Show a little pride

X-FACTOR winner Sam Bailey will be among the stars wowing crowds at Swindon and Wiltshire Pride this weekend.

The singer, who won smash hit TV show X-Factor in 2013, will be the headline act at the Old Town Gardens event tomorrow evening.

Swindon and Wiltshire Pride will also see performances from Swindon favourites Fizz, singer Misty Lee and DJ Rollo.

The event, which is organised by volunteers, this year celebrates its 10th anniversary.

Chairman Jo Sharpe said: “We’ve got in the region of 40 acts across three stages. The theme this year is around celebrating freedom.

“It’s also to support people in other counties in the world where it’s still a crime to be gay.”

Tomorrow’s Pride event will begin with a grand parade. Nine vehicles and an estimated 350 people will set off from Old Town Gardens at 10.30am, marching through to the High Street and back along Bath Road. The parade will return to the park by around midday.

Running from midday until 10.30pm, the main Pride event will offer activities and performances for everybody.

“I think we’ve always tried as a Pride event to keep it as a family event for everybody to come together and celebrate.”

Among the family-friendly attractions are an art zone, a bouncy castle and a literary zone.

Swindon and Wiltshire Pride will be at Old Town Gardens on Saturday July 29, 12pm to 10.30pm. The event is free. Visit swindonwiltshirepride.co.uk.

Rhapsody in blue for ELO fans

FRONTMAN for the ELO Experience, Andy Louis, was a keen fan of the Electric Light Orchestra growing up so he decided to produce a homage to Jeff Lynne and the band as a theatre show.

Andy teamed up with Steve Hemsley, keyboards and vocalist, to create the show as authentically as possible.

Andy said: “It is Steve that pulls it together as per the record.

“We try to recreate the record exactly, even getting Tony Lawson our percussionist to use a fire extinguisher for a certain sound, as they did in Mr Blue Sky.

“Our latest show is based on the Out Of The Blue album which marks its 40th birthday this year, although there is one number from Jeff Lynne’s 2015 album called When I Was A Boy.’’ The band will be performing numbers such as Sweet Talking WomAn, Across The Border, Wild West Hero and other hits such as Diary of Horace Wimp, Don’t Bring Me Down and Evil Woman when they come to Swindon’s Wyvern Theatre at 7.30pm tonight.

Tickets to see The ELO Experience Back Into The Blue are £25.50 from 01793 524481 or visit www.swindontheatres.co.uk.

Dream of a comedy from the Bard

SHAKESPEARE fans can enjoy one of the Bard’s most popular plays, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, next week.

Swindon’s Gatecrash Theatre is presenting its annual Yearn and Learn production at the Arts Centre under the direction of Anna Friend.

The story is based around four lovers, a wedding and whole gang of fairies who cavort full of mischief and magic in the woods.

The lovers are thwarted by parental control and unrequited love until the mischievous Puck takes a hand at his master, the king of the fairies’, bidding.

Love potions administered willy nilly cause chaos until the morning throws light on their revels and order is restored.

Gatehouse Theatre offers both training and professional openings for actors, writers and directors. Gatecrash is the resident company at New College so also offers courses for performing arts students.

Anna is well known for her involvement in productions such as the Wroughton Passion Play, and she is artistic director of Quirky Bird Theatre. She has also worked on music videos for artist such as Eric Clapton and All Saints.

An Arts Centre spokesman said: “Gatecrash will bring the usual blend of grit and wonder to the Arts Centre giving Shakespeare like you have never seen it.’’ The Saturday matinee is family friendly and aimed at bringing Shakespeare to young ones of all ages. A Midsummer Night’s Dream, runs from July 27 to July 30 and tickets are £12 from 01793 524481 or visit swindontheatres.co.uk.