Sugar Hill Gang to headline Readipop
READIPOP, the three-day charity festival, is now just six weeks away. With this year marking its fifth anniversary, the event is set to take over Christchurch Meadows once again with a diverse mix of musicians and performers.
Pete Wheeler, festival programmer, said: “This year’s line-up is very special for us as it’s for the fifth birthday of Readipop Festival, which we can finally celebrate after two years off.
“Our headliners have been getting bigger over the last few years as more people have supported the festival, come along for all three days to see smaller acts as well as the bigger internationally known artists.”
Among those taking to the festival stage is hip-hop headliners The Sugar Hill Gang.
Hailing from New Jersey, the duo produced the first rap single to make it into the top 40 in the Billboard Hot 100 charts with Rapper’s Delight in 1979.
Mr Wheeler said:”We can’t wait for the headliners we have coming to Christchurch Meadows but, as with every year, we’re exceeding proud of the quality and diversity of acts across the whole line-up from Friday to Sunday.”
They will be joined by Badly Drawn Boy who has made a huge impact on the indie music scene since his first EP in 1997. In 2000, he won the Mercury Music Prize for his album The Hour of Bewilderbeast, with his single You Were Right hitting number 9 on the UK singles chart in late 2002.
Mr Wheeler said: “Badly Drawn Boy is the one act we are most excited for as he gave us a taster of his set when he took part in our Virtual Readipop Festival in 2020.
“He’s got great in-between song chat as well as a treasure trove filled with excellent songs.”
His latest studio album, Banana Skin Shoes, released in 2020, was his first in a decade
Mr Wheeler also explains how local artists’ performances are also worth catching this year.
“Local talent is particularly strong across the genres this year. Reading hip hop collective OSP have built into a phenomenal live act that blew everyone away at our launch party in March.
“We also have a four-hour showcase of local artists on Saturday, July 9, featuring performances from Readipop’s AAA project, which supports young people in Reading to develop their musical skills with help from professional musicians and technicians.”
As well as performers, there will also be breweries keen to show off their talents.
“Local beer will also feature highly this year with Purple Turtle selling craft beer and real ale from Double Barrelled, Siren, Phantom and Loddon
Breweries.”
Mr Wheeler explained that it was clear the popularity of the festival is growing.
“We’re delighted with the response from everyone so far with ticket sales in excess of any previous year’s Readipop Festival already.
“If you’re still to get yours, we strongly recommend doing so soon, especially while tickets are still available from just £19 per day and £52 for the full weekend.”
■ For more information on the full line-up and list of venues, visit: www. readipop.co.uk
■ To book tickets, visit: www. eventbrite.co.uk