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Our Ten Best Acts to See At BoomTown 2019

Published

7 years ago

April 7, 2019

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Boomtown is one of the maddest festivals of our time, and never fails to pack a punch with its line-up. Notorious for its raucous approach to the festival scene, it always draws a huge amount of attention for its alternative stages that give it a village or better said town feel and a sense of unity for the festival-goers. If you’ve gone before, you’ll know that it’s one of the most incredible shows on the planet, and this year’s going to be greater than ever. Here’s why:

1. Ms Lauryn Hill
Lauryn Noelle Hill (born May 26, 1975) is an American singer, songwriter and rapper, known for being a member of Fugees, and for her solo album The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, which won many awards and broke several sales records. Raised mostly in South Orange, New Jersey, Hill began singing with her music-oriented family during her childhood. In high school, Hill was approached by Pras Michel for a band he started, which his friend, Wyclef Jean, soon joined. They renamed themselves the Fugees and released the albums Blunted on Reality (1994), and the Grammy Award–winning The Score (1996), which sold six million copies in the U.S. Hill rose to prominence with her African-American and Caribbean music influences, her rapping and singing, and her rendition of the hit “Killing Me Softly”. Her tumultuous romantic relationship with Jean led to the split of the band in 1997, after which she began to focus on solo projects.

The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill (1998) remains Hill’s only solo studio album. It received critical acclaim showcasing a representation of life and relationships and locating a contemporary voice within the neo soul genre. The album debuted at number one on the U.S. Billboard 200 and has sold approximately eight million copies there. This included the singles “Doo Wop (That Thing)” (also a number one), “Ex-Factor” (became her biggest solo hit in UK), and “Everything Is Everything”. At the 41st Grammy Awards, the record earned her five awards, including Album of the Year and Best New Artist. During this time, she won several other awards and became a common sight on the cover of magazines.

2. Prophets of Rage
Prophets of Rage is an American rap rock supergroup. Formed in 2016, the group consists of three members of Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave (bassist and backing vocalist Tim Commerford, guitarist Tom Morello, and drummer Brad Wilk), two members of Public Enemy (DJ Lord and rapper Chuck D), and rapper B-Real of Cypress Hill.

3. The Streets
The Streets are an English alternative hip hop music group from Birmingham, England, led by the vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Mike Skinner.

The project released five studio albums: Original Pirate Material (2002), A Grand Don’t Come for Free (2004), The Hardest Way to Make an Easy Living (2006), Everything Is Borrowed (2008), Computers and Blues (2011), an internet-only album Cyberspace and Reds (2011) and a string of successful singles in the mid-2000s, including “Has It Come to This?”, “Fit But You Know It”, “Dry Your Eyes”, “When You Wasn’t Famous” and “Prangin’ Out”.

4. Chronixx
Jamar McNaughton (born 10 October 1992), popularly known as Chronixx, is a Jamaican reggae artist. His stage name replaced the name “Little Chronicle” which he was given because of his father, the singer “Chronicle”. Chronixx and his music has been branded as a “Reggae Revival”, alongside other reggae musicians including Alborosie, Dre Island, Jah Bouks, Jah9, Protoje, Kelissa, Jesse Royal, Keznamdi and Kabaka Pyramid. His lyrical content revolves around themes of anti-war, romantic declarations and resiliency.

5. Chase and Status
Chase & Status are an English electronic music duo composed of Saul Milton (Chase) and Will Kennard (Status). In addition, MC Rage assists the group when they perform DJ and live sets while Andy Gangadeen is the drummer when the band performs live. The duo are from London, and formed in 2003 after meeting at university in Manchester. The duo have since released four studio albums as well as collaborating with major artists such as Plan B, CeeLo Green, Rihanna, Example, Dave Ball (The Grid), and Tinie Tempah. They run the independent record label MTA Records.

6. Groove Armada
Groove Armada are an English electronic music duo, composed of Andy Cato and Tom Findlay. They achieved chart success with their singles “I See You Baby” and “Superstylin'”. The group has released eight studio albums, four of which have charted in the UK Albums Chart top 50.

7. Slaves
Slaves are an English punk rock duo formed in 2012 in Royal Tunbridge Wells, Kent, consisting of Laurie Vincent (vocals, guitar, and bass) and Isaac Holman (vocals, drums, and trumpet). Their music has been described as “British punk with harsh bluesy garage riffs”.

8. UB40
UB40 are an English reggae and pop band, formed in December 1978 in Birmingham, England. The band has had more than 50 singles in the UK Singles Chart, and has also achieved considerable international success. They have been nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Reggae Album four times, and in 1984 were nominated for the Brit Award for Best British Group. UB40 have sold over 70 million records worldwide. The ethnic make-up of the band’s original line-up was diverse, with musicians of English, Welsh, Irish, Jamaican, Scottish and Yemeni parentage.

Their hit singles include their debut “Food for Thought” and two Billboard Hot 100 number ones with “Red Red Wine” and “Can’t Help Falling in Love”. Both of these also topped the UK Singles Chart, as did the band’s version of “I Got You Babe”. Their two most successful albums, Labour of Love (1983) and Promises and Lies (1993), reached number one on the UK Albums Chart. UB40 and the English ska band Madness hold the record for most weeks spent by a group in the UK singles chart during the 1980s, with 214 weeks each.

9. Salt-N-Pepa
Salt-N-Pepa are an American hip-hop girl group formed in 1985. The group was originally comprised of Cheryl James, Sandra Denton, and Latoya Hanson, before Hanson was replaced with Deidra Roper. They were signed to Next Plateau Records and released their single “Push It” on March 8, 1987, which hit number one in 3 countries. Their debut album Hot, Cool & Vicious sold more than a million copies worldwide, making them the first female rap act to achieve gold and platinum-status. Their fourth album Very Necessary sold over 7 million copies worldwide, making it the highest-selling album by a female rap act in history.

Salt-N-Pepa have sold over 15 million records worldwide, making them one of the best-selling female rap acts of all time. This group was nominated and received the 1995 Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group, making them one of the first female rap acts to win a Grammy Award along with Queen Latifah who won during that same year. Their success in rap and hip-hop culture has earned them the honorific title “The First Ladies of Rap and Hip Hop”.

10. Carl Cox
Carl Cox is a British house and techno record producer and DJ. In the 1980s, Cox became a mainstage DJ in the electronica industry. He has performed at numerous clubs and events worldwide and has served as a monthly DJ for BBC Radio 1’s Essential Mix. He has hosted a residency known as ‘Music is Revolution’ every summer season at the world renowned nightclub, Space Ibiza, from 2001 to 2016.

He runs the record label, Intec Digital, which was founded in 1999 as Intec Records. Cox also had his own radio show, entitled ‘Global’. In 2017 he announced that from February onwards he would no longer work on the show. He has featured his own ‘Carl Cox & Friends’ stage at many festivals, such as Ultra Music Festival, The BPM Festival and Tomorrowland.

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Lib Dems oppose Reading Council budget over governance and financial concerns

Published

3 weeks ago

February 25, 2026

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Reading’s Liberal Democrat councillors have voted against the Council’s 2026/27 budget, citing concerns over depleted reserves and last-minute financial planning that leaves future years unbalanced.

Speaking at last night’s Full Council meeting, the three Lib Dem councillors challenged the Labour administration over a budget that was only balanced two weeks earlier through an emergency £3.6 million draw from the Financial Resilience Reserve, leaving the Financial Resilience Reserve set to fall to just £269,000 by 2027/28.

Reserves running on empty

Councillor Anne Thompson highlighted the scale of the Council’s financial pressures: “To balance the budget, we will draw down £7.302 million from reserves — almost double the size of the drawdown a year ago. Our reserves are shrinking. The General Fund Revenue Reserve has fallen from £49.8 million to a forecast of £30.2 million in just one year, a 39% decline. You don’t have to be a mathematical genius to know that this can’t go on much longer.”

Cllr Thompson criticised the government’s funding settlement, noting that Reading receives nothing from the £865 million Recovery Grant despite having above-average deprivation in income, education, crime and barriers to housing. “Had the Recovery Grant been distributed through the fair funding formula as originally intended, Reading would have received an additional £2.05 million. That is a deliberate political choice by the Labour government in Westminster, and it is not fair.”

She added: “Our Adult Social Care caseload has grown by 311 people in nine months. Our looked after children numbers are rising when numbers are falling nationally. Yet we have three Labour MPs. Where were their voices for Reading when these decisions were being made?”

Last-minute budget raises concerns

Councillor James Moore focused on the administration’s handling of the budget: “This budget was not balanced in December. It had a £4.4 million gap as recently as ten weeks ago. It was only finally closed two weeks before this meeting by drawing an additional £3.6 million from reserves at the last minute. That is not long-term planning. That is firefighting.”

Cllr Moore pointed to a pattern of financial management problems: “Year after year of overspending — £9.3 million last year, £4 million forecast this year. Year after year of underdelivering on savings. The savings programme has delivered 73% of what was planned last year, and KPMG’s own forward look suggests only 66% will be delivered this year.”

He highlighted what he described as misplaced priorities: “We have requested a hearing loop system for Tilehurst Community Centre — a permanent accessibility improvement that would benefit the one in six people in the UK who suffer from hearing impairment. We’ve been told there are cost pressures that prevent it. Yet there were no cost pressures when it came to funding the Mayor’s £920 flight to watch football in Germany last year.”

Council Tax rises continue

The budget approved by the Labour-controlled council includes a 4.99% Council Tax increase — the maximum permissible without a referendum — for the third consecutive year. For a typical Band C household, the Reading element of Council Tax will rise by around £94 per year.

Cllr Thompson noted that public support for the increases is weakening: “The budget engagement showed 50.5% of respondents now oppose the Council Tax increase — a significant shift from last year when 60% supported it.”

Future years unbalanced

Despite the reserve draw, the Medium Term Financial Strategy shows budget gaps of £1.996 million in 2027/28 and £207,000 in 2028/29 still to be found.

All three Liberal Democrat councillors voted against the budget.

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Call for end to 12-hour A&E waits as corridor care crisis worsens

Published

1 month ago

February 16, 2026

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Photo is of Lib Dem Leader Ed Davey and Reading Lib Dems outside the RBH.

Reading Lib Dems call for end to 12-hour A&E waits as corridor care crisis worsens under Labour

NHS data shows 6,450 patients waiting 12 hours or more in the Royal Berkshire Hospital A&E in 2025.
Liberal Democrats propose a legal guarantee that no one will wait more than 12 hours in A&E, backed by a £1.5bn plan for extra beds and social care.

Reading Liberal Democrats are calling for a £1.5bn plan to end 12-hour waits in A&E within a year. This comes as A&Es across the country are facing rocketing waits for patients in desperate need of care.

The new Liberal Democrat plan would introduce a new law to enshrine the right for patients to be seen in A&E within 12 hours, warning that “18 months of Labour failure” has worsened the NHS crisis left by the Conservatives.

Liberal Democrat analysis of the latest NHS England data shows that 2025 is projected to see the worst level of 12-hour trolley waits in A&E ever recorded. Locally, a shocking 6,450 patients waited 12 hours in the Royal Berkshire Hospital A&E in 2025.

The Lib Dem plan would end 12-hour waits and hospital ‘corridor care’ within a year.

Making 6,000 extra hospital beds available to end corridor care within a year.
Investing in 1,000 more staffed hospital beds.
Extra investment in social care to reserve 1,600 “safety net” social care places each day, for hospitals to discharge into if they need to.
Extra step-down care – freeing up 1,200 beds a day.
Making more beds available in care homes and hospitals.

The proposal would be funded by cancelling the planned medicine price hike agreed with the Trump administration before Christmas, which is set to cost the NHS over £3bn a year despite minimal benefits for patients.

Commenting, the Leader of the Liberal Democrats on Reading Borough Council, Councillor Anne Thompson, said:

“For too long, people in Reading have suffered with degrading waits and treatment in hospital corridors. Our NHS staff are working so hard, but have been let down by those in power. It is a national emergency, and it is devastating our NHS – we need a real plan to fix it.

“Liberal Democrats are offering the bold solutions we need to free up our hospitals and end the A&E crisis once and for all. No government should tolerate this disaster, and ministers should be held legally accountable if they continue to fail in their duty to protect patients.”

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Shoplifting increases in the Thames Valley

Published

1 month ago

February 10, 2026

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At a time when police stations and front desks are disappearing, people want visible, trusted officers and a clear local point of contact. Labour already promised the public 13,000 more police officers, but instead, officer numbers have fallen – by June 2025, we had 4,000 fewer frontline officers than the year before. Crimes like shoplifting, bike theft, tool theft and more are going unchecked, leaving ordinary people to pay the price.

Liberal Democrats Councillor for Tilehurst, Meri O’Connell, said:

“Promises by press release are all well and good, but the Government must deliver. The former Conservative Government destroyed neighbourhood policing and left our communities to pay the price.

“Labour already promised the public 13,000 more police officers, but instead officer numbers have fallen – by June last year, we had 4,000 fewer frontline officers than the year before.

“It’s the public that pays the price – in the Thames Valley, rates of shoplifting have gone up 14%.

“If the Government is serious about restoring neighbourhood policing, it needs to step up, get this right, and get more officers back onto our streets.”

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