Reading Today

RaW Sounds Today

- Chris Hillman bit.ly/raw soundstoda­y E LOVE the sheer variety of the Reading and Wokingham music scene as we get a real mixture of artists showcasing their talents. HINK classical music dates back to the Jurassic era? Reading’s Aldworth Philharmon­ic Orche

WLast week, it was a visit from a Dutch group, while next month One Last Day are back on their home turf. Add in a March of the Mods event and Tony Moore and you’ve got just a smidgen of all the talent on our patch.

Have a listen thanks to the RaW Sounds Today playlist – it features 10 great tracks to enjoy at your leisure, and they are all available on Spotify.

Simply head to https://bit.ly/rawsoundst­oday and enjoy the music.

There is also a Facebook page and group chat that bands and music fans can tap into. You can search for RaW Sounds Today and it will come up.

Pip Blom – Not Tonight

We are lucky to have gig promoters that bring some of the best new indie artists to our area and

The group of talented musicians came together at the University of Reading’s Great

Hall on Saturday, February 10, for not one but two performanc­es that once again showcases their reputation for innovative performanc­es.

The theme of this show was one of those is Heavy Pop. They put on a couple of great shows last week, one of which was at Sub 89 headlined by Pip Blom, an excellent threepiece band from Holland.

At the show, the band mainly showcased songs from their new album, Bobbie, including this one, but that’s no bad thing as it’s a collection of infectious indie pop rock with cool grooves.

They certainly went down well with the

Reading crowd and showed why it’s worth keeping an eye out for more Heavy Pop shows – pipblom.com

Cinematic Landscapes and included a world premiere as well as some favourite pieces of music from John Williams: ET and Jurassic Park.

The first show, which we attended, was a relaxed performanc­e aimed specifical­ly at families and people who would struggle to sit in a normal concert setting.

It was carefully thought out to encourage children to engage with the music as well as cope with the overwhelmi­ng sound of a full symphony orchestra.

These touches included complement­ary earplugs on the door, a room set aside for anyone needing time out and, crucially, everyone was reassured that no-one minded a bit of noise or moving around.

All items were introduced by two engaging comperes who explained the story behind each work, from E.T. to the world premiere of Apollo by young composer Daisy Ashworth.

Euphonium player James Blackford was the soloist for Roger May’s Euphonium concerto, and the audience were encouraged to call out what they thought the instrument was before he gave a short sample of the impressive range of the instrument.

The finale of the concert, music from Jurassic Park, was conducted by APO’s resident T-Rex who mingled with the audience after the concert.

As always, this APO offering was nothing short of brilliant.

The amateur orchestra will be back in action on Saturday, May 4, with a String Orchestra Concert.

The programme will include Britten’s Simple Symphony.

■ For more details, and to discover more events the orchestra will be involved in, log on to: www. aldworthph­ilharmonic.org.uk

One Last Day – It’s A Sin (Don’t Give Up)

We’ve featured this band from the Berkshire area a few times before and, if they keep making singles as good as this one, we will carry on featuring them.

This feels like one of their best so far with its melodic anthemic chorus and its simple but effective lyrical message. It’s aimed at musicians struggling to make a living doing what they love doing but I suppose it could resonate with anyone who is battling on in any area of life.

As the band say, don’t give up, and if you fancy singing along with the band to this and their other releases, they will be at Reading’s Face Bar on March 3 as part of a tour with Pistols at Dawn – www. onelastday.co.uk

Gold Steppers – I Want You To Know

The March of the Mods is an annual event where Mods stage shows around the country in aid of Teenage Cancer Trust.

The Reading show is always a great night and this year at Reading Face Bar on March 4 promises to be no exception.

Cover bands will be playing many of those classics and there’s a visit from the brilliant Gold Steppers who released this excellent original single which certainly stands up against those classics. – www. facebook.com/goldsteppe­rs

Kyros – Liminal Space

A song from the new album Mannequin album released on our White Star label. They are at Reading’s Face Bar on April 23 – www.kyrosmusic. com

Tony Moore – Blood and Roses

Among his many experience­s, Tony was in an early incarnatio­n of Iron Maiden and also 80’s band, Cutting Crew. He performs his one-man audio-visual Awake show at Wokingham Music Club on February 23 – www.awakemusic.info

Songer – Toxic (Freestyle)

A Wokingham artist who has cracked the Official Singles Top 30 with this interpreta­tion of a Britney Spears classic – www.instagram.com/5onger

Jo Jo and The Teeth – No More Good News

At the recent show by punk legends, Eater, second on the bill were Jo Jo and The Teeth – www. jojoandthe­teeth.com

Sonic Whip – Spinning Around

An exciting young band from the Netherland­s who played an excellent performanc­e at the Radio Wigwam Awards – www.sonicwhipb­and.com

Ghost of the Machine – Mercury Rising (Parts I and II)

A band who are at the Spriggan Mist Bracknell Couch show this Saturday 17 . – ghostofthe­machineoff­icial.com

Our Fate – Broken

An emotional rock ballad song from the

Reading band’s Reflection­s of My Past album. They performed a great gig at Reading Face Bar – linktr. ee/ourfateuk

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 ?? Picture: Dijana Capan/DVision Images ?? The Aldworth Philharmon­ic during rehearsals, led by Andrew Taylor
Picture: Dijana Capan/DVision Images The Aldworth Philharmon­ic during rehearsals, led by Andrew Taylor
 ?? Picture: Andrew Merritt ?? Pip Blom at Sub89
Picture: Andrew Merritt Pip Blom at Sub89
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