James Barr’s ‘Roaring With Pride’ soundtrack for Pride in London 2026

To celebrate Attitude and Peugeot‘s Roaring With Pride partnership at this year’s Pride in London parade, Hits Radio Breakfast presenter, comedian and Attitude family member James Barr has curated the soundtrack that will power the parade through central London. We caught up with James to find out how you soundtrack one of the biggest moments in the LGBTQ+ calendar.

Pride has always had a soundtrack. It is there in the songs people belt out at the top of their lungs, misheard lyrics delivered with conviction, and those tracks that turn the city of Westminster into a Kylie video: anthems that somehow hold both protest and joy in the same chorus. For Attitude and Peugeot’s joint Pride in London Parade entry, that soundtrack needed to do more than simply fill the air. It needed to honour the spirit of the Attitude Pride Awards, celebrate the LGBTQ+ community in full colour, and keep energy high as the Roaring With Pride entry moves through the heart of London.

Enter James Barr: broadcaster, DJ and longtime Attitude family member. His Roaring With Pride soundtrack brings together Pride anthems, emotional moments and dancefloor electricity, designed to be the musical heartbeat of Attitude’s parade entry, this year.

When Attitude first approached you about curating the soundtrack for Attitude and Peugeot’s Pride in London entry, what excited you most?

My first thought was, “That’s a lot of walking… I’d better bring the vibes.” What made me excited? Queer joy. Pride is one of those magical days where protest and celebration exist side by side. Our queerness stands on the shoulders of those who fought for us, and the music is the moment. I needed to curate a soundtrack that felt joyful, inclusive and impossible not to snatch a wig to.

The soundtrack celebrates both Pride in London and the spirit of the Attitude Pride Awards. How did you strike that balance?

The Attitude Pride Awards celebrate people who’ve shown incredible strength, resilience and courage in our community. I’ve cried every time I’ve been. For this Roaring With Pride playlist, I wanted every song to tell a story. There are songs about coming out, self-belief, resilience, and finding your chosen family. 

What makes the perfect Pride parade soundtrack?

You need range darling. You need camp. You need drama. You need songs your mum knows, songs the twinks know and at least one track that makes a straight dad throw his hands in the air. It needs charisma, uniqueness, nerve and talent. It’s about creating momentum so every song feels like it’s topping the last one. Or bottoming, whatever your preference.

Was there one song that absolutely had to make the cut?

It’s Pride, so there are a few non-negotiables. You can’t really do it without Kylie, and let’s not forget Madonna. I was tempted to pick Confessions 2 from start to finish, but I’ve shown some restraint after a twink judged my millennial energy at Madonna’s album launch yesterday, with the devastating qui[: “Madonna must be your Gaga”. The disrespect. 

If I had to choose one absolute must, it’s Attitude Pride Awards star Frankie Grande with his gloriously gay cover of Celine Dion’s I Drove All Night. It felt right, especially as we’ll be partying all night.

Which track do you think will create the biggest moment on the streets of London?

WHERE THE HELL IS MY HUSBAND?  I’ve actually put this Raye song in the playlist more than once. I regret nothing. If there are thousands of gays screaming that through central London tomorrow, maybe he’ll finally get the message? That is of course if Zac Efron is in London tomorrow. 

Is there a hidden gem, deep cut or unexpected inclusion people should listen out for?

Absolutely. Barbara Butch’s Muy Lesbienne is one to listen out for. Barbara won a Pride ICON Award at the Attitude Pride Awards and she’s the perfect example of someone who uses music to bring people together while proudly championing our community. Barbara is an insanely talented DJ, activist, and the hook of this house track alone is iconic. Muy Lesbienne should be on every pride playlist because let’s be honest, we all need to be more lesbian. This song isn’t just sick, it’s Sapphic-k. 

Music has always been central to LGBTQ+ culture. What role do you think it plays at Pride?

Music gave our community somewhere to go before we had any rights. Before we had marriage equality, before we had apps, there were dancefloors, gay bars and cruising areas where we found each other.

Artists like Diana Ross gave us joy and somewhere to escape. Madonna used her platform to speak up for people living with HIV when too many stayed silent. Janet Jackson’s Together Again is a disco tribute to friends she lost to AIDS. Music didn’t just soundtrack our lives,  it carried us.

Pride is a celebration, it’s a protest and it’s a day of remembrance. We dance because of the people who came before us. 

How do you want people to feel when they hear this soundtrack coming down the road, blasting out of our Peugeot vehicles?

I want straight men to hear Madonna, wander out of Sports Direct, join the celebration and experience the low-frequency vibrations of our Peugeot sound system. If the bass resonates at exactly the right frequency, they might finally locate their G-spot. 

Finally, what does the Attitude Pride Awards mean to you? You’ve attended a few over the years…

The Attitude Pride Awards celebrate the people making our community safer, kinder, inclusive and strong all year round, not just when the rainbow flags come out. That’s what makes them special. It’s far from performative. It’s the heart of our big queer community, and every year I leave inspired to be even prouder than I already am. 

Did we include Padam? Do we know the routine?

Obviously I’m not confirming or denying thiis… but if Padam Padam comes on and you see me doing the choreography outside Boots on Picadilly Circus, that’s between me and Kylie.