Every week we pick artists with a link to Reading or Wokingham and occasionally from further afield too. This week in the Wokingham Festival special with the musical event taking place this weekend.
That Joe Payne – Bread & Circuses –
It’s festival weekend and as well as the incredible Reading Festival going on there is also our Wokingham Festival! With Reading getting well deserved coverage elsewhere we thought we’d focus on Wokingham and here’s one of our fave vocalists returning to play. This time it’s even more special as That Joe Payne will be performing a rare 2024 show with his full band, and what a band it is! Quality musicians including keyboardist Graham Brown who will also be playing with The Paradox Twin as drummer in the set just before Joe!! What a talented and busy chap he is! Joe has had quite a year and his reputation as one of the best vocalists around is clearly growing with a starring role as Willy Wonka in a production of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and being vocalist on the upcoming new solo album from Jordan Rudess of Dream Theater fame! This song is the title track from Joe’s latest album – https://www.thatjoepayne.com/
Blondie – One Way Or Another –
The original band may not be at Wokingham Festival but Andy M & I were invited along to see them live last year. They were brilliant and we have the next best thing playing – a brilliant tribute from Totally Blondie. So that’s a great excuse to include this song! I much prefer original artists to tributes or cover bands but I know I won’t be able to resist dancing and singing along to this and all the other classic hits next Saturday evening. One way or another you should get along to join us – https://www.totallyblondie.com/
Rila’s Edge – Deal –
We are looking forward to joining in the celebrations on Sunday evening as this Wokingham band continue their well deserved rise to prominence. From playing small local venues they are now headlining their home town festival and this could definitely, in years to come, be one of those ‘I was there’ moments. We have featured most of their singles in this feature and here’s their latest – https://www.facebook.com/rilasedge
Ozric Tentacles – Burundi Spaceport –
On the third day of Wokingham Festival, Bank Holiday Monday, the headliner tends to be a legendary artist from the prog, psych or rock scene. This year is no exception and actually fits into all three of those categories. It’s festival faves Ozric Tentacles who came to prominence in the early 1990’s with a number of Official Chart Top 20 albums. They are also releasing excellent new music as this track from their latest ‘Lotus Unfolding’ album shows – https://ozrics.com/
Áine Deane – Tales of A Twenty Something –
Áine has supported Sam Smith at Royal Albert Hall, supported Hozier, played Glastonbury, dueted with Pixie Lott and this new single has been played on Radio 1 with streaming numbers climbing fast. Wow! See her headlining the second stage at Wokingham Festival on Saturday – https://www.ainedeanemusic.com/
Sour Kix – Stranger Again –
We featured this band last week with an earlier single but now the band (at the festival on Sunday) have released this new single. We had to feature it this week as it is another wonderful slice of uplifting melodic pop rock – https://www.sourkix.com/
Katie Ellwood – More Than Perfect –
Katie opens the main stage on Sunday August 25th. We always say that you should get to a festival early to ensure that you don’t miss anything good. Here’s a prime example – https://www.katieellwood.com/
Storm Deva – Free –
Talking about not missing any acts, here’s one that is opening the second stage on August Bank Holiday Monday – https://www.stormdeva.com/
The Cold Blooded Hearts – Love’s Lost –
The band that features Gareth Ainsworth, of Wycombe Wanderers & QPR fame will be at Wokingham Festival on August 25th. This is from their acclaimed, ‘The Cold Light of Day’ album – https://thecoldbloodedhearts.com/
Who Ate All The Crayons – Tired –
This excellent band will be opening the main stage at Wokingham Festival on Saturday 24th August so don’t be late – https://beacons.ai/waatc
You can listen to all the songs featured in our Spotify playlist at https://bit.ly/rawsoundstoday