THE STAGE for Reading Pride 2022 is set, and here is our overview of the day’s events and performances.
Unite’s Jan Bastable Main Stage
- Noon – B Radio’s Matthew Hemmaty: Parade Bangers
- 12.45pm – Jamie Wake, Club F.O.D.
- 1.20pm – Mayor of Reading opening address
- 1.30pm – Reading Rock Choir
- 2pm – Leadly
- 2.20pm – Sam Solace
- 2.50pm – Janethan
- 3.35pm – Dr. Bev
- 3.50pm – Love Unites Pride Video and awards
- 4.05pm – Bentley Jones
- 4.10pm – Natalie Gray
- 4.50pm – Son of a Tutu
- 5.10pm – Lolly
- 5.30pm – Nicolette Street
- 5.50pm – Carter the Bandit
- 6.15pm – Ring the Alarm
- 6.35pm – Nadine Coyle
- 7.05pm – Wilma Fingadoo
Pride aLive
- 12:20pm – Tara Deane
- 12:45pm – Riverine
- 1.15pm – Jair
- 1.45pm – Twenty 06
- 2.15pm – Holly Shillito
- 2.35pm – BeatRoots Drum Performance
- 1.45pm – Rachel Redman
- 3.15pm – Midnight Drive
- 3.45pm – Tomorrow Bird
- 4.15pm – Hatty Taylor
- 4.45pm – Elucidate
- 5.05pm – BeatRoots Drum performance
- 5.15pm – Colour & Fires
- 5.50pm – Deva St. John
- 6.35pm – Jopy
- 7.30pm – OSP
Pride Xtra
- 1pm – Sum Ting Wong
- 1.20pm – Grace Anatomy
- 1.45pm – Amber Rose Turner
- 2.10pm – Big Jay
- 2.50pm – Powdered Sugar
- 3.40pm – DJ Enbee
This year’s Love Unites 2022 festival and parade will see a performance by the Reading Rock Choir, which covers contemporary and pop music and is open to anybody with any level of musical experience.
As well as the Rock Choir, there’ll be a performance from Natalie Gray, a singer-songwriter originally from Reading.
She has been feared on Damian Harrison’s Don’t Walk Away, as well as Joel Corry and Billy Da Kid’s Get What You Give.
Natalie recently released her own 80s-inspired synth-pop, supported by BBC Introducing, and finished a UK tour raising funds for Women’s Aid.
London-based four-piece girl band Ring the Alarm is also set to bring their brand of pop-tinged R&B and choreography to the stage.
Carter the Bandit will also make an appearance, as he continues to push for more LGBTQ+ acceptance in the rap and hip-hop scenes.
He’ll be joined by Bentley Jones, who has remix credits with Madonna, Britney Spears, Kygo, Whitney Houston, Demi Lovato, Taylor Swift, and Lady Gaga.
His latest album, The Unexamined Life, was debuted at 2020’s Global Pride Festival, and looks at sexuality, gender, and the discrimination he has faced in the music industry in a mix of house, hip-hop, and 80s synth.
Ghana Music Awards nominee Danny Lampo will bring afrobeats and dancehall to the event, fresh from his Nollywood Entertainment and Leadership Award last year.
Manchester’s Janathan will also be in attendance, having been praised for his k-pop and house-influenced dance music by the likes of Katy Perry, Little Mix, PSY.
They’ll be joined by Leadly, an independent pop musician with flavours of Kim Petras and Carly Rae Jepsen, and Sam Solace.
The main stage will be hosted by Mr Leather UK 2017, Jamie Wake, who has supported the LGBTQ+ community in Reading for more than 15 years.
He will be joined in hosting duties by Reading’s own Pride favourite Wilma Fingadoo, internationally-celebrated drag performer Dr. Bev, and Drag Idol winner Son of a Tutu.
Drag Race alumnus Sum Ting Wong will host the stage’s mix of drag, cabaret, comedy, and DJs.
Sum Ting Wong competed on the first series of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK and has performed in a number of Reading venues, including Milk and The Oakford Social Club.
She is fresh from the release of her latest single, Hypnotise, and will bring her powerhouse vocals and comedy stylings to Pride.
She will be joined by Reading’s own Drag monarch Big Jay, who has hosted Reading’s Got Drag and will also be co-hosting the Trans-Pride afterparty event.
Big Jay is a champion of non-binary drag and celebrates only the first anniversary of their drag performance in September.
Grace Anatomy will also be performing, who is among the hosts of Reading’s monthly Club F.O.D. nights, and debuted as a drag performer at the Royal Vauxhall Tavern.
Church of Yshee 2022 finalist, LIPSYNC1000 2022 Finalist, and all-round drag phenomenon Powdered Sugar will also be performing, as well as Amber Rose Turner, who’ll be bringing live vocal and drag performance
Berkshire-born resident DJ at the Blagrave Arms, DJ Enbee, will be closing the stage with a mixture of pop, R&B, disco, funk, and house.
Acoustic, indie-folk artist, Colours & Fires, brings their brand of highly-personal music to the festival, with much of their work exploring transformation across genders and relationships.
Their most recent performances include shows at Oxjam Reading, Readipop festival, Are you Listening Festival, Trans Pride Brighton, and Brighton Pride.
They were also among those selected as official artists for BBC Sounds Independent Venue Week in 2020 and 2022.
After a short hiatus, stellar rap collective OSP have returned to work on their first studio project, with experience at Abbey Road studios, Glastonbury Festival, and as BBC 1Xtra’s track of the week between them.
Esa Kwame, J Blacks, Silqe, and Subject have all performed as solo artists, as well as with other groups, and recently performed at ReadiPop 2022.
Reading’s own Elucidate is set to perform, with powerhouse lead vocals fusing garage rock, punk, and pop influences such as David Bowie and The 1975.
They were tipped as one of Spotify’s Hot New Bands in 2019, going on to perform at ReadiPop and Are You Listening in 2020.
Alt-rock-pop soloist Deva St John brings modern production to her classic rock influences, and sold out her first headline show in 2021.
She also opened the main stage at this year’s ReadiPop festival after having performed a number of shows in Europe.
Her debut EP is currently planned for release in October.
Hatty Taylor will bring their chaotic style of folk music to the event, with vocal loops and personal lyrics with a combination of acoustic and electric sounds.
Hatty was also one-half of Reading’s electro-blues stalwarts Vienna Ditto.
Reading’s community samba drumming group, BeatRoots, will take to the Pride aLive stage, having run in Reading since 1996.
The group has performed at WOMAD, The Thames Festival and during the Olympic Rowing at London 2012.
The group is open to new members, including beginners, who can take part in a samba 101 taster workshop.
Rachel Redman, Jopy, Midnight Drive, Twenty 06, and Tara Deane will round out the stage’s lineup.
Reading Pride Parade takes place from 10.45am on Saturday, September 3, leaving from Reading Station and proceeding to the festival grounds.
The Love Unites Festival takes place at Kings Meadow from noon.
For more information, visit: https://www.readingpride.co.uk/
