Reading’s second most famous festival makes its annual return to the town this Saturday (28/04/18). After seeing the likes of Pulled Apart By Horses, Black Honey, The Big Moon, Inheaven and The Amazons play there over the years, 2018 is packed with the kind of fresh talent AYL? has scooped up for us in the past. As always, the event will be in aid of Reading Mencap, supporting children and adults with learning difficulties. A day of ace music while donating to a fantastic cause sounds like real rock & roll.

Top of the bill are the frankly unmissable Idles. Utterly timeless, writhing punk goodness, Idles’ debut album Brutalism was released last year, and rest assured that their pulsating energy translates just as effectively on stage as it does on record. Plus, with lyrics like, "The best way to scare a Tory is to read and get rich", what more convincing do you really need?

The festival will be showcasing some of Reading’s very own talent, including Saltwater Sun. The band returned after a quiet spell with single ‘The Wire’ last month doing what they do best - enchanting indie hooks perfect for Summer. Other locals Valeras have also put out an excellent single recently in the form of ‘Louder’; if you’ve managed to catch any of their recent live performances, you’ll agree that the raw, melancholy ‘Louder’ was a great decision to add to their back catalogue. Drone psych rockers Head Drop will be making their audience do just that with their fantastically heavy, looped tunes.

Other picks are experimental four-piece Mush, set to bring their quirky guitar-based noise to the Oakford Social Club. Dreamy duo Her’s will also be performing a set of their chilled-out, hazy tracks in the evening.

Are You Listening? is genuinely the pride of the Reading music scene. Raising for a brilliant charity as well as collating a plethora of promising acts across all genres, it’s going to be absolutely ace.