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. Stealing Sheep – Dancing in the Rain –
We lead off with another 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, as you can see with the photo from this track. https://www.instagram.com/ stealingsheep/
2. 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
3. The Outliers – Gotta Get Gone –
Last weekend 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/
4. 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/
5. Nicole Allan – Find Me –
Nicole Allan is someone who is very active on the local music scene, performing and hosting events. She’s a singer songwriter, singing Country and Americana, both classic numbers and her own compositions. Her latest single, Find Me, hit the top of the UK Country charts when it was released at the beginning of this month! Give it a listen, and you’ll know exactly why it’s doing so well. https://www.facebook.com/nicoleallan95
6. Petrea – Breathe –
Petrea are from Cornwall, and take the inspiration for their dark and atmospheric heavy alt rock, with soaring vocals by Ellie Horton, from ancient myths and divine feminine figures. We saw them play a set by the side of the Kennet, at the Oracle, for the recent Riverbeats session curated by Readipop, and were impressed. This is their latest single, out earlier this year. https://www.instagram.com/
petreaband/
7. That Joe Payne – Love (not the Same) –
We had another road trip, down to The 1865 in Southampton, to see the start of That Joe Payne’s latest tour, and what a show it was, catch it if you can! Joe has performed at Wokingham Festival a couple of times now, most recently with a full band, as he has on this tour, which includes Graham Brown on keys – Graham may hold the record for the most appearances with different bands at Wokingham Festival! The band also includes Sarah Bayley on vocals, and the show included this duet, which they segued into a version of James Brown’s It’s A Man’s World, which was every
bit as good as when they did the same at Wokingham Festival last year. https://www.facebook.com/ ThatJoePayne
8. Lydia Shute – White Flag –
Lydia Shute is from Wokingham, and we caught her set at The Oakford for Alex West’s monthly Closer To Home residency. Her inspirations are artists like Billie Eilish Gracie Abrams and Renee Rapp, and if her emotionally charged lyrics make you cry, then she’s done what she’s set out to do! https://www.instagram.com/lydiashute/
9. Bone-Idle – If I Could Live Twice –
We featured Reading-based Bone-Idle back in July, and we were looking forward to seeing how they would do on the second stage at Wokingham Festival. In the event, they were rescheduled to the main stage, and more than justified their promotion with a top-notch set showing how much they’ve developed. They played a great set at Readipop Fiesta last weekend. This is a slower, more contemplative number that complements their more upbeat repertoire. https://www.facebook.com/ boneidleband
10. Kepler Ten – Fracture –
Kepler Ten are a trio based in Southampton, and they’ve graced the main stage at Wokingham Festival a couple of times in the past, as well as shooting one of their videos in Simon’s Wood on Wellingtonia Avenue in Crowthorne! This is the brand new single from their forthcoming, and long awaited, album; the album is called Random Number Generator: Episode 1 (RNG1), and will be out on 26th September. After a period of comparative quiet, they look set for a busy time as the album is positioned as the first in a series of concept albums, and they aim to be touring in 2026. https://www.keplerten.com/
You can listen to all the songs featured in our Spotify playlist at https://bit.ly/rawsoundstoday
