Closer To Home presents: Rubberband Girl

Closer To Home are in residency at Oakford Social Club this Summer, as we showcase some brilliant local up and coming acts who you need to know. Our motto is “you shouldn’t have to go to London to see great live music” - as an independent promoter, we bring phenomenal artists from across genres to Reading. These line-ups feature acts who haven’t played here in way too long - coming back, Closer To Home.

August's lineup is possibly our favourite ever Closer To Home bill.

Rubberband Girl

Frontwoman Caitlyn Scarlett has been writing and singing on some of the UK’s biggest dance records for years - but with Rubberband Girl she’s been able to set out her own folk-pop ‘Profiterole Vision’. She not only has genuinely one of the top five voices I’ve heard in person ever, she’s also bloody lovely, and is a brilliant, warm storyteller, who’ll take us on a journey including tales from her childhood growing up in Maidenhead, sunny, drunken picnics on the Thames as a teenager, and the ups and downs of the modern music industry. Not only that, she’ll be joined on stage by her some of her best mates, who also happen to be some of London’s best musicians. Drummer David Dyson has worked on session and live material for the likes of Camila Cabello, Chappell Roan, Anne-Marie, Raye, Tems, Louis Tomlinson, and Jorja Smith. Meanwhile keys player Jonathan Quarmby has a vast and prolific production and writing catalogue going back decades, including Sugababes, Plan B, and Primal Scream - and he also founded a little distribution company called AWAL in the noughties (if you know, you know). As you’d expect, together they sound brilliant. They'll take us into the night with a rhythmic, funky, but approachable sound.

Shock Horror

Shock Horror, meanwhile, are the latest inheritors of an exciting UK alternative tradition which has seen Squid, Black Midi, and Maruja become hotly tipped names on the lips of music lovers worldwide. Expect progressive melodies, angular guitars, and frenetic vocals, interwoven instinctively within mesmeric math rock structures. I love their music so much I’ve more recently just started working with them as manager - and we’ve got some big plans, so get the jump on that and get down in time for their set!

Blue Bayou

Blue Bayou have appeared from thin air in the last couple of years with a string of sold out small venue shows, building a rapidly growing hype around their fusion of chamber pop and ballads, which add in strings and trumpets to a traditional band set-up. I’ve managed to drag them over for a rare foray outside of their hometown Oxford - you will regret not seeing them when you hear how good they were afterwards - so make sure you come down early!

Timings:

Blue Bayou: 8:30-9pm

Shock Horror: 9:15-9:45pm

Rubberband Girl: 10pm