ARE YOU Listening? Festival returns to venues across Reading this weekend, bringing talent from near and far to venues across town.
AYL? is set to bring together rising stars and old favourites alike, as well as showcasing artists from right here in Reading alongside headline names.
Here are our picks of some of the unmissable homegrown heroes as the festival returns in earnest on Saturday, May 9:
The BoroughFirst among our picks for this year’s line-up are The Borough, who bring a blistering, boisterous attitude to their rock-addled offering.
The four-piece marries grizzly guitars and an ever-so-slightly-antagonistic air with eminently catchy melodies and crisp composition.
While songs like Thursday in Baghdad and The Good Guys are snarl-along shake-downs, more introspective tracks like Jesus Day and Civilian show that the band also has a more emotional, introspective side when the fancy takes them.
The Borough are a band going from strength to strength, and well worth catching on home turf when they take to the stage at Sub89 from 3.30pm on Saturday.
Puma TheoryHot on the heels of their latest EP, Live at Farm Road Studios, two-piece Puma Theory are a band on the brink of a new era.
They bring equal measures of effusive ebullience and easy-going attitude– a combination which could be subject to something of a shake-up as the band has been hard at work on a new album.
While the bright indie surface of their output is well-known for giving way to a harsher, more aggressive underbelly, they are a band breaking their boundaries.
Having whet their whistles at South Street’s recent Beat Connection event, Puma Theory are sure to be match fit and raring to go when they take on Sub 89 at 5:45pm.
Dan Le Sac
This year marks the thirteenth year since Are You Listening? Festival first planted its flag – or perhaps multiple flags – on stages around Reading.
Among the names who made up that inaugural line-up back in 2013 is producer Dan Le Sac, who is now making an eagerly-anticipated return to the festival.
Since kicking off his live performance career as part of a two-piece with long-time collaborator Scroobius Pip (also right here in Reading) Dan has climbed to impressive heights.
Despite this, he wears his achievements with a casual shrug–a dynamic which is also borne out brilliantly in his live sets.
Dan has composed a number of videogame soundtracks for the likes of Disney, as well as indie titles, including in the Tron franchise, both Subsurface Circular and Quarantine Circular, and Arcsmith.
He has also recently made a tentative return to live performance, including touring with Benefits.
He has, however, shied away from a full return to the stage; this will be a rare opportunity to see a full set from Dan in a venue which is as historic for the performer as it is for Reading.
Dan Le Sac will not be one to miss as he takes to the stage at Milk Bar at 9.45pm.
Bone Idle
Another band who only continues to grow is Bone Idle, who have had tongues wagging with increasing fervor.
The outfit brings assured, high-energy rock which wears the influence of bands like Oasis and Arctic Monkeys on a generation on its sleeve.
This is especially true of lead vocalist Braiden Casey’s performance, which is engagingly laconic–but never shies away from allusions to something deeper and flights of introspection.
For a young four-piece outfit from Tilehurst, Bone Idle show accomplishment and promise in equal measure, wrapped up in a confidence which only serves to amplify their laid-back approach.
Bone Idle will take to the stage at Face Bar from 4.45pm.
Darius Zaltash
Elsewhere, Darius Zaltash brings something wholly separate to AYL–something ephemeral.
Zaltash is difficult to pin down to a genre, and yet seeming accomplished at all he turns his hand to.
While tracks like No1 stand as power-pop testaments to love, songs like Since I Was Young show an unbridled festival rock fury, and yet both are equally likely to make you want to shout along.
Meanwhile songs like September Blur seem to merge the two, with an introspective beginning dropping into a harder, howl-along anthem riddled with driving drums and and acidic guitar.
Darius Zaltash is set to perform at the Market Place Stage from 4pm.
Tickets are still available ahead of AYL’s return this weekend for a warm-up show at St Lawrence Church on Friday, May 8, and the full festival at venues across town on Saturday, May 8.
Full details and tickets available via: areyoulistening.org.uk
