One of the best things about January is preparing for a wassail, an ancient ceremony that aims to have some fun while looking to the harvest ahead.
And that’s what is on our mind with this week’s playlist. To whet your appetite for the forthcoming event, organised by Wokingham Music Club, we’ve got some music to enjoy.
As ever, we’re on a mission to champion and showcase great music from acts that have a connection to Reading and Wokingham (that’s the RaW in our Sounds Today name).
It’s a mixture that will help you discover something new. All you have to do is find it on Spotify.
To hear this week’s selection, simply head to https://bit.ly/rawsoundstoday and enjoy the music.
There is also a Facebook page and group chat that bands and music fans can tap into. You can search for RaW Sounds Today and it will come up.
Flutatious – Spacechick (Mitchell Mix)
Festival favourites, Flutatious, return to Wokingham Music Club on Friday, January 27, for a special doubleheader with Spriggan Mist.
It’s a Wassail event so, as well as music from these two great bands, you can expect appearances from Jadoo-Tribal Dance, OBJ Morris and Bang to Rites Drummers. It should be quite a night so to get us in the mood here’s one from Flutatious from their Fluctuations EP which this year celebrates its 10th anniversary since its release on our Magick Eye Records label.
This version was mixed by Reading super producer John Mitchell – https://www.flutatious.co.uk/
Cities in Dust – Tornado Road
They are performing at one of the Jamma in-store shows at HMV Reading on Saturday, January 21, and they will be at one of Club Velocity’s Independent Venue Week shows at the Rising Sun Arts Centre on February 3.
It’s Cities in Dust, an excellent band that combine electronica, pyschedelia and alternative rock to produce great indie guitar pop as evidenced on this single from last year – https://linktr.ee/citiesindust
Adomania – I Always Seem to Break Something (At The Party)
They released their debut single, Heavy Rain, in 2022 and it made our Top 5 of the year. Here’s their second single and it’s another good one – https://www.facebook.com/AdomaniaBand/
Marisa And The Moths – Pedestal
An alt-rock anthem with powerful vocals from a band that will be live at Reading’s Purple Turtle on Thursday, January 29, as part of a UK tour to support their forthcoming Damned If I Do EP release – https://www.marisaandthemoths.com/
That Joe Payne – Dry January
How are you getting on with your Dry January? Here’s a song from That Joe Payne to help you through. It was actually included on Joe’s Christmas album, Ding Dong but it is definitely relevant now – https://www.thatjoepayne.com/
Phantom Booth – Falling Asleep On Her Dreams
Following their energetic last single, Apparatus, this talented three-piece show another side to their artistic talents with this new single. It’s a melancholic but wonderful orchestral ballad – https://linktr.ee/phantombooth
Darcy Hope – Landslide
Darcy, from Fleet, released this beautiful version of the Fleetwood Mac classic in November. She will be playing at Tom Webber’s Rising Sun Arts Centre show on Feb 4th – https://darceyhope.com/
Dandy Man – Annie Bonnie
Reading-based alt-indie outfit, Dandy Man released their debut album, Something I Have To Say in December and this is the uplifting opening track. Check out the video which was filmed at Pyramid Studios – https://dandymanmusic.com/
Selina and the Howlin Dogs – Who’s That Girl?
They were No 3 in our Top 20 of 2022 and they released this new single in December which features their trademark blues-rock sound combined with Selina’s distinctive vocals – https://www.selinaandthehowlindogs.com/
Jessie Smith – WKD
His voice is so good that he has been heard singing in the band on Strictly Come Dancing and now Jessie, who performed in his hometown of Reading at Third Lung’s Sub89 show, has released his debut solo single – https://www.jessesmithuk.com/