Irish pop star Samantha Mumba will no longer headline this weekend’s Pride celebrations.
Instead, disco legends, Boney M, featuring Maizie Williams, is set to take the top slot on the Barclays Main Stage at Pride in Liverpool this Saturday, July 30. They will be replacing Samantha Mumba, who will now not be able to perform at the festival due to difficulty with travel from the US.
Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, the Caribbean foursome were renowned for their “unmistakable mix of reggae, disco, funk, gospel, soul and rock producing an endless stream of unforgettable, sensational hits" including ‘Daddy Cool’, ‘Rivers of Babylon’ and ‘Rasputin’.
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According to LCR Pride Foundation, who are responsible for delivering Pride in Liverpool, their live show now reflects the “magic of longest-surviving band member Maizie Hill’s days with Boney M. but with the added flavour of new, self-penned Gospel-orientated material, providing the right amount of nostalgia for a decade gone by, mixed with the place she's at now.”
Andi Herring, CEO and co-founder of LCR Pride Foundation, said: “While we are disappointed that Samantha Mumba will now not be able to join us at Pride in Liverpool, as we know many other people planning to attend the festival will be, we are excited to be welcoming Boney M. to the Barclays Main Stage.
“To secure such a fantastic act when our festival is so close has been no mean feat and we’re incredibly grateful to the LCR Pride Foundation team and our city partners, who have worked relentlessly to ensure we have a brilliant headliner for Pride in Liverpool’s return.
“We know from conversations with the community that our audience comes to Pride in Liverpool to support homegrown and upcoming talent, as well as our headline act. To this end, we also have a truly fantastic community-driven line-up for the day and representation from some of our local LGBT+ venues, who will bring some of their best-loved performers and hosts to the stage. Our free festival has always been a grassroots event, with a focus on our community here in the Liverpool City Region and we look forward to being able to come together to celebrate this on Saturday.”
The annual March with Pride parade will start at St. George's plateau and end at the festival site at the city's Pier Head. The festival site will be open from noon and its stage, which has been programmed by Sound City, will spring to life from 1pm. The stage will be hosted throughout the day by Jordan Lee from Radio City and Hits Radio Pride and Jay Hynd from The Guide.
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