Each week, there are 10 great acts in our playlist, all with a connection to Reading or Wokingham. As always, we have a wide variety of musical styles, but we think they’re all worth a listen, and we think you will find something new to enjoy as well as maybe getting out to experience the thrill of live music. We have three new entries this week, all with a local connection of one sort or another.
1. Spriggan Mist – Ianatores Teresteres –
Bracknell-based Spriggan Mist have been growing the following for their pagan-folk-prog-rock stylings with a series of impressive festival appearances, with many more already lined up for the rest of this year and into 2026. They are continuing their progress with this track, the first from their upcoming new album, The Glare. In case your Latin is as rusty as ours, Ianatores Teresteres translates as Doorkeepers of the Earth, and the song references the related Roman god Janus, and the idea of choices, which door to choose and what the consequences of following a different path might be. The album launch is next month at 4-Play Prog Fest IV, November 2nd at the Face Bar, where you can see not only Spriggan Mist, but also Kindred Spirit Band, Mother Black Cap, EBB and Mountainscape! https:// www.facebook.com/www.sprigganmist.co.uk
2. Sophie Lloyd – Battleground –
If you watched the sensational women’s Rugby Union World Cup Final, where England’s Red Roses triumphed over Canada at Twickenham, you will probably have seen Sophie Lloyd open proceedings with some blistering guitar shredding in front of the 82,000 crowd. Sophie grew up in Henley, and played lead guitar in Reading-based playlist-favourites Marisa and the Moths, before joining Machine Gun Kelly’s touring band in 2022. Battleground is from her debut EP, and is one of the tracks she played at Twickenham. https://www.sophieguitar.com/
3. Leoni Jane Kennedy – Sloe –
We make no apology for regularly featuring some artists, because they keep producing great tracks. Leoni Jane Kennedy is one of them, and this is her latest single, which it turns out is a plea to think twice before drinking and driving, but it’s done in a subtle way that doesn’t hit you over the head with the message. Leoni’s first album, New World Woman, consisted of acoustic guitar covers of Canadian prog rock trio Rush’s songs, and you can see her performing those next month just down the road in Aldershot at the West End Centre on November 1st. https://www.leonijanekennedy.com/
4. Rose Rey – baddest habit –
Readipop Fiesta was packed full of quality music acts, and this week we lead off with Rose Rey who headlined on the Mojos stage, with an energetic and engaging performance, and switching from electric guitar to bass halfway through. Originally from Venezuela, Rose was a crucial part of Reading-based Indie band The Valeras, and is now putting out excellent solo work. This track is her latest single and deals with an obsessive relationship with a former partner, but over a danceable synth-pop soundscape. https://www.instagram.com/rose__rey/
5. Los Fastidios – Back to Blackpool –
Fans of punk and related music have been annually flocking to Rebellion Festival for nearly 30 years now. Italian band Los Fastidios are one of the hardest-working bands on the music scene, travelling all over Europe, spreading their message of love and tolerance through their street ska and punk influenced sound, and reclaiming the image of the rudeboy/skinhead from some of its right-wing associations. They’ve recorded this track as a celebration of the Rebellion experience, and you can see them live (highly recommended!) when they play at the Face Bar on 21st October for Future Transmissions. https://www.losfastidios.net/
6. Sundaughter – Upstairs –
Formed only just over a year ago in Reading, Sundaughter have nevertheless been getting rave reviews from BBC Introducing and local music cognoscenti. They’ve just released this, their latest single, and they appeared last Friday at The Butler for Please Ban Music, and weill be at South Street Arts Centre on 17th October for Heavy Pop, and we’ll be checking them out if we can. https://www.instagram.com/sundaughterband/
7. Stealing Sheep – Dancing in the Rain –
We continue with band that was on the main stage at Readipop Fiesta, Stealing Sheep from Liverpool. They’ve been around for fifteen years now, but flying under the mainstream radar by doing their own thing, known to various sub-communities online, and they’ve just
released their sixth studio album. They describe their style as ‘visual pop’, and their set indeed showcased a very visual approach. https://www.instagram.com/stealingsheep/
8. Áine Deane – alice (living looks good on you) –
Áine Deane was a big hit headlining on the second stage at last year’s Wokingham Festival, and she continues to produce music with compassion which resonates with her thousands of followers on TikTok and other social media. This track, addressed to the titular Alice, is an expression of sisterly love for her friend, and urges her to realise that while life might be bad at the moment, things will get better, especially with the support she has around her. https:// www.tiktok.com/@ainedeane
9. The Outliers – Gotta Get Gone –
September saw a sad landmark for local grass roots music, with the final closure of The Acoustic Couch in Bracknell. The Outliers are one of the many bands to have benefitted from its existence, with the opportunity to hone their performing skills in a supportive venue. This is their latest release, and we’ll continue to follow their progress, wherever they find to play in future. https://www.instagram.com/theoutliers_band/
10. The Amazons – Joe Bought A Gun (At Fiction Studios) –
Readipop Festival took a fallow year for 2025, but in response to demand they mounted Readipop Fiesta, a one-day celebration of musical talent, much of it locally grown. There was a great line-up and the obvious headliners for such an event were Reading’s own The Amazons, and they played a triumphant set to a packed hall. It was touching that Steven Siddle (universally known as Sid) of Future Transmissions got a name check from the stage for putting on The Amazons’ first gig, sixteen years ago – keep an eye on grass roots events, you may catch the next big thing! This track is their latest single from their album 21st Century Fiction, and explores the effects of toxic masculinity and the role of men in a changing world. They are on tour from October. https:// www.theamazons.co.uk/
You can listen to all the songs featured in our Spotify playlist at https://bit.ly/rawsoundstoday
