JScott

Reading is a big town that fancies itself as a city but doesn't really offer the city experience. There is no real/pure live music venue that regularly stages live gigs apart from a few pubs that regularly stage music events. There is a distinct lack of independent shopping to do in Reading, the main high street houses the same shops you would find in any big town in England as do the shopping centres there too. It doesn't really feel like at any point you might be finding anything unique which is a shame. A result of the 'vibrant' night life in Reading is that it suffers from the age old problem of many British towns & cities of drink fueled trouble. On a weekend night out in town you would be hard pushed to walk through the centre of Reading and not see a some kind of going on, a scuffle or perhaps if you are unlucky possibly worst. It's enough to make you want to stay in. It has gotten much better in recent years and I hope it will continue on that way and all the development currently going on there suggests it will but currently it offers too little cultural style events. UPDATE - Typically since my departure there are now real and regular opportunities for live music in Reading, a venue called Sub89 has live shows and a wide variety of styles of music, about time too.