Reading Festival 2026 kicked off its first night with a dual-headliner showcase featuring British pop star Charli XCX and Irish rock band Fontaines DC. The event, which serves as one of only a few exclusive UK festival appearances for this year’s headliners, drew massive crowds despite challenging weather conditions.
Charli XCX marked her return to the UK festival circuit with an elaborate production supporting her latest studio album, Music, Fashion, Film. Moving away from the electronic-pop aesthetic of her 2024 cultural phenomenon Brat, the performance featured a rock-influenced edge, complete with dramatic pyrotechnics, strobe lighting, and multiple costume changes. The set opened with distorted, black-and-white visuals before she launched into the new lead single, Rock Music.
The singer balanced her new material with a retrospective look at her career. She performed early tracks like the 2017 hit Track 10 alongside the melancholic House, co-written for the Wuthering Heights soundtrack. Fans of her dance-heavy catalog were not left wanting, as she incorporated staples such as Club Classics, 365, and the Grammy-winning Von Dutch. The show concluded with the final track from her new album, No One Lasts Forever, which features a spoken-word outro by filmmaker David Cronenberg. As her dancers surrounded her, the stadium echoed with the closing lines: “no one lasts forever / they are dead, they are gone” and “oblivion is freedom.”
Fontaines DC followed Charli XCX on the main stage, overcoming a brief delay to deliver a set that included tracks like Favourite and I Love You. The Dublin-based band closed their performance with the Grammy-nominated song Starbuster from their fourth album, Romance, prompting a massive singalong from the audience.
Earlier in the day, grime artist Skepta channeled the spirit of the festival in a lime green waterproof jacket, powering through the rain to perform hits including his collaboration with A&AP Rocky, Praise the Lord (Da Shine). He concluded his set with Victory Lap, a track featuring Fred Again.. and PlaqueBoyMax.
The main stage schedule began at midday with Jamie T, who secured a last-minute slot. He performed for exactly 33 minutes and 10 seconds—a reference to his new single 3310—delivering indie favorites such as Zombie and Sticks N Stones.
While the main stage hosted the headliners, the festival’s new Gallery tent provided shelter from the rain. US rock band Geese drew a significant crowd to the tent, performing high-energy tracks like Half Real and 100 Horses. Earlier, Radio 1’s Sound of 2026 winner, Skye Newman, showcased her vocal range with performances of FU & UF and Family Matters.
The festival continues throughout the weekend, with further headline performances scheduled from Dave, Raye, Chase & Status, and Florence + The Machine. The report also notes that alongside fan favourite tracks from her back catalogue, but her Friday evening show highlighted the best of both. The report also notes that after delivering punchy renditions of new tracks Wink Wink, Yeah and Card Declined, she stepped out to change from a black sparkly blazer into a black corseted dress. The report also notes that with bosses previously saying Reading and Leeds will be the only UK festival appearances for all of them this year, the twin festivals will feature six major headliners this weekend.
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