ARE YOU Listening? is Reading’s own independent festival and this year, like every other, it is packed full of indie gems.
We’ve taken our pick of the class acts in attendance to give a taste of the festival, set for venues across Reading on Saturday, May 7.
Alfie Templeman is a rising star in indie-dance, though he has described it as closer to R&B.
He began writing at 13 years old, and made his first professional solo debut just two years later.
His songs Happiness in Liquid Form and 3D Feelings shimmer with a contagious joy which swells until there is no choice but to dance.
Songs such as Film Scene Daydream show a darker side, however, turning the upbeat brilliance on its head.
Venue: Sub89
Top pick: Broken
Lauran Hibberd, originally hailing from the Isle of Wight, has toured with indie giants such as The Regrettes and Hippo Campus.
Her brand of guitar-driven rock leaves behind the usual sense of urgency, opting instead to linger lazily before crashing into chant-along tunes.
Her track Charlie’s Car sidles up, unassuming to begin with, but soon kicks into its catchy chorus before dissolving into psychedelia again.
Garageband Superstar, her debut album, is due for release later this year.
Venue: Sub89
Top Pick: Call Shotgun
Dutch band Pip Blom bring a classic feel to their sound, with the harder edges of their guitars buffed to an approachable, yet still standoffish, sheen.
Songs like Babies Are A Lie and You Don’t Want This exemplify the band’s almost apathetic style, belying deep and considered undertones and subtexts.
Daddy Issues brings this contradiction to a head, with a care-free punky attitude at the heart of an existential crisis.
Venue: St. Lawrence Church
Top Pick: It Should Have Been Fun
Talk Show is a hard rock band which straddles eras.
At times their songs fall into 80s alt-rock refrains, followed by mid-70s punk, even approaching 2010s screamo in places.
Their music kicks along with an almost unhinged uncertainty, complimented by the often off-the-rails vocal stylings of the lead singer, Dave Coults.
Songs such as Underworld have a percussive thread which pulls you through the acidic riffs and distinctive vocals.
Venue: Face Bar
Top pick: Fast and Loud
Gag Salon are hard to pin down, both due to their relative youth as a band and their chaotic influences.
With comparisons drawn between the band and LCD Soundsystem, even reaching as far as Captain Beefheart, Gag Salon bring a math-rock sensibility to their indie offerings.
Their latest track, Horses, is charmingly displaced, almost awkward in its effortless disregard for consistency.
Somehow, despite its own best efforts, it sews together into an eminently danceable fiasco.
Venue: The Purple Turtle
Top pick: Horses
Other acts at Are You Listening include Readiophonics, Straight Girl, The Goa Express, Peaness, and Small Town Heroes.
The festival takes place at venues across Reading, such as Sub89, Face Bar, the Purple Turtle, the Rising Sun arts centre, Milk, and the Market Place.
Tickets are £33 for over-18s, and £16.50 for 17-and-unders.
For tickets, and a full line-up of acts, visit: www.areyoulistening.gigantic.com
