The Knowhere Guide

The Local Music Scene in Reading, Berkshire*

Reading, Berkshire Record Shops and Venues

Record Shops

• Fopp and Virgin
• Replay Records in Bristol and West Arcade (between Sainsburys local and Marks and Spencers) is pretty good. It has a massive selection of cds, records, dvds etc and a brilliant selection of posters/postcards/badges etc. guy there is helpful and knowledgable
• Music man in the Oxford Rd ,just 10 mins from Argos ,has a great selection of vinyl including rock collectables, dance ,reggae and soul. The cheapest prices in town!
• Is Rusty's Recorde still there, and the music man
• There's a shop in Harris Arcade, think it's called the sound box. The guy in there know's his stuff and can always point you in the way of the latest music. Good mix of sounds. Entrance on Friar street next to Ice Bar.
• Theres HMV which has a good mix of vinyl d 'n' b/jungle etc theres (still i think) a record shop up opposite the police station
• Sound Machine is excellent, wonderful people with great musical knowledge, who seem to be doing it out of love. Exactly what a music shop should be. It's mainly second-hand though, so HMV is in the Oracle. As soulless mall shops go, it's not so bad. Avoid on a Saturday though, particularly the metal section. It's a narrow gauntlet of black-hooded demons...
• Fopp
• Fopp
• theres a cool shop opposite the cop shop sells good vinyl for mixing and samplin' also in the arcade opposite the town hall d'n'b galore
• The Arcade behind the new Sainsbury's
• fop! its proper bo.
• HMV
• HMV and virgin are the main music shops
• Frequency - DnB specialist on Gun Street
• XS RECORDS - Cant believe they have not had a mention yet. Quite simply the best record shop in the whole of reading. In Bristol and west arcade (through sainsburys express) specialises in DNB with a healthy collection of Garage,Uk and US Hip hop and some breaks. Will shortly be going into house and website coming soon. WWW.xsrecords.co.uk Also stocks clothing inluding Technics, THTC, Akademiks, Pele Pele and Nu Era caps. Check it out.
• ahhhh harris arcade in the lil music store there or the one in bristol n west arcade, other than that, virgin and hmv (great security) good guys lol
• fopp in friar st. has varied range of music many discounted, helpful staff.
• Go to HMV in da Oracle, its run by Moshers and stuff mainly, sum townies go in but dey r usually in Virgin.
• HMV, Virgin, hmmm not much else
• Rusty's records on the Oxford road. Sells cheap alternative music, hoodys, t-shirts, vinals etc. Quite good for baggy t-shirts and cheap alternative music :)
• FOPP...MUSE cd was only a fiver!
• sound machine in the harris arcade or fopp
• i go to a little shop next to storms the army shop as it has all the latest roll deep and nasty tapes and cds
• the best record shop is hmv and virgin in the town centre coz there is always at least 30 tic boys waitin outside and footlocker is right next door.HEAVEN
• sound machine, hmv for 5 fingering cd's.
• Sound machine is brilliant, skater, mosher, goth or barry manilow fan, there's something for ou and the guy who owns it is called Bev, he's prety cool.
• rustyies and sound machine they are the best of the best. sound machine prolly the bestest ever down the harris aracde the kewlest place 2 see and be seen if ur in there your either a mini mosh or hardcore!!!
• the sound machine in the harris arcade and replay in the other arcade pretty much nxt to the harris (virgin megastores has been goin down in quality recently)
• Sound machine
• sound machine most obviously. fopp is amazing.
• sound machine is independenet, but rusty's records on oxford road is good for vinyl and swings between nice an' friendly and suspicious...
• The best record shop in Reading is the comic book store in Harris Arcade...near one of the Sound Machines. The guy sell Vintage and Classic Records. It Pricey but great if you Dj.
• sound machine (broad street mall and harris arcade) virgin and hmv. sound machine is usually cheapest
• HMV is realy gud the staff r nice n helpful
• rusty's on oxford road. mr rusty is a legend. sound machine obviously, harris arcade one is best. cash converters is not bad for videos. near the station. where the youths skate.
• Hmmm....HMV's not too bad, but propermusic has to comefrom either Rusty's records down the oxford road or sound machine either in traders arcade or broad st mall.
• THE SOUND MACHINE
• The little shop in the arcade by the station is the best I've ever been in, and the dudes that run it know everything about everything.
• Sound Machine
• Sound Machine- Harris Arcade.
• Sound Machine in Broad Street Mall. good selection of nu-metal/rock/metal etc. although, i worryingly found a Cliff Richard CD in there the other day.
• Virgin is full of young school girls avoid avoid avoid, tower records sells cheap records as does the V shop a much better option.
• You can nick bundles of stuff from woolworths
• Music Man down Oxford road, loads of old records (and new) for dirt cheap.
• Sound Machine in the Harris Arcade (*not* the Broad Street mall) is great for rareties and cut-price chart singles -- it sells genuinely good albums for £5, and promo singles for 20p. It's worth looking in the Cancer Research shop across the road from the Harris Arcade, as Sound Machine discard their singles here sporadically. If you're looking for obscure vinyl or anything other than Indie/Rock, Reading won't do it, but most music is available from the large HMV, or Virgin.
• There are a couple of second hand record shops in the arcades that come off Friar Street. Nothing *that* special though. For a place with so many crusties and soap dodgers, it's quite surprising.
• Reading is a musical void, forget it. Even the record basement's gone!
• Cd sale in the union on a thursday is good. Cheap too.
• jims - merchant place [above that antique shop / barn]: jim will find you the most obscure record you want in his many boxes - hippedyhop, electro, funk, soundtracks, spoken word... it's all good sound machine - harris arcade: like jims but less obscure. sound machine - broad street mall: good for limp bizkit types [i.e shite] music man - oxford road: superb, no-one really seems to go here [it's a couple of minutes from the town centre] but it's real heap - cheap vinyl, loads of stock hmv and virgin are there too.
• Rusty's Records, Oxford Street, just over the flyover. Dedicated alternative store, also does chart stuff. Cheap, and the guy in there is an excellent man. Beats rip off Sound Machine, HMV and Virgin hands down.
• The Sound Machine in the old 'Traders' walk way, is far best the best record shop in the town centre, from 60's to autographed memorabilla, cool prices and helpful staff, no grunts when u ask 4 a Blodwin Pig single!
• Who ever put in the comment 'Record Basement sells Underground Music' is a fuckin PLEB, Basement has never and will never sell aything underground. The bloke who used to own it used to run a good Underground shop (mostly US stuff ie NO FUCKING HANDBAG, TRANCE or IBIZA SHIT) called Soul Cellar, now that was a good shop.
• Reading has NOTHING.
• Assuming it's still running I spent much time during my formative years in Basement sitting behind the counter smoking and listening to tunes. Asolutely wonderful shop and, if he still works there, Timmy is one of the nicest people you could ever hope to meet and really knows his stuff. Totally recommended.
• none of note anymore, the old HMV in Friar street used to have a half decent collection of vinyl and a pair of 1210's to hear them on. the new HMV in the Oracle has deemed fit to do away with that service, the quality of vinyl has suffered too.
• Green River used to be excellent, alas no longer there. HMV and Virgin are impressivley large.Most of the shopping arcades have decent second hand shops
• Gotta be sound machine as its cheap.
• Sound Machine is all i have to say
• I used to shop in Green river records, but I found it was full of tossers and that fat bloke that ran it - Paul I think his name was, he used to wink at me in a suggestive manner.
• Sound Machine in Broad St Mall and Harris Arcade
• Green River shut a couple of years ago which was a real shame as it was one of the best, Sound Machine did have 2 shops in the Harris Arcade but now have one extended shop plus their shop in the Broad Street Mall - both are definitely worth checking out if you want new and second hand CDs for a fraction of the price that HMV/Virgin taxes you for thesedays (mostly alternative/indie/grunge it has to be said, but always worth a look whatever you're into - even some dance music), they also sell many band tops.
• Archway next door to The Ship pub on the corner of King's Road and Dukes Street. Open on saturday's Sells very cheap CD's. Loads of them. All sorts. Never bought anything there. Just know it's there.
• Falcon Records, a bit lame but my mate works there. They've got some good/strange stuff if you are prepared to hunt.
• Haven't seen a mention of Hickies at all. Very helpful and knowledgeable about any classical music that you want. The man behind the counter seems to know just about everything past and present in the CD market -- and all the versions with different conductors! Also do instruments, though I've never bought one there.
• The Record Basement. One of the best shops to get underground dance music from.
• Green River alternative music. HMV, Virgin Megastore, Our Price. Sound Machine, Harris Arcade, town centre. Very good 2nd hand vinyl/CD shop, lots of indie, dance, 60s-70s. Replay Records in the Bristol and West Arcade has a great selection of used vinyl and CDs and the best selection of posters in Reading.

Clubs (Dance Music) and Music Bars

• Church of Madness at The Rising Sun pub on a Weds night. Goth, Rock, EBM, Electro, Indie... etc.
• The legendary afterdark!!
• ALL THIS INFO YOU HAVE READ IS OLD!!!!!! THE HOT PLACES TO BE IF YOU ARE INTO ALTERNATIVE/EMO/HXC/PUNK/SCENE IS PURPLE TURTLE, BEST ALTERNATIVE BAR AROUND, FACE CLUB EVERY FRIDAY FOR LOCAL GIGS WHICH ARE AWESOME EVERY WEEK (BEWARE IF YOU DONT WEAR DRAIN PIPES OR CAMOS OR A LARGE AMOUNT OF BLACK YOU ARE UNLIKELY TO FIT IN) FEZ CLUB IS THE BEST CLUB IN TOWN, PLAYING MOSTLY ALTERBATIVE MUSIC ON THREE FLOORS, CAN GET VERY CROWDED, MOST PEOPLE HEAD THERE AFTER THEY HAVE BEEN TOO PURPLE TURTLE. IRISH CLUB PLAYS HOST TO ALL THE ALTERNATIVE 'BABY FACED' SCENE/EMO/HXC/PUNK KIDS, GREAT VIBE GREAT PRICES INTERESTING PEOPLE GREAT SCENE OUTIFTS HAHA. ANYONE ALTERNATIVE HEADS TO THE FIRDAY NIGHT LOCAL GIG AT FACE RUN BY 'BUK AND SKIT' MOST FIRDAY NIGHTS.
• Right. Two main choices in Reading. The Oracle.. Few bars.. Slug&Lettuce, Bar 38, Bar Med (always good for a bite to eat in the day), if you want to impress a girl, take her to Loch Fyne Restaurant, by the river next to the new flats opposite House of Fraser. Second choice is Friar Street, loads of pubs, they don't like underage people (some are 21yrs+) or groups of lads. The Monks Retreat, near the town hall is good, cheap but no music, Bar 4 (opposite Monks) is ok. Yates is picking up again after it flopped a couple years back. For Clubs you could try Revolution but Risa is where the old Reading faces hang out these days. theres two big rooms and varied music. Girls seem to love the 70's -90's music upstairs at the weekend, downstairs is dance, R'n B, the usaul club stuff. A lot of people stay away from Reading because of fears over violence. I go out every week in Reading and can't remember the last time I saw a fight or any real violence. The bouncers are all linked to each other and the Police so any incidents are dealt with before they get out of hand. If you can find it, definetly try the Afrobar. it's down the ally between Garrard Street carpark and Friar Street. My advice, get out there, watch your drinks and have fun. If you wanna start a fight, chances are you will not go home smiling! For those of you who weren't allowed out 7 years ago... The best club of all time was Level One, Chatham Street. It's gone now and we'll all miss it!!!
• BOXING CLUB was the f'ng best, but it lost its license its still on but no longer till 6am
• The Turtle keeps messing about, it sacked all the decent bouncers and got some automata with black coats and black hearts. Checkpoint's moved to the Fez full-time now, so it remains to be seen how that will affect it. Bouncers can affect how good somewhere is so much... knowharahmean?
• After Dark v good, Purple Turtle
• CLUBS!!! in reading?? The good old boxing club, back in the day of oops sound system and float etc, now has ok jungle d'n'b bunch of young kids waving thier lighters about, NO JOKE!! the fez is ok, but really hook up with some mates and get going to a free party
• The After Dark, London Street - don't wear white unless you want everyone to see your knickers....
• Risa, After Dark, I prefer pubs!!
• Bar Four when Tanya ran it, was the best place to go. AND the only bar in Reading with a pole in the middle of the dance floor! The best time was xmas and new year when the staff were more drunk than the customers! ah the memories!
• utopia dont exsist in calcot no more. but the martix is still going, no matter how dangerous it gets
• The Fez Club (where Alleycats once stood - the best House, RnB, Rock, DnB and Hip hop nights.
• Face Bar, Chatham street. The Boxing Club, also chatham street The Fez
• Best place to go if you're out to dance (not score) is the plug 'n' play. Some truly talented DJs/VJs pass that way so the music is refreshing and sometimes surprising but always damn good. Never had a problem with the crowd. (mainly friends of the cafe Iguana without a festival to go to) Don't be put off when a fourty year old dances you under the table; they were out raving when we were eating crayons and making mud pies for the babysitter.
• Revolution, there is a strip club near to Smelly alley but I can't remember its name
• I thout clubbin was a bit pikyish?? However the Walkabout aint 2 bad.
• purple tutrle baby! bar oz is good too 21 south street and the roebuck in tilehurst (always good on a saturday night)
• Live DJs playing . Under 18's Club Night, 14th February 2004, Pangbourne Village Hall. Tickets available through www.thesteocomapny.freeservers.com
• matrix and all the stimulation events
• In 1991 Reading saw the birth of the original bar culture; Cartoons and Bukowskis were the venues to be seen in having the correct management ingredient for starts then diving straight in the main course of deejay’s: Rob Lecroix, djmilky, The Fat man & not forgetting the Legendary DJ DUFFER
• Matrix .utopia,hexagon rivermead bar risa bar four brannigans poo na na and bare more but i juss cant remember.
• update: RG1s has been closed down. stay away from brannigans, it's full of dirty middle aged men and if you're female you will be groped in there!
• The Granby is one of the best Gay clubs in southern England. It has fab music and a great atmosphere and everyone gets along and is friendly. Not dodgy atmosphere like the pubs in the town. It is just of cemetary junction and is open till 2am Thurs-Sat and karaoke on sun
• ok purple turtle is the place. Was once full of alternative art boys now full of pretty much every young person they can fit, still packed with style and still the best club to be seen in for meeting INTERESTING ppl. to get lashed and dance try brannigans!
• A few Seals now and then.
• Purple Turtle, a great rock bar
• Checkpoint Charlie and Plug and Play. For anything else go to London my friends, Reading isn't offering you anything like the clubs/ chicks of London.
• THE MATRIX...woo hoo. party on down with that drum and bass shit.
• Utopia has changed! tried it saturday and got 3 drinks for the price of one, and the fit-ist bird dj on the decks
• Checkpoint CHARLIE at the After Dark Club is absolutely rocking about ten years after it started. It's like a time-warp. Probably the best techno club in the country.
• Obviously no one has been to the MATRIX recently it is one of the best clubs in town!! playing house, trance, hard dance, d n b , rn b, its absolutely great!!
• the place to be in Reading is The fez on a monday nite, alternative music,closes at 2am n has d best crowd ever, every1 friendly n a great nite out.im der every monday:) also a the fez is great on a tues nite,student nite free 2 get in b4 a certain time, plays hip hop n rnb downstairs n ur pop stuff upstairs
• Hard to comment on this one, as I've only been to one in Reading so far - The Matrix. How we laughed as we were frisked by a huge man with eager hands and then made to walk through a metal detector... The interior was passable though, even if it did resemble my old youth club back in the day. As for the music, it had a beat, it wasn't too fast or too slow, so you can dance to it. The female DJ was also fit.
• after dark...
• Wanna get pissed for cheap and pull a minger? The After Dark Usually well good fun. Wanna fight? anywhere in the Oracle esp Brannigans RG1 is closed now so the teenage slappers have dispersed who knows where...prob Utopia..errrr! The TUC is pretty much the same as it every was...a load of miserable teenagers headbanging to 'Rock'...some ok music though...good 4 Jailbait! I have heard the Jazz Club is getting some good acts now and again but it's still a bit of a place for posh nobbers mostly. Fancy reminising? New Vallbonnes is now a Curry House so try and throw up in the same spot you did in the past...just with different colours. Fancy getting ripped off: The Matrix...too pricey and too many people thinking Garage is all gravy! Heard it changed management though so may be ok now!
• matrix has bassheads every other friday night.. i don't advise it though.
• hm...now valbonnes was amusing, now its an indian restaurant.
• RG1s has been shut down! Apparently its being knocked down! I for one am pleased cos i'll no longer be dragged there just cos 'everyone goes there'. It was too hot and rubbish anyway!
• Try Mango just opened near kwik save for something a bit different, do good food there too
• THEY ALL ARE PAP
• Matrix - Bassheads night! Gay-Rage night is well shit
• um if ur a goth then go to the tut n shive (rising) by 4bury most of the 4obs go in there
• The Matrix is good for Dance music and runs house, trance, hard house, garage (bleuch!!) and D & B nights. gets tiresome very quick though and gets quite messy some weekends. The Fez is a better all rounder for a boozey night with a 20-something studenty crowd. Avoid RG1's like the plauge.
• T.U.C- best place to be every friday night 9 till 2! Jim and Frank plat great music and do super jobs as D.JS. Moshers and Goths hang out hear.
• Matrix was voted club of the year by Ministry - do they know something we don`t? Ok if you gotta nova SR, loads gold and like saying SELECTOR and BOOM and other such twaddle innit?
• Utopia is so bad no its worse than that. Great place to go if your over the age of 18 and like to fufil your pedophile needs or a whitly bitch..... I personally like bar med
• To give a quick update as at Nov 2001: The Boxing Club IS still open (although, currently, only till 2am), and from Jan 2002 will be hosting nights by Fushion, ValleyMoods (Deep House), Inna?State (Psy-Trance), Kommotion (Techno & D&B), and others. Other underground style venues (as opposed to commercial give-us-your-dosh clubs) amount to: Central club for occasional nights by Liquid (D&B, Techno), Inna?State (Psy-Trance) and others, After Dark for Checkpoint Charlie (house & hard house) on the 1st Thursday of every month and Tropicana for occasional nights. You can also catch some alternative dance related music at the Rising Sun Institute (NOT the pub of the same name) on varying nights. Although Fushion are no longer doing their Sunday chill-outs, a new sunday chill session at the Rising Sun starts in December 2001.
• The Matrix (Good for DnB). The Boxing Club - Haven't been for a while...
• After Dark has been sorted, Fez club (altho if u want a similar night out to the Fez, go to Po Na Na - exactly the same just everyone goes the Fez cos it is closer), Don't bother with the Matrix... it is crap. Try a house party instead, they are cheaper, friendlier (pillers), and play alright music... Farewell Junktiun Ten!!!
• For a town with such a massive selection of crap pubs, Reading has a limited selection of crap clubs to match. The first is Utopia. Sadly left in a chrome and pink era of the 90s, nights at utopia are nights we all like to forget. Still charges over 20 quid a round (so i've been told). The after dark club literally has sweat dripping from the walls - and it's hairy smelly customers sweat. Cheap drinks though. And no queue.
• Avoid. The Matrix is packed full of people wanting to pull, with road-drilling dance music. Substitute 'The Matrix' as appropriate with the names of other venues. Luckily, it's only a few pounds to get to London.
• The after dark club is like a church hall inside and it serves beer in cans with plastic skiff an optional extra. It's not very sophisticated and it's been there for years but it's the only place approximating to a club in Reading that I ever go to. It must have something going for it, like an easy going clientel and no violence or pretention.
• The matrix - if you want to pay more than it would cost to get in to almost any club in London then have to endure absurdly overpriced alcohol, almost inaudiable music (due to noise level restrictions imposed after the council found the roof was made of tin) which will invariably be shite. Excellent fun though if you enjoy playing 'spliff hide and seek' with the bouncers
• Reading clubs have become a horrible mix of Eurotrash, and USA cheesiness. Plus you have to wait forever to get in. Once you do-drinks poor, expensive, bouncers with pretentious attitudes, full of haven't learned to hold my drink yet teeny boppers from all around-this town is a magnet to them. Or 'suit' crowd'-commuters.
• THE ONLY THING TO DO ON A SATURDAY NIGHT IS GO TO THE FIRKIN FOLLOWED BY RG1. EVERYWHERE ELSE IS JUST PANTS!!!!
• The Fez Club, I have found to be the best Friday night out in Reading, although normally a big queue outside, it only takes 10 minutes to get in. Funk on a Friday means a good crown,never any trouble. Drinks are a bit pricey!!!
• RG1's is dire
• Fez club on a monday has a rock night and club tropicana on a friday too. Highlights of the week, even though theyre not brill. Definately worth a trek into London
• Every Tuesday during University term time there's a rock and metal night at the university Union, including nu metal, grunge, goth, heavy metal, rock, cheese, 80s, and just about anything else! If they don't have it, bring it or copy it! Starts 8.30pm.
• Matrix,Utopia,Level 1..BBBass.. how long can u stand it!
• There's alot of pubs in reading but most are the same! Downstairs at the Fez is okay for Pre 92 House and some Breaks, Funk Phenomenon is a good Crack to. Upstairs at Iguana is Chilled and the Purple Turtle can be a laugh if abit young. Avoid Oscars, Washington Heights and the rest of the chains unless you wear Reebok Classics, Ralph Lauren shirt(lime green, Salmon pink and lemon yellow are proper up there innit), cheap jewellery like a right nice soverign ring, and speak with a Bumpkin accent i.e Tileworst. Also avoid Matrix on Jungle night because of the above or you'll have to deal with pilled up bumpkin monkeys asking you about Cars and Maxpower, tell u wot roiight, Moi system is 'rinsin' haaard roight!
• If you like good music you're buggered. No joke! Some times J10 have a free party but not often enough. Technosense is held once a month at the after dark and is the only place I'd go to for the music.
• Nov 2000: One year after my last post here methinks time for another update ... By the time you're reading this The Boxing Club will probably have sadly closed - having been stripped of its late license by our killjoy local council (boo!) If you like techno then Technosense is well worth checking out (http://www.junkchun-ten.8m.com/technosense) - used to be at The After Dark but now looks like moving to somewhere new. Fushion chillouts at The Rising Sun Arts Centre are worth a visit. The Alleycat Studios (was good for parties!) is now a yuppies private members club (boo!). Cumbers has been bought out by The Matrix (boo!). Despite The Matrix, the underground scene still rules - Junkchun Ten, Fushion, Korrupt and Enginearin' all going strong. Livin' Proof good for hip-hop. A good guide to clubs in Reading can be found at http://www.o-reading.co.uk - even if they do tend to produce glowing reviews of T*e M****x (spit!). VFR 107 is now sadly off air - but check out Seduction 107.95 FM (http://www.geocities.com/seductionfm). Checkpoint Charlie is still at The After Dark - a tad expensive at 7 quid door tax, and the music is a bit lightweight, but always gets a good up-for-it crowd.
• Matrix is laughable. Over priced, full of townies and my car has a better sound system.
• RGI'S!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! IT IS SO GOOD EVEN THOUGH THAT IT IS TACKY, THAT'S WHAT CLUBBING IS ALL ABOUT!!!! UNFORTUNATELY FOR THE GIRLS IT IS POPULATED BY EITHER SAD OLD MEN OR COMPLETE ARSEHOLES BUT WE STILL HAVE A GOOD TIME! UTOPIA IS AN UTTER SHIT HOLE AND ANYONE WHO TAKES THE PLACE SERIOUSLY NEEDS TO BE SHOT. THE DJS ARE REALLY UNTALENTED AND ONLY SEEM TO B ABLE TO PLAY ABOUT 5 SONGS AND TRY TO DISGUISE THEM AS DIFFERENT REMIXES- LOAD OF SHIT!!!!
• Well Checkpoint at the After Dark will always hold some of the fondest memories of my life. Amonst others, Carl Cox and Josh Wink used to pop down for a boogie when they didn' have any gigs on. How's that for a recommendation? Lost it a bit when it moved, but I hear it's back there now so probably well worth checking out again.
• Dance is dead - exploited to death.
• the Wide Awake Club - 1st friday of the month - without a doubt the best hard house & trance night outside london. Now at the Boxing Club on chatham street 9pm - 6am, very hot & crowded, but the most up-for-it crowd you'll come across - wall to wall grins !!!! Most of the DJ's are home grown talent but I defy anyone to knock the quality - check out http://www.wideawakeclub.co.uk Avoid the matrix, fez, RG1's, Utopia - full of Fuckwits ! The Matrix hasw the bare faced cheek to call itself a 'Dance Club' what a load of toss ! they employ Hitler Youth on the door and generally just want your MONEY ! Sound system sounds like a car stereo in a D reg Transit van.
• Utopia is a pit, Level 1 is extremely dodgy and the After Dark is small dank and very sweaty. The Fez club is ok though is impossible to get into of a Weekend.
• WELL THE NEWEST AND BEST CLUB AROUND IS THE MATRIX OF COURSE WITH A CAPACITY OF ABOUT 1700 YOU DONT GET MUCH MORE. FUCKING AMAZING CLUB ALTOUGH ITS A BIT MORE LIKE A DISCO THE WAY ITS SET OUT. ITS ABOUT £4 ENTRY AND THERES ABOUT THREE ROOMS WITH DIFFERENT TYPES OF MUSIC, GOOD PLACE TO GO IF YOURE ON THE PULL AND WANNA GET LAID (BY A SLAPPER) BEST TO GO ON FRI AND SAT THOUGH.
• The FEZ on a monday night has a good rock night, and its where all the skaters hang in the school holidays. cheap beer. dont get bacardi breezer as it costs a bomb.lots of (very)youn people!!
• I used to go to the after dark, it was great for underage totty - but the beer was watered down and the old bloke on the door was a miserable bastard, I hope he's dead in fact.
• Nov 1999. To update some of the out-of-date info here (1) The Alleycat Live has now shut down - reportedly its been bought by the people who operate Po Na Na. Most of the Allecat Live gigs have now moved to The Central Club on London Street. (2) Checkpoint is now held at The After Dark, as is Inna?State. (3) Applejacks closed ages ago and has now re-opened as a pub called The Litten Tree. (4) There is a new club on London street situated at the old bingo hall called The Matrix (http://www.t-h-e-m-a-t-r-i-x.com). Very upmarket and glitzy. Cheesy Music and Dress Code on Saturdays, but they have some decent music on Fridays, with Reading party crews like Junkchun-Ten, OooPs! and Float playing there. (5) The Boxing Club on Chatham Street is now allowed to open until 6am every Friday night with Ooops! (http://www.ooops.net) playing Drum N Bass on the second Friday of every month, and Float playing very hard trance and techno on the last Friday of every month. (6) Check out Reading's community radio station VFR 107.00 FM - licensed for Nov and Dec 1999 and possibly after that too. Comes on air after midnight with DJs from Reading party crews like Junkchun-Ten and Freestate.
• Nov. 99, Alleycat Live has closed (although rumoured to be opening again soon) New club on London St called The Matrix just opened, havent been yet but seems to have some name DJs, from the flyers looks to be commercial dance mainly Nue Valbonne has closed down/been shut down for the good of all After Dark still going strong, proof that you don't need to spend any money on a club to make it a success. Great indie and 80's theme nights. Applejacks has been converted into a pub
• Please, plesae, please dont waste your time by going to Utopia. Utter crap. Level 1's and RG1's, marginally better but only if you're off your face as it saves you trekking out of town. Alternatively save your money and go somewhere decent in London where you're allowed to wear your trainers and stay there to 6am.
• I'm sure I saw the After Dark club on the Cook Report once
• Techno/trance: Inna?State in the After Dark on London St, monthly night, usually on Thursdays, and Float in the boxing club on Chatham St, last Friday each month.
• A LOT OF THESE MESSAGES ABOUT READING NIGHTLIFE ARE OUT OF DATE AND SIMPLY WRONG! GOD DAMN IT. UTOPIA IS THE MOST POPULAR CLUB FOR TOWNYS, DUNNO WHAT ITS LIKE, NEVER BEEN, PROBABLY A MEAT FEST. I'M TOLD THE FOAM PARTIES ARE GOOD. AFTER DARK CLUB IS PROBABLY IN THE SCARIEST PART OF TOWN BUT IS ACTUALLY V UNSCARY. ITS AN UNUSUAL MIX AND THATS PROBABLY WHY IT LACKS A UNIFIED ATMOSPHERE(I SHOULD REALLY GET A LIFE AND NOT KEEP WRITING SUCH CRAP ON THE NET), MAINLY INDIE THOUGH, BUT GOOD SPECIAL OFFERS ON THE DRINKS. ALLEYCATS IS REALLY A ROCK VENUE AND NO MATTER HOW MUCH IT TRIES TO PULL IN THE DANCE CROWDS WITH ITS CLUB NIGHTS IT SHOULD STICK TO ATTRACTING SUCH GREAT BANDS AS ONE MINUTE SILENCE, KILL II THIS, TERRORVISION, THERAPY? ETC ETC NOW MY FRIENDS I MUST COME TO MY MAIN POINT... NUE VALBONNES IS NOT, DESPITE ALL THAT HAS ALREADY BEEN WRITTEN, CRAP. IN FACT AS FAR AS METAL/ALTERNATIVE/ROCK NIGHTS GO, ESPECIALLY IN THIS AREA, FRIDAYS AT NUE VALBONNES IS THE BEST AROUND AND FAR EXCEEDS AGINCOURT IN CAMBERLEY. BE WARNED THOUGH, THE DRINKS GO UP IN PRICE DRAMATICALLY AS THE NIGHT GOES ON. BUT ENTRANCE HOWEVER IS FREE IF YOU GET THERE EARLY. THIS IS DEFINITELY THE BEST CLUB I'VE BEEN TO IN READING AND HAS STUFF FROM PITCHSHIFTER TO GUNS N ROSES AND LIMP BIZKIT TO BON JOVI. ENJOY!
• Utopia is a great club. On entrance the bouncers are quite polite greeting you, up the stairs and only £1 B4 10:30 on student nights, great deal. Two floors, and a lot of bars. If you are a Reading Uni student you may have the membership pass so you can go to the membership area in the club. The toilets are very clean as well. Theres a nice standing area so you can watch people dance down below. The dance floor is huge and the DJ's are cool. Sometimes on Student nights they do an hour (after 12) of 80's music but before and after they play 90's dance and house music. The musis is cool. The burgers inside are a bit pricey but nice. There a small photo booth where you can get tiny photos of you and your friends for £2.50. On the top floor in the centre there is a hexagon cut-out so you can see below. The drinks are great the music is cool, over all its the best club I've ever been to. Well done UTOPIA.
• Alleycat Live, some great looking nights on paper but the quality can vary a lot. The After Dark. If you haven't been going to it since it was the only club in Reading you might not understand its charm. Great atmosphere. Dress down and try not to fall on the floor, you might stick. Level One. Extremely cheesy and expensive. Dress up and try and avoid the bouncers. Utopia. If you can get a friend to drive you then you are OK, almost impossible to get a taxi back late at night and no busses unless you are a student. Once you are there it's pleasant enough. Not enough to get me going that far out of town very often. Also it's pretty cheap.
• Sindlesham Mill in Lower Earley, especially on ladies Night's Utopia in Calcot, often has guest D.J's from the local 210FM crew
• Nothing in reading?!!! Get your ear to the ground and check out the pulse of readings underground. Sound systems inc oops who incidentally have been doing it for time (drum & bass), Float,Livid,Innerstate for the technophiles out there. What about the full on banging Lost the Plot, not to mention Readings own underground radio station on 107.2Fm fri &sat through to the early hours. Come on there's more to Reading than RG1s,Utopia and the Turtle - Thank God - A huge shout to all the Reading crews devoted to the underground. Keep it alive! ...slump has left Reading, Checkpoint Charlie left but has returned now at the Afterdark
• Hawaiian bar is now shut and been replaced by Po Na Na which is rather expensive (they have no draught beers) but also full of friendly happy (albeit rather pissed) people. Open 'till 2am(?) so queue is horrendous at pub kicking out time when the entry fee goes up to £4 (free b4 10pm)
• Tropicana (WAC - we are the Wide Awake Club and play Hard House and Trance) - see Web Site above. Po Na Na - Duke Street, very chilled and great; Level Ones - without the teenages and the chart music, it'd be kewl; RG1s/Nue Valbonnes/Utopia - give them a miss unless you are sad; AppleJacks - a little chessey at time, but can be pretty ok. Bouncer are very over the top! We could go on and on as Reading has become one large pub/club, but we have better things to do, like finishing this huge form.
• Club Tropicana - used to be the TUC, still called that by anyone who goes there - Friday night is Alternative night. If your a grunger/goth/indie etc, it's one of the only clubs you can go to and fit in. The rest of Reading is raver dominated. Typical.
• RG1 and Utopia big, noisy, cattle-marketish and just damn good fun. Exactly what they should be.
• Well this is a tough one as I'm under 18 but I have 2 older b5others and from what they tell me Reading is not too bad on the clubscene, I know that Nue Valbonnes doesnt' help the rep much but we can't all be perfect. Nue Valbonnes is the sort of place that turns you down if you are over 12 so I wouldn't even bother with that one.
• The Rising Sun Arts Centre (Silver Street) has a new night of drum and bass, techno, hip-hop and er.. everything. S'called Freestyle and the next one's on Friday 19th June 1998! Check out the FS web site. www.angelfire.com/co/breaksandbeats
• Don't bother with Applejacks - pile of shite! Bukowskis (formerly JW's) is much better on a Friday night if you want to listen to good sounds and get to the bar without a fight. Alleycats is still going strong as a late night drinking and dancing den but it looks like it could do with a lick of paint and some plumbing maintenance to stop everyone elses piss flowing onto the floor by 2am.
• With more and more pubs and clubs opening in Reading all the time, it's getting pretty hard to keep up. We now have Level One, which is pretty much a warehouse with some bars in it. No neon tubes and chromed staircases in here, just a couple of BIG rooms a couple of bars (pricey drinks though). You'll find it under Chatam Street carpark, near the Ramada Hotel. So far I've only tried it on a a Thursday, and being as all the students had gone home for Easter it was still quite busy. Well worth a try. Shows great potential. Also Downstairs at JW's. Looks like a normal pub on the corner of Gun Street and St Mary's Butts. Downstairs there's a smallish room which looks like a swimming pool changing room. Heard a superb DJ on Friday playing hard trance. Very good atmosphere if a little small. Another point about Nue Val Bonne, despite being bloody horrible, if you pay £10 (Men) £5 (Ladies) on a Thursday to get in, you get free mainline beer and spirits all night. That makes up for the club itself and it's clientelle.
• Alleycats Live - beware the bouncers! A quiet night out at Checkpoint Charlies can end in a bloodbath if you aren't careful. Avoid making eye contact with them.
• Applejacks on Castle Street. Very pricey, run by "Mr French" who also runs the gym underneath it. Club is raided and closed by the police regularly. Over the last two years, it's been refurbished and renamed six times. In descreasing chronological order: Applejacks, Bonkers, CoCo's, French's, Club Paradiso, Flamingo. Expensive. Shit.
• Churchills. I've not been to this one but I hear it's quite violent and generally unenjoyable.
• Nue Valbonnes, Caversham. Another meat market. Non-descript music. Not very pleasant.
• Central Club. Usually has something on at the weekend. Mainly jungle and reggae.
• Hawaiian Bar. Horrible music, horrible people, horrible bouncers. Do yourself a favour and give it a miss.
• Slump. Sundays at Alley Kats. Downtempo chill-out for Sunday afternoons (1pm - 6pm). I've not been but people tell me it's pretty good.
• Checkpoint Charlie. Fortnightly Fridays at Alley Kats. One of the best nights in the country. Always quality DJs and a friendly atmosphere but can be hard to get in due to size of crowds. Get there early!
• The Holy Rumes. Name DJs. Runs until 4am. Doesn't seem too popular with students which may be down to price (£8 usually).
• Cumbers. Small underground club with a variety of nights (Jungle, House, Revival).
• After Dark, on London Street, open late and does bands. A great club if you are into indy, grungy stuff. Do not under any circumstances wear decent clothes. If you fall over on that floor you have to wash your clothes at least twice. It's a fun place - lots of moshing! Watch out for one guy behind the bar who tries the ol' "no you gave me a fiver, not a tenner" trick (regularly!).
• UTOPIA by the Sega park
  • One off the best clubs I've been to outside London, about eight bars, two levels, and a large dance floor. Also Wednesday night is student night (pound a pint). Highly recommended.
  • Student night at Utopia is on Tuesdays and the beer tastes watered down. If you go on any other day, especially during the week, watch out for the bouncers: they are very good at boxing. The club is good though, very big.
  • As for Utopia - yes well. The beer tastes watered down, and the place is more like a cattle market sale. If you are looking for lousy beer and atmosphere then it's the place, otherwise a four-pack and a good film on Sky is a better bet!
  • Regarding Utopia: It isn't that bad on student nights! O.K., it may be a cattle market, but isn't that what most people go clubbin' for! And as for the beer, at a pound a pint, what do you expect? It may taste watered down, but after a few you're still saving money!
  • One of the worst clubs in Reading (unless you're into meat markets). Crap music, crap beer, bouncers with attitood. OK, yes it is big. So? Go sit in a warehouse then.
• Washington Heights has gone (to no-one's regret), to be replaced by Club RG1, which looks almost as tacky as it's predecessor, so I haven't tried it.
  • As for RG1's, well, it's very busy on a Thursday, and at 50p a pint and 50p a shot of spirits, again, you're gonna get the same effect as a pub but for much cheaper. Both this and Utopia run a bus service, so they obviously want your custom, presuming you're a student! All in all, there's not much better in Reading, so give these clubs a look. You may well be pleasantly surprised!
  • RG1s. Very tacky but student nights on Thursday are good value (beer 50p a pint) and always busy. Weekends draw a slightly older crowd. Not as bad as some club snobs will tell you.
• According to the local press, despite local opposition the old TU club in Chatham Street has now been licensed as a nightclub for 650 people... in a residential area. Called apparently, Club Tropicana, if the air con is as bad as when it was the TU club it will be.

Live Music Venues

• Face Bare
• Fez club and purple turtle are good for alternative music
• FACE CLUB - LOCAL GIG EVERY FRIDAY. PACKED MOST WEEKS. IMMENSE MUSIC SCENE IN READING (EMO/HXC/SCENE/POP PUNK) FEZ CLUB HAVE ADVERTISED SHOWS AROUND ONCE/TWICE A MONTH - NORMALLY PRETTY AWESOME - AGAIN ONLY IF YOU FIT INTO THE READING MUSIC SCENE SOUTH STREET - BIG LOCAL GIGS OFTEN SELLS OUT NEARBY CELLAR BAR IN BRACKNELL, EVERY SUNDAY OFTEN SELLS OUT DEPENDING ON HOW GOOD THE BANDS PLAYING ARE, ENTER SHIKARI, EXIT TEN, SYLOSIS HAVE ALL PLAYED THERE OFTEN I.E. ALEXISONFIRE COMING UP (IF YOU HAVENT HEARD OF THESE UNDERGROUND BANDS THEN ITS UNLIKELY YOULL FIT IN, MAINLY SCENE HXC EMO KIDS GO) OX FORD ZODIAC IS ONLY A 20 MINTUE TRAIN RIDE, MASSIVE SIGNED BANDS PLAY THERE, AWESOME VENUE, LONDON IS ONLY ROUGHLY 20 MINUTE TRAIN JOURNEY TO ASTORIA - ONE OF THE BIGGEST VENUES IN THE COUNTRY, HOST BANDS AS BIG AS A7X LAMB OF GOD CRAZYFISTS AS I LAY DYING ECT
• Look out for the Sand Creek Massacre, great local band. There are loads of venues, Colors by the station on a Thurs is good, The Rising sun on a Friday always has some top bands and cheap beer.
• Rising Sun Arts Centre, Silver Street. College bands and bigger. Very nice bar - good fruit juice!!
• The university?
• rivermead for the reading rock festival and other acts, scissor sisters were there in october. the hexagon, has bin visited by misteeq and jamelia this year.
• The Fez Club - live music on different nights of the week - from indie to rock to hip hop - The Killers to Blak Twang
• South Street does some good venues, in January they had a punk rock night which kicked ass
• Jazz club nr reading west station
• CELLAR BAR! South hill park in Bracknell, slightly out of Readin but definitely worth the trip! Or local bands do play at schools, if ur desperate 4 some decent sound!
• the roebuck is generally good on a saturday night and gotta love festy once a year!
• the alley cat (gun street) is closed (2004), a nightclub is there now. How can reading-with all its diversity not have one decent music venue that advertises in advance and has decent bands?!
• er.. reading seriously has NO musical venues. the union only once in a blue moon gets a band and they only ever play 1 or 2 songs. there's some good local talent at the 3Bs bohemian night or the purple turtle, but for any kind of show you will have to go to london (or up to nottingham as well)
• burfieald common area. seamus based around there. random - order. loads at the willink school. white stripes tribute band.
• erm, wow ok university prolly best will have 2 loom out for special events though. if not purple turtle have certain nights of live entertainment!
• reading rock is the best ive seen!
• Reading Rock Festival, of course, but "retreat" normaly has live bands
• The Three B's on a Wednesday night. Anybody can get up on stage and sing dance read poety or fart, whatever takes you fancy. There is usually a very high standard of audio arts going on there. Well worth it on a Wednesday night when nothing else is happening.
• roebuck,south street,student union,turtle,fez,bar oz occassionally... and festie.
• nowt good at the mo'
• reading festival in the summer is amazin... n bar oz sumtimes has live stuff its pretty cool
• south street is best for gigs. rising arts centre. bar oz. south hill park in bracknell is nice. fez. this is alternative music. there is also the hexagon. and reading festival. as if you didn't know.
• The sky
• free partys lots about, ask in purple turtle
• THE READING FESTIVAL. 'Nuff said.
• at the mo on sunday there r crappy bands playin in the band stand but ull hear our music ova there well we try???? and on sunday night if ur not at school then go to bar oz its great where gregs band plays ???
• RG1's on Thurday night is absolutely legendary.
• What in Reading?!!? wait for the festival. buy space cake. Get nicked.
• READING ROCK FESTIVAL. great!!!!!!!!!!!!
• Rivermead every summer - WOMAD fesival & READING ROCK!!!
• READING FESTIVAL !!!!!!!!!!
• Reading Festival, although sadly once a year
• Two word... free parties... every w/end without fail. Junktiun Ten :(
• The Alleycat had bands of an actual calibre (eg. Super Furry Animals, Shed 7, Bluetones), but since it was shut down, nowhere has replaced it. Occasionally, local bands play at the Rising Sun, but be forewarned: the biggest names have been Electralane, Saloon and Herman Dune. Some bands play Tuesdays at the Students Union. Evidently, some rockier bands play at the Corn Exchange, and there are bands on at South Street Arts Centre, but don't expect anyone good to play.
• The Turks Head used to have good bands on. I don't know if it still does in it's new incarnation - The Fez and Firkin. Touring artists usually play the Hexagon or Rivermead.
• The jazz club, V expensive though. Definatley one to take the ladies to.
• The Matrix-if you can get in! With most popular pop acts around there now-good luck!
• The Beethovens Hotel is reverting to its former name the Roebuck Hotel - bands are continuing but added entertainment will include Folk, Country, Classical, Discos and Comedians with a touch of magic. The new launch date is the 13th April, 2001 where Reading and Tilehurst are invited to join the newlook Roebuck in its Friday 13th Horror Evening.
• The 3B's on a weds night, get up and do what ever u need 2 do. It's called 'The Bohemian Night', your host is 6ft Rob, all hair & flares!!
• For live music try the jazz club, all other venues have close due to Readding being full of monkeys.
• BRING BACK THE ALLEYCAT!! Or at least a decent venue for live music that tells you what's happening before it happens and bans most of the really shite local bands from appearing (eg Roscoe, Junction, Metro or whatever they're called now). The Rusing Sun Arts Centre tries its best but it's not enough. How can a town that can put on two festivals per year not have a live music venue...
• We're back where we were 5 years ago. Lots of small places for local bands, Rivermead and the Uni for larger acts. Alleycat started OK, then began to take the piss, recruited sopsychotic security and paid the price.
• 99% dance clubs (dead). Even "Alley Cat live" has become "The Fez" - alternative music, but sounding more like techno "dead" crap to me. Tudor Tavern is the only hot spot in a bleak musical landscape.
• reading is generally VERY poor for venues - a real shame for a town of it's size and cultural diversity
• With the demise of Alleycat, the mantle is left primarily to Bar Oz (Sloppy Joes, THe Orange Club and numerous other names in its dim and distant past) which is OK for local bands. The University used to be excellent for gigs but has gone down hill in recent years. THe Rivermead is big enough to attract the likes of Radiohead, Stereophonics. THe two Firkin Pubs (THe Flyer in Blagrave St and the Fez on London Road)are OK. Lots of pubs have an endless supply of dodgy R&B covers bands playing in them. And of course theres the festival which is still the best in the country and WOMAD for that mini Glastonbury vibe.
• Who saw Short People at The Jazz Club last night. Brilliant. If that's Jazz I'm a convert.
• Alleycat live was alright I suppose, though it was right next to that Purple Turtle shit hole that the NF used to drink in.
• The Jazz Club, fantastic new venue in reading and by far the most stylish with Live Music every night Jazz blues and funk. Also has the best food in town with a full a la carte menu, great for a special night or just if your feeling hedonistic. International artists and top local bands Funk Assembly on new years eve.
• Where are the live music venues these days? I moved here in April 1999 and havent seen a gig here yet. I am into rock/metal, and could bring a couple of brilliant bands up here, but dont know where to go!!! Nothing seems to happen at Alleycat Live these days.
• Club New Valbonne, Caversham on a Friday night is Total Metal night.
• The Granby Tavern has changed into a gay pub. So the previous description of the music nights is out of date. Pierre Victoire. Open late on Fridays and Saturday, Friday is jam night and if you don't like bad blues and terrible soul avoid it. Sometimes you do get some good players so it might be worth a try. Of course if you want to play you could make our life more pleasant but please tune that guitar.
• "Upstairs at Pierre's" ( above Pierre Victoire Restaurant is fast becoming the place for live local music, with jam sessions on Mondays and Fridays, with resident Lead French rock guitarist Jean-louis. This place has a great atmosphere, and slightly crazy bar staff, plus the cheapest cocktails in town. Gives the purple turtle a run for its money, though the owners are friends. Brilliant food in the restaurant downstairs. Als regular alternative poetry nights, salsa dances and booze promotions....superb
• Alleycat Live may have some good bands on, but it has about as much atmosphere as a multi-storey car park. The Rising Sun Arts centre on Silver Street puts on all the stuff that nowhere else in town does, from world music to avant-garde electronic acts.
• 21 South Street (between Uni and town) A great place for fun and crazy things - live music, theatre, salsa dancing classes and great comedy nights (every 2nd Friday night)
• Alleycats get in great local and smaller national bands. A real sweaty venue, superb for a really 'active' gig. Too many fill in nights of shite dance stuff, although I think they get big name DJs.
• Rising Sun - Silver Street, mellow, smokers place. Fingers are hurting so will just add the Iguana to that, oh, and Pavlov's Dog in the Butts (Broad Street Mall)
• The Granby. This is no longer a music venue, but is now a gay pub.
• University
• Trade Union Club: now gone bust - but the new owner of the site is trying to get a public entertainment licence. The locals aren't too keen.
• RBH Social Club, Craven Road (RBH=Royal Berks. Hospital), usually about £3,quite a large venue.
• The Granby Tavern, Cemetry Junction. Free to £3, mostly rock.
• Beethovens Music Bar, Oxford Rd, Tilehurst, Reading (01734) 427517 which is fast becoming one of the best live music venues in Reading. Certainly not "vile". Has music Thur/Fri/Sat every week. Free entry on Thursday, £1.00 some Fridays & Saturdays.
• Afterdark
• A new venue! Alleycats Live on Gun Street opened in October 95, seems to offer a good range of live music based on the booked acts. Prices about ?3-5. Good so far, and seem to be making a big effort.

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Last updated: 2007-09-29