Looking for a new experience?
Join a band, write your own music, play live or simply improve your skills...
Perform live at our local events
Looking forward to this!Our 5th Birthday Readipop Festival is rescheduled until 9-11th July next year (Readipop Festival 2021), however the positive response and overriding support we received from ticketholders, artists, staff and volunteers inspired us to mark the occasion with a Virtual Readipop Festival 2020 which brings together all the elements that make the festival so special.
So get your friends & families together (safely), put your bio-glitter on and join us for three hours of festival fun from 2pm on Saturday 11th July as we livestream for free at this Facebook page (and at readipop.co.uk or youtube.com/readipop) with special lockdown live sets from previous and future acts alongside exclusive kids workshops, award winning poetry, cooking lessons and much more. Like the festival itself, our online event will be raising money to support Readipop's charity work providing access to music for vulnerable young people and other underrepresented communities locally. Viewers can help both through donations and by becoming Readipop Friends (see readipop.co.uk/readipop-friends)
Mercury Music Prize winner Badly Drawn Boy, world-renowned human beatboxer Beardyman and Jay-Z sampled soul powerhouse Hannah Williams & the Affirmations head up our line-up playing exclusive performances, with Beardyman performing a live, improvised and interactive set, similar to his mainstage headlining set at Readipop Festival 2017. Joining them are a diverse array of new and established musical talent including Nigel Richard Clark, frontman of indie favourites Dodgy, eighties reggae chart topper Musical Youth, 6Music championed newcomer Freya Beer and T.S. Elliot prize winning poet Roger Robinson.
Supporting local talent is a key goal of both Readipop Festival and Readipop’s charity work. The virtual Readipop Festival 2020 line-up reflects the quality and variety of local acts including powerful soul from Tabi Gazele, reggae from The Drop and CultureMix Arts, singer songwriters Amya-Ray, Siôn Sollis - Music and Ophelia Ray, Vocal Networking’s hip hop and rnb artists and indie rockers Searchlight Sun. All of Readipop’s community bands make special appearances too.
In addition to the music, younger viewers can take part in a Jellytots arts workshop hosted by local art collective Jelly, Readipop’s WOMAD craft workshop and enjoy Professor Queen-Bee’s puppet show. Also, budding cooks of all ages can learn how to make the perfect meatball naan wrap with award winning The Bowler - Food Truck! More still to be announced too...watch this space.
See you there!
Team Readipop x
Our thoughts are with the Reading community and those who have been affected by the weekend's events. #rdguk
The Rock Academy would like to thank Youth Music for awarding us a grant to support our charity during the coronavirus.
This vital money will help us to continue to work with young people during the lockdown and serve as a springboard for new activity once the restrictions have been lifted and we can return to face-to-face activities.
We are grateful for all the support we have had from our members, parents, partner schools and community centres, and also from local organisations such as Readipop, Reading UK CIC and Jelly.
If you or a young person you know would like to get involved in our band experience, instrumental tuition or music technology activities, please complete this simple form: tinyurl.com/TRAF-enquiry
Thank-you
