Since arriving in Reading a fortnight ago it seems to have been trying its hardest to impress me. I arrived with the sounds (though thankfully not the smells) of the annual bank holiday mega-fest filling the air, bringing back fond memories of my times at the festival a couple of decades ago; the following weekend a packed Reading Pride took over Kings Meadow and now I find myself winding my way along the banks of the Thames towards the 900 year old ruins of a medieval abbey for a weekend of eclectic musical delights (then it’s off to a cycling festival on Sunday). If it carries on like this, I’m going to be knackered (but very happy) by Christmas.
This weekend’s festivities, the fourth edition of local promoter Heavy Pop‘s Down at The Abbey festival, feature a perfectly balanced, no clash line-up of local and established acts and kicks off on the sun-drenched mainstage with Kah’Nya, who eases us in with a gentle set of heartbreak songs in a bright voice, though her set really kicks up a gear with choppy, strutting finale ‘King of The Palace’.
We shuffle across to the second stage, framed magnificently by an ancient section of abbey wall, the dancefloor partially obstructed by an information board, which is a festival first for me but did bring to my attention the wonderful Latin word necessarium: the monks’ toilet block (some quick online research reveals the even more pleasing literal meaning, “that from which there is no evasion”). Here we are greeted by local music charity Readipop, who amongst a number of excellent programmes host regular Electronic Music Open Mic events (read more about the EMOM movement in our interview with its founder here). Their showcase set features three artists from these nights: Mindspikes‘ intricate evolution of bleeps and rattling beeps, Electrohed‘s squelchier sound, peppered with punchy beats and enhanced with an array of gadgets including a gyroscopic black slab and a voice changer that transforms their vocals to a swampy robo-babble; the dark, throbbing electro-pulse of Morph closes the showcase.
Back on the main stage, pop-rocker Rose Rey is ramping up the energy with a roaring vocal, some big riffs and an electric stage presence. A cover of Madonna’s ‘Hung Up’ gets those yet to warm up moving, and deadpan synthpop single ‘Dirty Martini’ keeps the dancefloor going.
Following her on the second stage, Nathan Fake is bent over his laptop, nodding his head and making my trousers vibrate with a seemingly eternal deep bass groove.
As darkness falls, Mancunian poet Antony Szmierek hobbles onto the main stage on crutches. Despite his limited mobility, it’s not long before he’s transformed the abbey into one massive party – and he’s determined to join in, busting as many shapes as he can from his chair before leaping to his one good foot and hopping about the stage. His set is a perfect melding of words and music, his unhurried spoken word delivery backed by a band rifling through the history of dance music, taking threads from rave culture, UK Garage, house and more while Szmierek weaves in cheeky lyrical nods to Pulp and Underworld. The crowd, until now appreciative, respectful and chilled, are now an undulating mass, hands waving, hips slinking, voices wooping and Szmierek delights in directing our movements through stand-out tracks ‘Flight Simulator’ and ‘The Heron’, closing his set with a communal cursing of tech-tyrant Elon Musk before recreating a New Years’ Eve atmosphere with one last tune and limping off-stage, presumably to top up his ibuprofen.
As Szmierek’s love-in floats to an end, a very different atmosphere is being created by Kathryn Joseph on the second stage. Positioned face on with long-term collaborator Lomond Campbell, hers is a stark, combative, forceful presence that matches the dark, raw lyrical content and mechanical churn of her music. She turns to death stare us as the synths blare like sirens on ‘WOLF.’, her voice a menacing whisper on ‘ROADKILL.’ And what a voice it is, carrying the heavy emotional weight of its subjects on a husky vibrato, always willing to linger a little longer than is comfortable and to make space where the song demands it. We’re left enraptured and unsettled in equal measure.
The task of rounding off a day of music as varied in its style as it has been consistent in its quality falls to Nubiyan Twist. Unphased by a lengthy technical delay, they quickly set about getting the crowd moving, though their jazzy global fusion groove is a little too smooth for my palate, weaned as it was on scratchy indie-punk.
Day one of Down at The Abbey has been both a musical treat, packed with pleasant surprises, and also a lovely, peaceful and friendly place to spend a day wandering about some ancient masonry. I particularly enjoyed the two-stage, no-clash set-up, which combined with the eclectic booking policy provided the opportunity to watch some artists that I might not ordinarily have gone to see, rather than rushing from stage to stage to catch all of my favourites and missing the hidden gems as often happens at larger multi-stage festivals.
We leave the venerable walls to rest for the night, knowing that there will be more treats to discover beneath their gaze when we rise tomorrow.
Early bird tickets for Down at The Abbey 2027 are on sale now. Find out more and book yours now on the festival website or follow on Instagram and Facebook for updates.
Kah’Nya: Instagram / Bandcamp
Mindspikes: Instagram / Soundcloud
Electrohed: Instagram / Facebook / Bandcamp
Morph: Website
Rose Rey: Instagram
Nathan Fake: Instagram / Facebook / Bandcamp
Antony Szmierek: Website / Instagram / Facebook
Kathryn Joseph: Website / Instagram / Facebook / Bandcamp
Nubiyan Twist: Website / Instagram / Facebook
Review and Photography by Paul Maps
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