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. Tomorrow Bird – Crossroads –

Simon Driscoll and Jen Bird, better known as Tomorrow Bird, have been producing fine acoustic Americana together for the best part of a decade, and this latest single is a fine addition to their discography. It’s inspired by the story of blues pioneer Robert Johnson supposedly meeting the Devil at the crossroads at midnight to exchange his soul for musical success. Look out for them gigging in the Reading area! https://tomorrowbird.com/

2. Tinie Tempah – Energy (ft. Alex Mills) –

The Party in the Paddock shows at Newbury Racecourse have become a regular part of the summer and this year is no exception. If you like your mainstream artists and don’t mind a short trip to Newbury, this year you can see Gypsy Kings (17th July), Ronan Keating (18th July), Tinie Tempah (14th August) and Jessie J (15th) appearing after the day’s racing. Here’s the latest single from Tinie and it’s a wonderful return to his hi-energy roots with an infectious pop dance feel. It’s the sort of record that will sound perfect in the clubs now and will also sound perfect outdoors in the summer – https:// www.tinietempah.com

3. HOUSE OF ALL – Valiant Heart –

Across the the 40 year history of Mark E. Smith’s legendary band the Fall there were more than 60 members, Smith being the one constant (“If it’s me and your granny on bongos, it’s The Fall.”). Following his death in 2018, the Fall accordingly disbanded. House of All consists of past members of the Fall, including original guitarist Martin Bramah; this track is from their recently-released fourth album. See them at the Face Bar on 30th April with their three (3!) drum line-up, courtesy of Future Transmissions. https://www.facebook.com/fallfamilycontinuum

4. Villumier – HEAT –

Alt rock band Villumier from the Reading area have been fairly productive recently, with four singles released last year, and appearances at Reading Rising at the Face Bar last November, and at the Purple Turtle at the beginning of March, and this weekend they open Modern Era Fest on Sunday 10th at New Cross Inn in London. This is the last of their four tracks from last year, also the lead track from the EP which collected the singles together. https://www.instagram.com/villumier/

5. White Label – Dance On My Own –

We featured their last single only last month, but it’s not too soon to include the Reading-based duos’ latest release, hot off the presses, as it’s so good! This is a very upbeat, danceable track, while the lyrics deal with being unable to sleep or concentrate because you’re waiting to hear from someone you can’t stop thinking about. You can see White Label play live at Milk in Reading on 19th April; it’s a Sunday night, but it’s an early show. https://www.instagram.com/whitelabeltheband/

6. Emerson – Too Pretty To Die –

It’s always worth checking out the Purple Turtle Stage outside the stadium before a Reading FC home match. We did that last month and saw an exciting and energetic set of very good songs from Fleet based band, Emerson. With their jangly guitar based indie pop featuring excellent vocal harmonies this very tight four piece were very impressive. With a 3-0 victory for Reading and such an enjoyable pre match band that’s what we call a good day so we had to feature the band’s new single in celebration – https://linktr.ee/emerson.band99

7. Wrex – Consume –

Wrex are based in Brighton, but we were impressed when we saw them at Reading Rising at the Face Bar last November, so made sure we were at the Purple Turtle last month when they appeared there. This is their latest single which muses on the modern world, both the overconsumption of resources and the time we spend on social media looking for the next dopamine hit. If you get the chance to see them live, take it! https://www.facebook.com/wearewrex

8. Midge Ure – Just Words –

It’s always good when legendary artists plan to visit the area and Midge Ure is certainly one of those. He’ll be at Reading Hexagon in May (26th) and has a new album out a few weeks before the Hexagon show called ‘A Man Of Two Worlds’. This single is from the album and it’s a good one which shows that he can still produce excellent music. We love that guitar solo! Well worth getting along to the Hexagon to hear a mix of new material and classic hits, all linked with instrumentals to give a cinematic feel. Sounds intriguing!! – http://www.midgeure.co.uk/

9. A Better Life – Murmuration – This is the lead track from the new Tranquil State EP from the A Better Life collective. We’ve featured Phil Daniels’ project before, which aims to produce music which promotes a feeling of calm and tranquility, and, as previously, these tracks absolutely deliver. If you need to chill out, put the EP on, lay back and relax. https:// www.facebook.com/abetterlifemusic

10. The Kokroachez – Vampire Town –

The Kokroachez are a dynamic young alternative rock band from Oxford. We saw them play last summer at The Oracle as part of their Riverbeats event curated by Readipop and were blown away by their energy. This was their most recent single, released at the end of last year, but they’ve not been idle since, with gigs in Oxford and Abingdon supporting the likes of Reading’s InAir, and shooting a video to go with their latest single, That Kind of Girl, which is out now. We’re also looking forward to seeing them at this year’s Wokingham Festival in August, where they’re opening the second stage on the Sunday. https://www.instagram.com/thekokroachez/

You can listen to all the songs featured in our Spotify playlist at https://bit.ly/rawsoundstoday

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