Third Lung - Nov 22 Unlike the big cities with their geographically self-contained music scenes, towns like Reading that are a little too close to London have always suffered from the draw of its huge neighbour to the East. Rather than play the local scene, bands will aim straight for London and by pass the local scene altogether. And despite the town being known worldwide for the Reading (formerly rock) Festival, there has never been a specific scene originating from the town.

This doesn’t mean that there are not Reading bands, there are many and some have had success, most recently The Amazons and before them The Cooper Temple Clause, Does It Offend You, Yeah?, Chapterhouse and Slowdive.

In recent years, however, the local scene has seen a resurgence with local bands and promotors trying to pull out all the stops. Club Velocity have been promoting local bands for 20 years and the annual Are You Listening? Festival is an excellent mix of local and national bands at various venues across the town.

Tonight’s gig at Sub89 is therefore a bit of a showcase for the town with all four acts originally coming from the area. It’s a celebration of local talent and more specifically the launch of Third Lung’s debut album ‘Gameplay’.

Doops open the night with their updated psychedelic space rock. ‘Gushroom’ has a pleasingly fuzz infused bass line overlaid by meandering guitars and distorted vocals that build up into a hypnotic tune. A version of ‘Toxic’ has its merits but could never surpass the original and is bettered by the band’s own material.

Doops - Nov 22 Rising stars Elucidate were beset by technical problems causing their set to be sadly shortened. There’s a mixture of influences in here ranging from punk, through 90s indie pop to laid back electronica. Ozzy’s vocals move from almost spoken word to a soulful run through the faster numbers, reminding me a little of Nina from the Cardigans. Despite the technical issues, it’s an enjoyable set and guitarist Caleb is clearly having fun as he disappears for a tour of the crowd during the set.

Elucidate - Nov 22 Jesse Smith has been performing for many years across the globe in a variety of outfits and genres including a stint the West End. 2022 sees him releasing his debut solo album ‘Songs from a Concrete Box’ and this is an opportunity to showcase the new material. Backed by a solid rhythm section, it’s a pleasing mix of acoustic guitar led tunes and more soulful pop songs.

Jesse Smith - Nov 22 I’ve seen Third Lung a fair, few times over the last few years and have seen their material and stagecraft grow from strength to strength. Their current sound is very much in the U2 / Kings of Leon / Elbow vein with big passion filled tunes galore. Their excellent last EP, ‘Dialogues of the Fatal Few’, saw the band increasing the anthemic nature of their songs over their previous releases. The debut album sees them build upon the indie rock anthems, but also demonstrates a softer side with a number of piano led songs that never outstay their welcome.

Opening with ‘What is a Life’, arguably the most accessible (and most U2 like) song on the aforementioned EP, the band instantly warm up the crowd with its slow build up and Tom’s impassioned vocals before reaching its crescendo. ‘Maybe’ from the album is another rousing tune that starts full pelt and never really slows down.

Third Lung - Nov 22 Throughout the set, rhythm section Sam and Rob keep it tight whilst Cam’s harmonies and her glorious Gretsch adds a touch of class to the show.

Up next is ‘Dance Me Lover’ which is my favourite song from the album. In a perfect world, the song would be a festival set closer with a full orchestral backing. In the confines of Sub89, the chorus swirls graciously around the venue before the soaring guitar solo kicks in. ‘Laura’ and ‘I A Fire’ keep the pace going before Tom retreats to the piano for album closer ‘The Little Man’. It’s a far slower song with gentle guitars that allows Tom to really stretch his vocals as does the melancholic ‘I Won’t Sleep Tonight’. ‘All Of That Love You Can't Lose’ is another slow burner showing the mellower side of the band.

Third Lung - Nov 22 The tempo ups again with ‘Press Rest’ and its chorus of ‘as the crow flies’ before the band close the set with recent single ‘No Names’. Another cracker of a tune with its thumping drums and Tom’s closing wails over an almost Mission-like guitar line.

Coming back on, we are treated to the even newer and unrecorded song ‘Pin Stripe Maroon’ which suggests that there are plenty more songs coming down the road to enthral us.

Third Lung - Nov 22 It’s been a long journey to get here, but Third Lung are on the verge of something with an excellent debut album and a big sounding live experience. It’s going to be fun to see where this leads to.

Third Lung - Nov 22