Town's music magazine publishes 50th issue

A free music magazineis celebrating its 50th issue.

Sound-Check covers the live music scene in Reading, interviews up and coming musicians for the first time, and also features local gig listings.

It was launched by Rich Lucas in September 2019 and is released monthly, except for a pause from April 2020 to August 2021 during the covid pandemic.

"In 2019 I said I'd give it a year, we'll see how it goes, knowing that it's only safety net was my wage from the day job," the editor tells the BBC.

Rich, 54, originally from Colchester, came to Reading in 1996 to be part of the music scene having played in bands since he was in school.

His subsequent band Desdemona achieved some success - they were played on John Peel and toured extensively.

He also pursued a career in design, with an early job at the Rising Sun Arts Centre in the town.

"I went in there and told them I was a graphic designer and they believed me, gave me a computer, and asked me to do some posters," he recalls.

He later went on to be one of the owners of Artrocker magazine for 14 years.

Rich says he "kept getting poked by various promoters" who thought Reading needed its own local music magazine, and that he was the man for the job because he had "form in the game".

He adds: "It's kind of what I do. The graphic design thing is kind of what I do. The local music scene thing is kind of what I do, and Reading was missing a live music guide.

"There's all sorts of websites telling you what's going on, but they include the theatre and the face painting festival and all this other stuff.

"I did keep being told that I should do it, and eventually I caved in."

Covid struck six months in, but post-lockdown the magazine felt even more essential, as it became "really important just to highlight the fact that live music was happening again".

But the 50th issue milestone took Rich by surprise.

"Every month it comes round, and it's late, and I'm working during the night to get it to print on time, and all that stuff," he explains.

"There's the herding cats business, trying to get words and pictures all in together and you just crack on.

"Then I just remember typing it in and saying, 'this is issue 49 - oh my God, the next one's 50'."

Future plans include diversifying into TV, with a new YouTube channel.

Rich says: "With my usual superpower, which seems to involve making things happen that take a lot of work and make nobody any money, but would be really good, I thought we should have a TV show."

The channel will feature live performances filmed with an audience at the Rising Sun Arts Centre, inspired by the late night music shows of Rich's youth.

In the meantime, it's back to work on the next 50 issues of Sound-Check.

"It's about getting people out of the house and off to gigs," Rich says.

"I haven't found anything more fun myself... so I'm going to tell everyone about it."

Sound-Check is available to pick up at venues in the centre of Reading and can be accessed online.