Isle of Wight Drummer Rufus Reader Releases Jazz Debut EP, Stepping Out

Rufus Reader spent his teenage years behind the kit for Isle of Wight punk duo The Pill. Now he's releasing jazz compositions shaped by life on the mainland, and the pivot is genuinely worth hearing.

Reader, who started at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire in 2024, released his debut EP Stepping Out while still mid-degree. The record is available to stream now and collects original compositions written since he left the Island, tracks the artist describes as reflecting thoughts on joy, love, energy, politics, and peace.

The Pill announced they would no longer be an active band, which freed Reader to explore a very different sonic territory. Stepping Out was recorded in February and engineered and produced by Matthew O'Malley. The lineup on the recordings is tight and specific: Dave Sear on trombone, RJ Gilbert on alto saxophone, Jude Bloor on piano, and Casper Hamilton on double bass.

Since relocating to Birmingham, Reader has been embedding himself in the city's jazz infrastructure rather than just studying it. He has performed with the Midlands Youth Jazz Orchestra and co-runs Upstairs at Cherry Red's Jazz Night in Birmingham city centre, which puts him squarely in the working musician category rather than the conservatoire-student-waiting-to-happen category.

Island fans who want to catch him live won't have to travel to Birmingham. Reader performs at Monkton Arts in Ryde on Wednesday, April 1, joined by Birmingham trombonist George Farrell alongside Island musicians Jon Thorne on bass and Tom Hendy on piano. It's a different band configuration than the EP session, which makes the Ryde show worth treating as its own event rather than just a promotional appearance for the record.