READING’S Are You Listening? Festival returned in earnest on Saturday to celebrate its 10th anniversary, following a warm-up party on Friday.
More than 70 acts performed at venues across the town including Sub89, The Purple Turtle, St Lawrence’s Church, Face Bar, The Rising Sun Arts Centre, and South Street.
Two-piece outfit HolySMS packed out the Purple Turtle early on, combining ambient soundscapes and melodic hooks with a chill-step-style drum and bass foundation.
Marisa and The Moths took to the stage in Sub89 amid an atmosphere of anticipation.
Following a minor sound issue, the band came bursting out of the gate with their usual aplomb.
With half of their number hailing from Reading, the band kicked the day into a higher gear with a searing, acidic, guitar-driven set including fan favourites Needy and Skin, slipping comfortably into their angsty, iconoclastic sensibilities.
The band’s lead vocalist Marisa Rodriguez said that playing festivals like Are You Listening? is “always an honour.
“Our first gig ever was while performing at this festival, so to be playing Sub89 again feels like an achievement.
“Festivals always go really quickly, but everyone here has been so supportive; they’re really listening and I can’t say thank you enough to everyone who came to watch the show.”
She explained that they’ll be appearing at a few more festivals later this year, and are “in the process” of mixing their second album, which she said is tipped to be “our best work yet, by a mile.”
They were followed by Reading’s own Tayo Sound, whose set established a more relaxed tone as he took to the stage flanked only by an acoustic guitar.
He started the performance with Cold Feet before performing Heartbreaker and Run Away.
A member of the crowd was then invited to join him in performing the audience’s choice of cover, American Boy, where she performed Kanye West’s rap verse.
He closed the set with some of his latest releases, as well as the hooky, crowd-pleasing Someone New.
Bedroom pop proponent Henjila brought her usual delicate but danceable sound to The Purple Turtle, kicking things off with When I Met You.
This was swiftly followed by covers of Love Like You by Rebecca Sugar, and Moon River, originally sung by Audrey Hepburn, which appeared as the B-side to Henjila’s first single.
She closed the accomplished set with the bossa nova-esque Strawberry Lips and an as yet unreleased song.
Kill Committee, who have been making waves here in their hometown, gave an accomplished set which demonstrated their considerable experience on stage.
The band brought their shimmering, effects-soaked sound, kicking things off with Tundra, the band played fan-favourites Haunted, Icy Sea, and Death in the Family.
They rounded out the set with Marshes, The Spectator, and Passion of Lovers before closing on Exhibitionist.
Lead vocalist Danny James said at the event: “I think Are You Listening stands up nationally, as a festival; even if you’re not playing it, people always ask if you’re involved.
“People love the festival, the venues are cool, and the bands are cool; we had acts like Opus Kink and Ziyad Al-Samman, Holiday Ghost, and Dead Letter.
“So we’re gonna take our stuff home and come right back out again.”
The band is also currently working on their sophomore album.
Next up was Saloon Dion, who brought their expected boisterousness and blistering angst, with some of the band members stripping to the waist before the second song was over.
The band’s David Sturgess said: “The festival’s been so much fun; every venue is so busy and there’s so many good bands on the line-up.
“And obviously it’s for charity, so even if the weather isn’t the best everyone’s been having a great time.”
Among the headline acts was Thomas Headon, whose sun-drenched indie offerings brought the Sub89 audience to a fever pitch.
He started his set with Georgia, followed by Breakfast, before playing an even more upbeat cover of Taylor Swift’s We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together.
His set reached a crescendo with Butterflies and Clean Me Up before changing gear with a cover of Miley Cyrus/Hannah Montana’s Best of Both Worlds.
The set closed with crowd favourites Nobody Has To Know, UrbanAngel1999, and the eminently danceable Loving You.
This article includes photographs taken by Jon Mo (@JonMoPhotography), by kind courtesy of Are You Listening? Festival
*****
Are You Listening? Festival has been raising money for Reading Mencap since its inception in 2013, shortlisted for nominations at the inaugural LIVE awards, and has also been nominated for three Pride of Reading Awards.
More information about the festival is available via: areyoulistening.org.uk
