Hi Everyone

Whilst walking through town recently, I saw a van belonging to a local carpet fitting firm which had the words "We will beat any quote" painted on the side of it.  Well my favourite quote has always been "At the centre of your being you have the answer; you know who you are and you know who you want" by Lao Tzu.  I'd like to see a bunch of carpet fitters in a knackered old Ford Transit come up with something better than that!

And without any further ado, we have another packed weekend at the Rising Sun

It all starts on Friday with another helping of STAND UP CINEMA

Screenings of the best locally made film and video plus rarely seen classics, obscure documentaries, cult independents and overlooked modern gems. Stand-Up Cinema is a collaboration between The Rising Sun Arts Centre and Real Time Video. To get your film shown at a future Stand-Up Cinema contact Real Time at info@real-time.org.uk.

Our main feature this month is THE LONG GOODBYE (Robert Altman, 1973)

Eliot Gould plays Phillip Marlowe as a scruffy, sardonic, alienated figure in Robert Altman’s highly revisionist, screen version of Chandler’s classic. The 1st Altman film we’ve shown –its a doozy.

There's no admission charge at the door (but feel welcome to leave £5 aside for a donation if you like).  Short Films start at 7.30. The Holy Mountain starts showing at 8.00 pm.  

On Saturday, WALL OF SOUND presents LOVE LOVE LIVE

Mark Jones, pioneer behind Wall Of Sound Records, invites you to experience some of his favourite new discoveries in Love Love Live, the first in a series of new music happenings.

HOT SAUCE PONY head up proceedings as they unleash their sound of explosive and brutal beauty.  Described as a “a collision of the crushing and the delicate” by Soundblab, the sound is their own self-styled genre of ‘avant hard’ with echoes of hardcore, grunge and punk and topped off with the exquisite, sultry vocals of Caroline Gilchrist.  Imagine Deerhunter and Mudhoney facing off while Marianne Faithful grabs the mic.

Their debut album is due for release early next year, recorded and engineered with Steve Albini (Pixies, Nirvana, PJ Harvey) at his Electrical Audio studios in Chicago with his trademark sound very much apparent.  It follows the success of their controversial debut HSP single Fenced In, a raucous and heartfelt protest against gentrification and social apartheid.  With their recent track Burnt Ends debuting at BBC 6Music, they’ve been described by Marc Riley as “Pretty Special”.

CHINA BEARS return to Reading with their self-styled soirée of alt.indie rock, as they combine ambient guitars, choral vocals and raw lyrical talent.  Picking up attention across the board from Huw Stephens, Steve Lamacq, John Kennedy and BBC Introducing, they have been called upon to support bands from Declan McKenna to The Big Moon and have been booked for a whole host of festivals this summer, with their recent track Night Calls and their live sound commented on as “A bunch of strong sounding melodies” by Steve Lamacq at BBC 6Music 

Kicking off this evening are THE PURPLE LIGHTS as they deliver a sound clash of rock and reggae topped off with loopstation magic within a sound that reflects the upbeat buoyancy of Vampire Weekend, Reginald Omas Mamode IV's distinctive take on Afrobreat to the free-flowing wig outs of Fuck Buttons.  Watch as an “atmosphere of studied cool turns into glorious carnage” (GIITTV)

We're open at 7.30pm and it'll cost you £7 on the door or £5 in advance from https://www.eventim.co.uk/tickets

Finally, Sunday sees another OPEN PAGE/OPEN STAGE

A monthly collaborative event for writers, artists, musicians, and everyone in between! The premise is an extension of the traditional ‘open mic’, however the focus is on words and collaboration. We want people to come and showcase their art in a safe and comfortable environment. If you’re an artist, bring your work early on so we can hang it around. If you write – poetry, prose, songs, plays – bring a piece or an excerpt. Actors – come and practice for auditions! If you play an instrument, bring it along! Think of the evening as a cross-creative spectrum jam night.

We’re open at 7pm and it’s absolutely FREE!

That's everything for another week, just to remind you that we are, as always, at 30 Silver Street, Reading, RG1 2ST (If you pop it into your satnav or Google, we shall magically appear!)

Have a nice weekend!