CROWDS flooded into Reading to watch a range of live bands and artists at Are You Listening? Festival 2021 last Saturday.
Musicians performed at venues across the borough including Face Bar, Milk, Oakford Social Club, Purple Turtle, Rising Sun Arts Centre, South Street Arts Centre, Sub89 and Upstage Mini at The Roseate Hotel.
The festival raised funds for Mencap, a charity which supports people with learning disabilities.
Organiser Fearghal Conroy, at Heavy Pop, said he was “really happy” with how smoothly the festival went.
“With everything that’s happened in the last 18 months due to covid, to see crowds returning to Reading to enjoy great live music in some of the town’s best venues is amazing to see once again,” he said.
Reading-based, grunge influenced band, Marisa And The Moths, took to the stage at Sub89 and band member Marisa Rodriguez said it was a “really great” atmosphere.
“Sub89 was rammed with people and it was amazing to interact with the crowd and hear them all singing along to our music,” she said.
The four-piece group played songs from their new album, which will be released later next year, for the first time in front of a live audience.
Marisa added: “Everyone really enjoyed the new songs, it was nerve-wracking getting up on stage again but it was an honour to perform at Sub89, a venue I have always wanted to play at.
“There’s something about that moment of connection when you’re playing live to the audience, you can see how much it means to them.”
And Doops, a Berkshire-based three-piece band, showed off their hard beats and space riffs at Oakford Social Club.
Band member Andy Bingham explained it was nice to get back into live performances again.
“It was good that all of the bands and artists were dotted around Reading because we also got to see others perform,” he said.
“We’ve got a wide range for a guitar band in terms of what we do, we play heavy stuff but also softer psychedelic music too so for live shows audiences can engage with us.”
And Horse Rock also entertained the crowds at Oakford Social Club.
Reading-born acoustic singer Holly Shillito performed at intimate venue, Milk.
“I’d done so many online gigs, and weekly Zoom open mic nights throughout lockdown, the vibe isn’t the same as it is when singing to a live audience,” she said.
“The atmoshpere at Milk was amazing, I wasn’t expect many people to be there but all these people starting showing up and it was great to have a full room of people listening to your music.”
Holly threw in one cover song in her set, which was Nsync’s classic hit, Bye Bye Bye.
She said: “It was so cool to add in the cover and to hear everyone singing along was such a nice moment.”
And Baba Ali rocked the house down at Purple Turtle as audiences poured in to sing along to his music.
A more chilled-out set was put on by folk singer-songwriter, Billie Marten, at South Street Arts Centre later that evening.
For more details, visit areyoulistening.org.uk
