READIPOP Festival has officially begun for 2023, returning to Christchurch Meadows with three days of music and comedy performances.
Despite a soggy start with the weather, Natural Right brought an infectious, joyful vibe to the Purple Turtle stage, peppering their set with screaming, searing saxophone solos, and warm, welcoming ska vibes.
AK47 Bop was a highlight that exemplified their sunny sensibilities and eminently danceable disposition.
Meanwhile Megan Collins performed a mix of original material and covers over on the Little Top stage, including an acoustic cover of 500 miles.
Collins’ vocal dexterity seemed effortless, paired with her skilled guitar playing and easy on-stage presence.
She closed her set with original tune Sad Songs, and upcoming release, which will be the third of a run of four, which she announced was set to drop on Friday, August 4.
Marisa and the Moths turned up the heat on the main stage as the rain began to subside, bursting into their set full of consummate, guitar-driven rock.
Their deft balance of instrumental prowess and irreverent apathy perfectly marries a high level of musical accomplishment with outright abandon.
Fan favourites Skin and Pedestal have never sounded better than on such a big stage, cheered along with a crowd largely unfamiliar with the band’s work, but instantly sold on them.
Lead vocalist Marisa said: “It was touch and go with the rain, but it really got going and everyone was so up for it.
“It can’t always be sunny all the time– it wouldn’t be Britain otherwise.”
Of performing to a crowd who were new to the band, she said: “It is an honour, though it’s always nerve-wracking.
“It means a lot to us to play on the main stage in our hometown alongside Sleeper, who we love– I wish we could stay for longer, but we have some other festivals to play this weekend, so we’re sad to leave.”
Marisa and The Moths are currently putting together their second album, which she described as “a step up for us as a band.
“We’re doing things we’ve never done vocally, with some heavier songs and some poppier songs.
“It’s a real journey inspired but a pretty nasty break-up, but good things come from bad events like that.
“We’re so proud, and we can’t wait to share it.”
The band is also seeking crowd-funding to help with the costs of the second album, as they’re self-managed.
“We’re independent artists, and I’m running the band as the manager full-time; it costs a lot, both as individuals and as a band.
“We want to be able to reproduce the music on CD and vinyl and produce music videos, to support it in the way that maybe a label would.
“But we really believe in it, and we don’t want to mess that up.”
Marisa and the Moths are also supporting Elvana as they tour the festival circuit.
More details about the band’s upcoming shows (including next month’s Wokingham Festival) and how to support the album is available via marisaandthemoths.com
Natalie Gray paired an assured and versatile vocal ability with ebullient, exciting presence and sunny performance style on the Purple Turtle Stage, particularly during the fiercely funky, neon-drenched My Toy.
A surprise mash-up of Jermaine Stewart’s We Don’t Have To Take Our Clothes Off and Westlife’s I Want It That Way towards the close of her set was dedicated to “all the 90s babies out there.”
Meanwhile, Big Jay kicked off Friday’s comedy and cabaret offerings as host of the late performances on the Little Top, introducing the mile-a-minute Tom Little.
Ada Campe followed, whose cheeky but cheery stylings edge towards outrageous without pushing the boundaries expected by the festival’s family audience.
Charlie Partridge also performed at the Little Top stage in a whirl of physical and musical comedy sewn together with punchy stand-up which teetered hilariously and expertly on the brink of unhinged.
Roni Size then took to the main stage under a cloak of rapturous applause befitting his renown.
His set more than lived up to the hype and demonstrated how well-earned his reputation is, especially as a number of younger audience members were among the most vocal.
The set was packed with floor-filling anthems, mashed up and mixed in with care and craft to make one of the day’s real highlights.
Reading’s own OSP brought a dazzling array of vocal talent with a fizzing, effervescent energy to their set, which not only closed down the stage’s acts for the night but shut the show down entirely.
After the show, Esa Kwame of OSP said: “That was the craziest crowd we’ve had; words can’t even describe the feeling.”
Tiki, also performing, said: “The vibe was electric, that’s all I can say; looking out into that crowd really gives you the energy to perform and tonight it gave us something really special.”
Fellow member of the collective Silqe said: “I feel grateful that I had such a great time on that stage– the crowd gave us so much back.
“For any performance, but definitely for a festival, you come to get involved like that.”
Esa agreed: “All of us have prepped for this for years, it didn’t come overnight, so it’s in our blood.
“As soon as we hear the beat, any nervousness and worry just goes out the window.”
As for what the future holds for the collective: “More music, more vibes, more performances like that.”
More information about upcoming shows and music from OSP is available via their Facebook page.
Sleeper closed on the main stage with an assured, accessible set that included an especially accomplished cover of Blondie’s Atomic and left the first day of Readipop on a glittering, jubilant note.
Readipop continues over at Christchurch Meadows throughout the weekend, with more comedy, drag, and music, including sets from Professor Green, Jungle Brothers, Pip Blom, and the Readipop AAA Takeover, still to come.
We’ll be bringing you all the latest from the festival, including a day-by-day breakdown of all of the highlights across the weekend.
More information about the festival, as well as Readipop’s year-round work supporting young people in Reading, is available via: readipop.co.uk.
