Genuine stars, established and new, demonstrate their showmanship in-between the rain.
Saturday morning had been fairly dry. Right on cue, as Absolutely (sister of Raye) came out to open The Grid the heavens dropped a huge deluge of rain, setting the tone for the day. She and the crowd didn’t let it affect them. You have to wonder what one family has managed to do so right to produce three exceptional singers. Sadly, we didn’t get over to Amma, but she has an amazing sound as well.
Whilst we don’t normally go chasing pop sets, we had to go to this next one. Slayyyter is an absolute star in the making. Her audience was waaay tooo small for her ability. This was like an early Lady GaGa appearance, with even more punk energy. Her band looked like a rock band and somehow played like a rock band, despite this being a pop set. Anyone on site who wasn’t down for this one is going to regret it in a few year’s time. It chucked it down towards the end and nobody cared in the slightest. Slayyyter is the real deal.
We went to check out the start of Cruz Beckham And The Breakers and about fifty percent of the crowd lost their minds when David and Victoria Beckham stood at the side of the stage to watch. Poor Cruz, he has a decent 90s indie vibe on his releases so far. We watched three songs and it felt like 50 or so gigs on the pub circuit would really help them to find their feet. Starting with a high level of fame makes it very hard to practice and make mistakes in front of live audiences.
Kingfishr had a way bigger crowd in The Gallery than we were expecting, even before it started raining again. We really weren’t sure they would connect with the teenage-centric crowd, but you underestimate this Irish indie-folk band at your peril. They sound great as always, despite Fitz still being on a break after finding their rapid fame all a bit much. It was nice that frontman Eddie Keogh was able to talk about supporting the mental health of their colleague on stage. Maybe men are slowly learning it is okay to struggle. ‘Diamonds & Roses’ still annoys us with the phrase “Jezebel eyes,” such a cliché. In fairness, their entire style is built around clichés, they just do it and deliver it all so well though. They are also just one of the genuinely nicest bands around.
bar italia were superb. Some bands just have a vibe and style all their own. bar italia are effortlessly cool. Like a Dandy Warhol’s level of effortlessly cool. They make some interesting music as well. Each member of this London indie-rock band has their own thing going on, but it all comes together and makes sense. They have been releasing music since 2020, but you feel that they are just coming into their prime.
We were really curious about Frost Children so made sure to catch the start of the set. As they started, the crowd were hit by huge levels of bass this US duo unleashed. They were totally committed to fun vibes and great energy. It seemed a shame to go, but it might have been the one and only time we were going to see Sombr and the twenty-one year old has some tunes. There was an epic feel to the run-time of this hour, possible only because the version of ‘Back To Friends’ he delivered felt like it lasted half an hour. He abandoned the stage half-way through and ran around inside the security cordons waving a flag saying “Sombr loves Reading,” saying hi to as many fans as he could on the way round. He is very genuine and has that sense of star quality that separates the best from the also-rans. He has dominated the radio zeitgeist over the last year or so and tracks like ‘Homewrecker’ and ‘undressed’ evoke mass singalongs from the young crowd. He finishes with a great rendition of ’12 to 12,’ our favourite Sombr song with that great disco-funk strut underpinning it.
We quite literally put our bodies on the line to see Dave. Waiting by the pen gates for the front section whilst Sombr was finishing off turned into a huge crush as the “Oh Thiago Silva” chanting teenage boy element of Dave’s fanbase decided to not employ their brains. We got through, but it was an ugly moment and reminds why you always get in the set before the headliner if you want to see them close up. In a moment of justice, a lot of the chief culprits in the shoving did not get through the barrier and security held it to a much smaller group than you often see in there. It speaks to the dichotomy of Dave’s talent and fanbase. He is an intelligent man who raps about intelligent things, but he also understands how to write a chart hit and play the commercial rap game.
It was worth it though, as Dave’s set was an absolute masterclass, full of BIG HEADLINE moments. How many rappers would play with a live band? How many rappers would bring out a full string section for much of the set? How many rappers could play the piano themselves for one of their tracks? It was also clear just how much this headline set meant to Dave. He had appeared at Reading in 2017, 2019 and 2022 and had been to the festival as a punter as well. It meant THE WORLD to him to be headlining it here and that emotion gave a real oomph to the whole performance.
He started off with a few from his second album in ‘Verdansk’ and ‘Clash.’ Stormzy appearing on a backing track and virtually on the big screen graphics. Pyro flames were shooting up and 50 yards away we were still close away to feel the heat! Burna Boy was our next big screen cameo for ‘Location.’ Mixed into the background graphics for ‘Location’ was a map of the local Reading area, it was a nice touch. This was followed by our first big in-person guest as James Blake appeared, Dave referring to his close collaborator as “My brother.” They did ‘Both sides of A Smile’ before he stuck around to provide backing on ‘Screwface Capital,’ Dave played a grand piano whilst rapping. It absolutely elevated the track into a headline event level piece.
Each time Dave paused between tracks to soak it all in the chants of “Oh Thiago Silva” started up. He wisely got it out of the way earlier on in the set, with a ‘Seven Nation Army’ intro no less, to get them to quiet down so he could move on. Our next guest star was Kano, on at the end of a ‘3P’s Freestyle’ and then they did the stunning ‘Chapter 16.’ It was a real moment between them on stage, both appreciating how huge this performance was.
A ‘Trojan Horse/UK Rap’ mashup lulled us into a false sense of security that Central Cee was not present – until he then came out to do ‘Sprinter.’ In a hooded coat and shades he had clearly been trying to stay undercover until the last minute. Again, both artists took a moment to appreciate the enormity of it all. You wonder if Central Cee might be the next UK rapper to headline the festival.
In between those Central Cee moments though was the highlight of the entire set. A truly powerful, moving performance of ‘The Boy Who Played The Harp.’ Backed by such an immense live band it was one of the best moments of the whole festival. Worth even passing on Viagra Boys for, not something we would do lightly. We were almost in tears, Dave had a couple in the corner of his eye at the end of it.
There was just time for ‘Starlight,’ fireworks going off over the “I love you” coda, before a celebratory ‘Raindance’ to end on. Dave is without doubt one of the best artists in the country right now, he deserved this co-headline set, he executed it perfectly and it seems like the only way is still up for him.
Some might have struggled following that Dave set, but not Raye. She kept it simple, letting her voice be the star – backed by a decent sized band with string and brass sections. The light up Raye sign she bought with her didn’t even work properly, it didn’t matter though.
Raye is an absolute chatterbox between tracks, not helped here by the sheer nervous energy of the occasion. It made it feel more interactive though, that we were invited to share this moment with her. There is fine generation of great singers right now who face backwards to more classic music styles. Celeste, Laufey – Raye is right up there with them, though also unexpected and achingly modern. The near rap of ‘WhatsApp Shakespeare,’ that she had never played live before, is a real counterpoint to something like ‘Beware.’
She ticks off all the highlights of her career so far, including a club ready version of ‘Prada.’ Part of a section of up-tempo tracks, including a cover of ‘You Don’t Know Me.’
As the penultimate track, we get a wonderful moment where her sisters Absolutely and Amma join her to perform ‘Joy.’ They used to back her full time, but are now pursuing their own careers. There is nowhere to go but ‘WHERE IS MY HUSBAND!’ It is another pure moment of Reading Festival 2026 that all present savour. For us, Dave edged it tonight, but we certainly enjoyed Raye as well – having missed her 2024 set to watch Wunderhorse.
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