WITH festival season in full swing, one of Reading’s indie music events returned to the town once more for its annual celebration.
Here Comes The Sun was back at the Rising Sun Arts Centre for a day of music and arts, spread across its three stages.
The Sun Stage kicked things off with aplomb with Jackie Doe & The Uncertainty of Passion, accompanied by psychedelic visualisations from IRIDIPHORE.
The three-piece outfit harks back to classic shanties with a modern twist, fronted by lead singer Anne De Lima, formerly of Geisha Girls, who brings classical, cut-glass vocal performance.
She was flanked by sultry bass from Les Calvert and accomplished accordion playing from Ms Doe, combining into a convivial and infectious set.
They closed their set with an upbeat track celebrating parties, which left the audience clapping along until the closing bar.
Following their performance, the band said: “It’s such a lovely atmosphere, and The Rising Sun is such a lovely place; they deserve all the support they can get.”
“Reading used to be the perfect place for small festivals like this, but I think our proximity to London has seen that off a little.”
Jackie Doe & The Uncertainty of Passion are set to appear at The Retreat on September 28, with more details about the band available via: jackiedoe.co.uk/the-uncertainty-of-passion
Meanwhile Lee Switzer-Woolf took to the Tree Stage, the festival’s outdoors offering, bringing assured songwriting packed with the introspection and earnestness which has come to characterise his sets.
His performance of Whistle of the Bomb began with a spoken word introduction, followed by a performance of his new single,
His emotive performance was punctuated with easy, disarming charm, balancing the mellow but mellifluous mood of his music with levity and humour.
“I love HCTS, this must be my fourth time playing among a number of bands, and the centre is one of my favourite places of all time; it’s such an important venue for Reading.
“I got to play on the beautiful Tree Stage, with such a respectful audience who were attentive, and as my songs can be quite intimate, that’s great for a set like mine.”
Speaking of his new single, Flying Saucer Working Party, he said: “It’s going to be on Spotify and other streaming services from August 21, and released on a double-single, 7″ vinyl in September.”
Elsewhere, Panic Button performed a set full of uncompromising punk rock which ran along at a blistering pace for an in-your-face performance from the quartet.
Bored Slippy performed a rare acoustic set from the band, which included the punchy yet introspective Never, a treatise on the modern phenomena of doom scrolling.
Daughter of the Water brought a peaceful and delicate instrumental set to the Tree Stage, alongside assured performances from Grace Pounds and Satin Beige.
Among the festivals other artistic offerings, regulars ZAP! Comedy performed with their usual combination of off-beat live comedy, with Dreading Slam Poetry holding a miniature version of their monthly poetry slams, as judged by the audience.
More information about The Rising Sun Arts Centre, including upcoming events and how to volunteer, is available via: risingsunartscentre.org
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