Sundara Karma step up at Reading Festival

Performing on the main stage at a festival is a prestigious step up for any band. First of the day at Reading, Sundara Karma bring that sense of occasion to life. Blistering indie pop with a streetwise swagger, the band perform as if it’s what they were born for. With a history stretching back into their early teens, they’ve come a long way in recent years, and the crowd revel in it as much as the group do. Frontman Oscar Lulu embodies the rockstar persona, pulling shapes and leaning into the crowd from centre stage, and the field lap up every second. Pausing to express how “overwhelming” the moment is, the group promise to “give something back” in an expression of gratitude. Performing ‘Happy Family’ - a new song from their forthcoming album - this might be a coming-of-age moment, but Sundara Karma are showing they’ve still got so much more to offer. The folk-tinged harmonies of the new number carry all across the field, breaking into resounding stomp-along rhythms and star-spangled riffs. Shouting out to their homes a mere ten minutes down the road, the performance is a textbook example of a group cementing themselves as local heroes. Previewing their new record in front of an enthralled festival site, the future doesn’t just look bright, it’s gleaming.