ONE OF Reading’s most vibrant bands is back with a brand new offering, just days ahead of their appearance at Beat Connection this weekend.
Live at Farm Road Studios is the new EP from Puma Theory, and the latest move from a duo which strikes cautiously, but concisely.
The release one which marries their equal measures of effusive ebullience and easy-going attitude perfectly.
While the four-track collection brings new life to three songs familiar with followers of the band, it also looks ahead to an exciting age which is precipitating behind the scenes.
Since the close of an eventful 2025 for the gang, the outfit has not rested on its laurels–however some of their work has been behind closed doors, for the time being.
The band’s Cameron Holroyd said: “It was around Halloween when we put this together–behind the public face of our live stuff, we were squirelling away on the EP, followed by a string of live shows here in Reading.
“We were delighted to headline at a jam-packed Oakford Social Club, and a show at the Shackwell Arms, which we’d wanted to play for ages.”
Fellow band member Cameron Smith adds: “I think there’s something special about working on a project just as the core of people know it exists–just us, the producer, and the engineer.
“We’re the only ones who know it exists… it’s no longer yours after it’s out in the big bad world.
“You get to sit with it, and find out what it’s about.”
The EP kicks off with Hit & Run, newly recorded with a more focused, precise sound that shifts its attitude towards the band’s frenetic, very present live style.
A similar treatment is given to Foolish Boy and Sobering Lights–well-known to attendees of the band’s live outings.
“We wanted to give it a bit of a taste of those live shows; we weren’t particularly seeking to do an EP, we wanted to showcase the music as it’s performed– what that sounds like, what that feels like.”
Jacob added: “We both like music which is raw, honest, visceral even, and recording live was the best way to get in touch with that.”
He admits that the focus on live performance doesn’t always come easy: “It sounds crazy in light of that, but I’ve always felt more comfortable songwriting than as a frontman.
“Those are shoes I’m having to grow into, whereas I have a confidence as a song writer– writing and producing is a process we love.”
Cameron explains: “The EP is an honest representation of who we are now.”
But it also a sign of things to come: the final track of the EP, Telephone Man, is new, and a portent of unreleased work by the band.
There is a video release on its way following their work with local filmmaker Louis LaGrange, who recorded the performing sessions at Farm Road Studios.
Jacob says: “We’ve got a lot that is yet to see the light of day, but we didn’t want to compromise on releasing those first and foremost in their studio form.
“But Telephone Man was part of the debate–it ended up being an easy decision.
“It’s us at our fastest, loudest, potentially most aggressive; it gives me a deeply unsettling feeling, and it really made sense in this setting.”
Cameron concurs: “It doesn’t spoil what’s coming next, but it’s a bit of a treat in the mean time–it’ll make sense over the next few months.
“That track opens the lid on the box we’re in a little, and what’s to come is altogether more suspenseful, darker, and even paranoid.
“There’s more introspection to be had…”Puma Theory will be joining the likes of Hot Wax, Mould, and Modern Woman at Beat Connection when it returns to South Street Arts Centre on Saturday, March 28.
Full details and tickets are available via: whatsonreading.com
Live at Farm Road Studios is available to stream now, including over at pumatheory.bandcamp.com
