7 venues rock as Are You Listening? returns to Reading for a brilliant day of music

Wristbands were spotted in Reading town centre on Saturday as the annual Are You Listening? festival saw music lovers travel between seven venues for a day of musical treats.

Hundreds of people joined in the event, with venues reaching capacity at various points in the day.

Just under 50 different bands and acts took part in the event, including Ben Marwood, Big Special, Master Piece and The Pink Diamond Revue.

The Are You Listening? Saturday fun kicked off with Ben Marwood’s set in Market Place from noon. The Reading-based singer-songwriter is a firm favourite on the local circuit, and in March celebrated 22 years of performing.

Then, between DJ sets from Tracks & Groves, a wide range of performers appeared, including Ma Bessie, Henjila, and Oh Dear.

Saint Laurences had held a launch party on the Friday night, and welcomed people back on the Saturday. First up was a DJ set from Tigers on Vaseline, who returned across the day. Performers included Y, Ziyad Al-Samman, Honeyglaze and Dog Unit.

Headliners for the day was Master Peace, who closed the stage with his unique set.

The Ivor Novello award winner has racked up bold collaborations with the likes of Santigold, Wale and The Streets, played a string of electric headline shows across the country. He will go on from Are You Listening? to perform at this year’s Glastonbury.

The Purple Turtle stage opened at 2.15pm with a performance from House of Women.

The alt-rock five-piece have been turning heads and dropping jaws since emerging on the London gig circuit, performing grunge, stoner rock and dark folk influenced music that is inspired by their love for the alternative scene of the 90s.

Their set was so popular The Turtle had to pump the sound into the beer garden.

Reading-based The Dazed Minded followed. The four-piece female-led garage rock band say they are influenced by indie classics such as Miles Kane, Kings of Leon and Razorlight.

Also appearing were Human Interest, Tukan, and CLT DRP, whose set brought the day to an end at the Turtle.

MORE CHEESELOGS: Look back at the first day of Are You Listening? 2025

Are You Listening? had a full programme at The Face Bar, starting with Skunkworm, then Benefits, who were making their festival debut.

Another Reading band, PEJ, performed in the teatime slot, before Canadian rockers Truck Violence took over. The Pink Diamond Revue, a Reading favourite, was next up, before post-punk trip Alien Chicks performed.

This stage closed with a late-night set from Man/Woman/Chainsaw.

Sub89 welcomed people from 4.30pm, with a performance from spacey post-punk and melancholic alt. rock band Doops, weeks ahead of the launch of their debut album.

Also appearing at the Friar Street venue were Black Fondu, Shelf Loves, Coach Party and Big Special.

Milk in Merchants Place was up for welcoming people to its venue for the Are You Listening? festival.

Their programme started at 5.45pm with The Will McCrea Trio, a jazz ensemble that met while studying at the University of Reading.

Solo artist Josh Roberts was next. He performed at Glastonbury last year, and is about to release his latest single, Caught Up.

Also appearing with Bethia, Miette, Means of Production and Nathan Fake. Between acts there were DJs, including Paul Vinyl and Mat Carter.

The final venue was South Street, which hosted an evening session.

First up was Nostromo, a five-piece fusion group blending the spirit of psychedelic jazz pioneers like Alice Coltrane and Pharoah Sanders with the intensity of jazz-rock classics such as Mahavishnu Orchestra.

Paige Kennedy was next, followed by Brighton-based duo White Magic For Lovers.

Closing the day for Are You Listening? at South Street was Anna Erhard, a Berlin-based, Swiss-born singer who performed song somewhere between the spirit of Kurt Vile and early Beck.

Look out for more coverage of Are You Listening? 2025 later this week.

Pictures: Dijana Capan/DVision Images