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What's on Stage
Equipment and backline available at this venue. We verify and update this section regularly.
PA system
Drum kit
Guitar amp
Bass amp
Keys / keyboard
3 vocal mics
In-house engineer
About Purple Turtle
Purple Turtle is a grassroots music venue in City Centre, Reading with a standing capacity of approximately 250. Full backline is on stage including drum kit, guitar amp, bass amp, PA and vocal mics, plus an in-house sound engineer — so you can travel light.
Purple Turtle books Rock, Indie, Punk, Alternative, Electronic acts. Both original music and covers are welcome. This listing is part of the Reading venue directory.
The Purple Turtle at 9 Gun Street, Reading (RG1 2JR) is a Reading institution — a late-licence bar and live-music venue trading for over three decades (first opening in 1990, moving to Gun Street in 1997). It runs live music every week, hosts BBC Introducing in Berkshire and the Berkshire Electronic Music Open Mic (EMOM), and keeps an underground basement for club nights, open until 3am Sun–Thu and 3:30am Fri/Sat. A full-backline room with an in-house engineer and a long-standing home for the town's grassroots and emerging acts.
Have you played here? Was the backline info accurate? One tap, no sign-up required.
Find Purple Turtle
9 Gun Street, City Centre, Reading, RG1 2JR
What should you charge for a gig here? Check live UK rates by role, city and venue size. Based on 3,798 verified rate observations.
Seven things people ask about booking Purple Turtle.
Full backline: drum kit, guitar amp, bass amp, PA and vocal mics. In-house sound engineer included. Bring your own instrument and pedals. Looking for other venues with full backline? Browse Reading venues and filter by backline.
Purple Turtle books Rock, Indie, Punk, Alternative, Electronic. Both original music and covers are welcome. Browse artist profiles by genre on GigXchange.
Sign up free on GigXchange to view Purple Turtle’s booking contact, fee range, and submission process. Most grassroots venues accept email submissions with a link to your music or EPK. Check current UK fee benchmarks before quoting.
Purple Turtle has a standing capacity of approximately 250, classed as a medium venue. See all Reading venues for size comparisons.
Open mic information is not currently listed for Purple Turtle. Browse the Reading Open Mic Finder for nearby open mics.
9 Gun Street, City Centre, Reading, RG1 2JR. See the map below for directions. Browse more Reading venues nearby.
Fee ranges are available to signed-up artists on GigXchange. Grassroots venue fees in Reading vary by event type, band size, and whether the deal is a flat fee or door split. The GigXchange Rate Calculator shows current UK percentiles.
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