs locally in that time, including in the Fanzone at Reading FC last week, as well as releasing half a dozen singles and EPs, though so far we haven’t managed to catch them live (something we hope to remedy soon!). The partnership of Toby Taylor and Joe Alexander first formed in 2017, and they’ve worked together in a number of guises before White Label evolved with a sound based on a wide range of influences, mixing rock and dancefloor energy. Always looking for a new perspective on things, their EP release show took place in Flamingos, the vintage clothes store in Reading! Something About You is their most recent single but one, that’s been running round our head for a while now, but all their output is worth a listen. https:// www.instagram.com/whitelabeltheband/
6. The Outliers – Without You –
Bracknell-based The Outliers have continued to produce new music and gig locally; we caught them at the Purple Turtle just last week, and while you’ll have other opportunities before then, we are looking forward to seeing them grace the Marquee stage at this year’s Wokingham
Festival in August. Like Reckless & Blue, this is a ballad about lost love, but with a rockier edge to it. https:// www.instagram.com/theoutliers_band/
7. Solar Culture – Another Evening –
Jack Daynes is clearly a talented musician. As well as his own solo music and shows, he is an excellent drummer playing in top tours and gigs around the country and beyond. Now he has also created music with another musician, Tom Kavanagh, and, judging by this debut single, Tom is also a great talent. If you were at Wokingham Festival in 2023 you’d have had an advance chance to see them live and will have seen how good they are! Jack and Tom are lifelong friends who say they want to create well crafted songs with no gimmicks and with this song they have clearly done that. It’s well produced with a laid back feel, strong vocals and instrumentation that perfectly suits the song. The duo say they plan to release a song a month. That’s certainly something to look forward to. https://linktr.ee/wearesolarculture
8. SYT – Matrix –
Talent obviously runs in the Daynes family as Jack’s Dad became known in the 90’s as a renowned DJ and musician under the stage name of Scott James. As well as in clubs all over the country and overseas he appeared locally at the innovative Shave Yer Tongue club in Bracknell which was also host to other legendary names including the late great, Andrew Weatherall. Scott created music under the name SYT (guess what that was short for) with early collaborators such as Jay Relf and Marc Swordfish. On the ‘Cubic Space’ album Scott’s collaborator was Chris Hayne aka Nozmo and the album was so good that it is still being discovered today by new generations of underground dance fans. That’s not surprising as you can hear its timeless strength on tracks like this one from that album. The album (originally released in the 90’s on our Chris’s Magick Eye Records) has been so sought after that German label, Sound Migration, has recently released a double vinyl reissue. Scott still DJ’s around the area at select events from time to time so watch out for those. https://www.facebook.com/cubicSYT
9. Rila’s Edge – Buck –
After a quiet year, with only one new track released last year (Undone, which we featured last April), Rila’s Edge are back with a couple of live gigs in London and Manchester, and this new song which they promise is just the first of many that they’ve been working on. They’ve stripped back the layers and production to create something more like their live sound, which is no bad thing, it is still distinctively Rila’s Edge, with an indie garage edge complementing their stadium-ready anthemic sound, as the lyrics explore regret and second thoughts. Check out the video that goes with it which they filmed at the Face Bar in Reading. https://www.instagram.com/rilasedge/
10. Belle Dame – Tennessee –
Belle Dame formed in Southampton and are based in Bristol, but were one of the lucky bands chosen to take part in Only The Poets’ battle of the bands at the Purple Turtle to earn a place supporting OTP at the Brixton O2 Academy, and were one of the two winners. They more than justified their selection, taking to the big stage like seasoned performers, and we hope to see them go from strength to strength. This is their latest single, and has a dreamy and cinematic quality to it. https:// www.instagram.com/belledame_band/
You can listen to all the songs featured in our Spotify playlist at https://bit.ly/rawsoundstoday
