21st December 2017 - Lydia at the Brown Bag

We were treated to free mince pies and mulled wine at the Brown Bag on Thursday night for our 21st Advent Calendar performance. Performing was Lydia, who wowed us with her talent and bravery. She played some current hits including Ocean Eyes and Without You.

Lydia is 16 years old and loves singing and playing the guitar & has recently started to learn to play the piano.  She is currently studying for my GCSEs, including music and have taken part in a couple of Open Mic nights and local singing competitions.  Lydia really enjoyed performing in the Living Advent last year and is looking forward to being involved again this year.

Do enjoy this short video.

20th December - Lorna James at the Dukes Head

It was all singing, swinging and dancing in the Dukes Head on Wednesday evening for Lorna James.

With an audience of backing singers and some young dancers she, accompanied by Pauly Zarb on keys, played some jazzy variations on some well known Christmas tunes, including Santa Baby, White Christmas and Santa Claus is Coming to Town.

Easy-going, elegant songs for a busy world – that’s what Lorna James aims to bring you. Classic, classy swing, soul and jazz songs with a seasonal twist. Ho-ho-ho!

Please enjoy this video below by SilkPurse video.

19th December - Still Crazy Duo at the Queens Head

We were in the Queens Head on the Terrace for the 19th performance in this years Living Advent Calendar.

Joined by Liz and Mark of the Still Crazy duo we were treated to a selection of songs all done acoustically. They play popular music from the 1960's to the present day including some lovely Christmas and festive numbers.

18th December - The Enchanted Players Theatre Company at Wokingham Library

There was the sound of many happy youngsters on Monday night as they enjoyed a special performance by the Enchanted Players.

The Enchanted Players Theatre Company has been running since 2009 teaching in eight schools in Berkshire and Oxfordshire, we tour professional shows. Next one at Wokingham Library is 3 Tales on the 12th February. We have all characters for parties and events. In this particular performance Enchanted Pupils will be displaying short pieces of what they have been learning this term. The night will open with a surprise character setting the scene for a magical evening,

The Library was full of excited children and even more excited adults for this fantastic performance.

Here is a very short clip featuring a fairly well known individual....

17th December - Live Nativity in Howard Palmer Gardens

The rain from earlier in the day cleared through leaving us with a dry, if damp underfoot,  performance in the atmospheric Howard Palmer Gardens.

Theatresmith lead by Director Nicola Allpress presented a humorous and heartwarming retelling of this traditional Christmas story of the birth of Jesus Christ. It was supported by Churches Together in Wokingham and Wokingham Town Council as well as a lot of support from other local organisations and individuals to help put this on.

Do enjoy the film below courtesy of Silk Purse Video.

16th December - Magic by Richard John at TG Art Gallery

It was a magical afternoon at TG Art Gallery on Saturday for a performance full of illusions and quite a lot of eating playing cards. Richard John wowed the audience with his close up magic, primarily involving cards and sleight of hand.

Recently a magic advisor for the Hollywood film, Now You See Me 2, Richard has wowed crowds up and down the country with his skills a magician.
Being one of the best sleight of hand artists in the country, Richard has performed for the BBC, ITV, and British Airways to name a few.

Enjoy this film courtesy of Silk Purse Videos. And let us know if you can work out how he did it.

15th December 2017 Frank Doherty at the Grape Escape

It was a lovely intimate setting in the Grape Escape on Friday night for a performance by Irish musician Frank Doherty.  He played acoustically on guitar in the cosy venue, a few traditional numbers and some Christmas sing along classics, which did indeed have the whole audience singing along.

Frank is an Irish Singer, guitarist & fiddle-player who has had a lifetime of musical experience playing mostly in pubs & clubs throughout London & the South-East.  From time to time he has also performed on TV & Radio

14th December 2017 - Gareth Ainsworth, Kendal Pyne and Pauly Zarb at the Redan

It was warm and full of good cheer in the Redan last night for our 14th Living Advent Calendar performance. It was also busy and full of football supporters, but of the best kind.

Gareth Ainsworth (manager of Wycombe Wanderers), Kendel Pyne and Pauly Zarb came together as local parents for the Wokingham Parents Christmas Concert, this evening supporting the Ollie Young Foundation which was close to all of their hearts.    

They told us:

"They all became friends and realized they all loved music and decided to put together a little trio to perform for Christmas. They all have backgrounds in music and performance and it was a fun idea to get together for this occasion."

They performed a number of fun Christmas hits, including: Santa Claus is coming to Town, Merry Christmas Everybody and Fairytale of New York. 

Do enjoy this video courtesy of Silkpurse Videos. And keep an eye out for other perspectives, there were live videos from Pauly himself, The Wokingham Paper and other TV news outlets. 

Tonight we are at the Grape Escape for another stellar performance by Frank Doherty. 

13th December - Hula Monkeys at Broad Street Tavern

Another wet and dreary winter evening had us all in the warm and "Happy" Broad Street Tavern for ukelele goes electric with the Hula Monkeys. Adorning all with lei's there was a carribean feel to this performance of well known pop hits with a little "Rappers Delight" thrown in.

"The Hula Monkeys bring an eclectic-electric mix of old & new favourites from their varied music collections - all on the Ukulele. The Ukulele as you've never heard it before….this ain't no George Formby!!"

Enjoy the video below courtesy of Silk Purse videos.



"Billie Jean" asked me to remind you all, all performances are free, no "Price Tag" although donations to the nominated charities are very welcome. Do come down and support the events.

Thats's "Bye Bye Baby" for now. Tonight we are in the Redan for a performance by Pauly Zarb, Kendal Pyne and Gareth Ainsworth.

12th December 2017 - Redlands String Quartet at Rococo Jewellery

We were at Rococo Jewellery for the halfway point of the Wokingham Living Advent Calendar. Joining us this evening was the Redlands String Quartet who performed some string versions of some christmassy favourites.

Made up of local musicians the quartet played songs ranging from Do you want to build a snowman to medleys of various carols and other Christmas songs. We heard Jingle Bells, Rudolph the red nosed Reindeer, Ding dong merrily on high, Good King Wenceslas among many others.

It was a very cold evening, many thanks to Redlands hard work and determination to overcome frozen fingers and instruments de-tuning due to the cold. Please enjoy this video.



Tonight you will find us in the warm Broad Street Tavern for a ukelele extravaganza by the Hula Monkeys. Hawaiian shirt optional.

11th December - Steppin Out Stars of Tomorrow! at Wokingham Library

On the 11th day of Wokingham Living Advent Calendar we had a selection box of talented young ladies.

"A showcase of solos & duets from some of our "little stars"."

Songs performed ranged from classics, like Sisters are Doing it for Themselves to the brand new with Get Back Up Again. Songs from musicals, animations and film were all showcased in the welcoming Wokingham Library

Enjoy this compilation from last night.




Hope to see you tonight at Rococo for the Redlands String Quartet.

10th December - Bruce Neil at the Hope & Anchor

We welcomed back Bruce to a toasty warm Hope & Anchor pub on Station Road for another great Living Advent Calendar performance. 

Bruce Neil from Wokingham is a singer/songwriter with a folk inspired sound, producing songs with heartfelt depth and lyrics that captivate the listener, taking them on an insightful and thought-provoking journey. As a winner of BBC Introducing, resulting in air play nationally, he has recently achieved widespread public attention following the video release of his percussive folk rendition of Guns N’ Roses track Paradise City. Not only did this go viral on social media, it was endorsed by the band themselves and has achieved recognition and air play from several US radio stations. He takes his musical inspiration and guitar-playing style from the likes of Passenger and Mick Flannery.

We had a selection of original and well known songs. Including; Oh Caroline an amusing and heartfelt song about his sister and that classic brother/sister dynamic, and covers of Boulevard of Broken Dreams and of course Paradise City.

Please enjoy this video below.

Tonight we hope to see you at Rococo for a performance by Redlands String quartet. 

9th December - Claudia Storey at Martin & Co

It was a chilly Saturday afternoon in Peach Street so we retired to the warm of Martin & Co for our 9th performance.

Claudia Storey, in her first Living Advent Calendar performance, tells us this:

"Claudia hopes her performance will leave you feeling happy over your weekend.  She writes her own songs and now that she's attending music school is finding it  a constant pressure to write new stuff, even if its exciting!  This isn’t the first charity gig Claudia has done.  She  has performed at ACE Space in Newbury which also promotes the arts as part of charity work.  She's looking forward to giving you a preview of her own songs and also leaving you feeling extra excited and pumped for the Christmas holidays with some Christmas covers. Being a creative person, Claudia finds that it’s important to express feelings and attitudes in art so for example if you’re a musician then give yourself the opportunity of expressing your emotions through writing, same if your into drawing or painting.  Anyway have a great evening and enjoy the performance."

Enjoy the video below courtesy of SilkPurse videos.



Have you checked the calendar today to find out about today's performance? If not find out more here.

8th December - Reading Barberettes at the Local Barber Shop

On the 8th day we welcomed the Reading Barberettes to the Local Barber Shop for some apt barbershop music.

Harmonious as always, the Barberettes sang songs including We Go Together & Mr Sandman as well as a range of Christmas songs from Feliz Navidad to Oh Holy Night.

Based in Woodley Berkshire, the Reading Barberettes  are a dynamic, award winning ladies chorus who sing unaccompanied in four part  acappella harmony. They  perform regularly around Berkshire and beyond with their repertoire spanning 100 years of popular music. You can book them for birthdays, xmas parties, corporate events, weddings and more!
They rehearse every Wednesday evening from 7.45pm and are always looking for new singers so if interested please visit our website www.barberettes.org.uk

Do enjoy the video below.



Tonight join us at Wokingham Library for Steppin Out Stars of Tomorrow!

7th December 2017 - Gary Millard at The Victoria Arms

It wasn't Seven Swans a Swimming tonight but the one and only Gary Millard. Hailing from sunny Wokingham, Gary Millard is a folk act with a twist performing in local Bars and Venues all around Berkshire. His high light so far was a performance at Sub 89 Reading as the support act for the Wurzels. His EP has been out since March.  A wonderful spirited musician please support Gary and buy his EP.

Gary played a mixture of folk, country, blues and traditional songs, and his own compositions. Songs included Folsom Prison Blues and Fairytale of New York.

Do enjoy this short video below.




Tonight we are at the Local Barber Shop for some a capella singing by an award winning ladies barbershop group Reading Barberettes.

This weekend it's 4pm at Martin & Co on Saturday and at the Hope & Anchor on Sunday.

6th December 2017 - Kids Concert (Ella, Chloe, Liberty and Sasha plus special guest Zavier) at Oslar Coffee.

On the 6th December we were joined by 4 very talented young people from Wokingham schools to show off their musical skills.

Oslar Coffee was the setting for the Kids Christmas Concert, a combination of musicians from Wokingham Schools. Chloe is at St Crispins School. Chloe has currently played her 4th grade exam in Violin and is involved with the St Crispins Orchestra and also the Berkshire Maestros Orchestra. Ella is from St Teresa's School and is a guitarist vocalist. She has been learning the guitar since the age of 5 and is also involved in St Teresa's Choir. Sasha is a singer also from St Teresa's School and has been involved in youth Concerts and Theatre groups.  Liberty is from the Holt. She is a singer and has been performing in Concerts and Theatre groups. They bring together their unique and individual performance with the accompany of Pauly Zarb.

Please enjoy this short video of some of the performances. Chloe performs first on violin, followed by Ella, Sasha and Liberty and finally Liberty performing solo.



I'd also advise taking a look at the Wokingham Living Advent Calendar facebook page for a live video of surprise guest 4 year old Zavier who is just as musical as the rest of the family.



Tonight Gary Millard, who is a folk act and has been a support act for the Wurzels, is at The Victoria Arms. We are again collecting for Building for the Future.

5th December 2017 - Thames Valley Chorus at the Three Frogs

Thames Valley Chorus never fail to put on a fantastic show, although I could say that about many of the acts that join us for the Living Advent Calendar each year.  This year in the Three Frogs, a new venue for 2017, they again filled the rafters with song.

Songs included O Holy Night, I'll fly away and You Raise Me Up.

Thames Valley Chorus are  an all male choir who sing in four part close harmony, acappella style.  They are delighted to perform a selection of seasonal & up- tempo songs.

Enjoy this short video.




Tonight you will find the Living Advent Calendar at Oslar Coffee with a performance by 4 local children called the Kids Christmas Concert.

4th December 2017 - Dressing the Christmas Tree

On the 4th December it was time for the annual Dressing the Christmas Tree.

Nine schools came and presented their decorations to the Town Mayor Cllr Peter Lucey and Mini Mayor Caitlin and carols were led by the always fantastic Wokingham Choral Society. We had mice pies and hot chocolate supplied by Tesco and served by the Mayors Charities; Keep Mobile and WADE.

It was as ever a lovely event please check out the video below produced by Silk Purse Videos.





Attending Schools:

Foundry College
High Close School
Wescott School
Walter Infants School
St Teresa's School
St Pauls School
Emmbrook Infants School
All Saints School
Hawthorns School

3rd December 2017 Love Shovel at The Two Poplars

The Two Poplars was our venue for the 3rd, where we enjoyed an acoustic song list of Christmas and original songs.

Love Shovel aka Marissa and Jack performed some modern Christmas classics including Santa Baby and Last Christmas.


Enjoy the short video below.

2nd December 2017 Rob Otwinowski at Sanpa

It was a multicultural afternoon in Sanpa the Spanish restaurant on Denmark Street on the 2nd.  Spanish atmosphere and food, and music by a fabulous Polish guitarist Rob Otwinoski and on double bass Rudi from Indonesia

They played a series of Christmas classics alongside a few other tunes, including Santa Claus is coming to Town, Let it Snow and White Christmas. 

Robert is a Musician & Composer born in Poland.  He improved his music skills under the guidance of the best Polish guitar players. In 1998  he was awarded a prize by one of the most important music magazines in Poland; called 'Guitar & Base' .  He has also twice been a  finalist  on the master competition for Jazz Guitar Players "Guitar City"  in Warsaw.

Enjoy the short video below.

1st December 2017 - St Sebastian Wokingham Band at Wokingham Town Hall

We were in the warm of the Town Hall on the 1st, with mulled wine and gingerbread men while watching a rousing performance by St Sebastian Wokingham Band. Playing some Christmas classics including Ding Dong merrily, Good King Wenceslas and Rudolph the red nosed reindeer we had a full house singing along. Please enjoy the video below courtesy of Silk Purse video.



We will be sharing photos, videos and live feeds on our facebook page at www.facebook.com/wokinghamadvent so please do check there for the most up to date content.