Readipop Festival is back in Caversham for 2022 with the first headlining acts now announced.
Readipop 2022 is a three day, all-ages charity festival which takes place by the bank of the Thames in Caversham, in Reading.
The festival will span Friday 8 July - Sunday 10 July at Christchurch Meadows in Caversham.
Organisers are proud to announce that Readipop will also be celebrating its 5th anniversary with Morcheeba, Sugarhill Gang and Badly Drawn Boy joining the festival's line up this year.
All money raised by the popular family friendly festival helps support Readipop’s charity work providing access to music for vulnerable young people and other underrepresented communities locally.
Hip hop legends Sugarhill Gang (with Melle Mel and Scorpio from Furious 5), Morcheeba, British soul and trip hop pioneers with over ten million global album sales & Mercury Music Prize winner Badly Drawn Boy head up Readipop Festival 2022 first line-up announcement.
Joining them are a diverse array of new and established artists including Michele and Romeo Stodart from The Magic Numbers, BBC 6Music championed Liverpudlian electro-pop trio Stealing Sheep, Grammy nominated indie/dance innovators Jesus Jones, world and dance music fusionists Transglobal Underground, Nigel Clark frontman of Britpop favourites Dodgy and turntablist DJ Format.
The full list of the first twenty artists to be announced for Readipop Festival 2022 are as follows:
Morcheeba / Sugarhill Gang + Melle Mel & Scorpio (Furious 5) / Badly Drawn Boy / Romeo & Michele Stodart (The Magic Numbers) / Stealing Sheep / Jesus Jones / DJ Format / Sunscreem / Transglobal Underground / Nigel Clarke (Dodgy) / The Drop / Brother Zulu / Amya-Ray / Beatroots / Hatty Taylor / K.Kane / OSP / Moving On Choir / Takata Percussion / Tea & Jam
Supporting local talent is said to be a key goal of both Readipop Festival and Readipop’s charity work. This year’s festival sees an exclusive show from Reading reggae collective The Drop plus a special showcase of aspiring local musicians on the Readipop AAA programme. Local artists OSP, Amya-Ray, K.Kayne & Hatty Taylor who are all signed to Riser, Readipop’s new record label, will all be performing.
Also, BBC Introducing in Berkshire will be hosting a takeover on Sunday, 10 July and selecting the opening acts on the mainstage on Friday 8 and Saturday, 9 July.
In addition to the music, attendees will be able to purchase local real ales and craft beer served by Purple Turtle bars, street food, visit a record store and Reading’s Indie Urban Market stalls full of festival-friendly arts, crafts and clothes stalls.
Kids are also welcomed with free tickets for under 14s (when accompanied by adults) and a family area which includes storytellers, arts & crafts, dance and music workshops.
Readipop Festival Programmer Pete Wheeler said: “This is definitely a moment we’ve all been waiting for at Readipop. So many people held onto their Readipop Festival tickets over the last two years and we wanted to make sure we delivered our biggest acts to date as a ‘thank you’ to them for supporting us.
"Morcheeba are a fantastic live band and we know how special it will be when they perform “The Sea” (known to many as the TV theme tune to “Shipwrecked”), “Rome Wasn’t Built In A Day” and more on the opening night of Readipop Festival’s 5th Birthday Party.
“We’re also thrilled to have the ultimate party starters Sugarhill Gang & Furious 5 headlining our Saturday night as they are so much fun on stage with “Rappers Delight”, “Apache”, “The Message” and “White Lines” sure to get Christchurch Meadows dancing! Badly Drawn Boy played a fantastic set for us during our Virtual Readipop Festival in 2020 and we can’t wait hear him play new material alongside classics from the “About A Boy” soundtrack and his Mercury Music Prize winning album “The Hour Of Bewilderbeat” on our closing day."
Weekend tickets are available now from just £49 each (including booking fee) at readipop.co.uk/festival
Pete Wheeler continues: “We have loads of superb new and current acts playing this year too. Stealing Sheep, Brother Zulu & OSP are really exciting bands who are all destined for bigger things. We still have plenty more acts, old and new, local and international coming soon in our full line-up announcement. We plan to share this during our Readipop Festival 2022 Launch Party at Purple Turtle, Reading on Saturday 19th March. On the night, there will be performances from three great live acts entry and entry is free!
“Also this year for the first time at Readipop Festival, we’re hosting “In Conversation” sessions where established musicians including Stephen Morris (New Order/Joy Division) and Richard Jobson (The Skids) will be discussing their careers and giving tips for aspiring musicians.
“Most importantly, the Festival will support our work changing lives through music in Reading and the Thames Valley. From providing youth provision and 1:1 Music mentoring, supporting some of Reading’s most vulnerable young people, to running accessible community bands for a wide range of ages and much more, Readipop - and therefore Reading and the Thames Valley - benefit directly from this event."
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