LIVE REVIEWS
Lana Del Rey’s Reading headline set opens in paradise. Before the star comes onstage tonight (August 24), clips from her 2013 short film Tropico fill the screens, Del Rey in the Garden of Eden with Marilyn Monroe, Elvis Presley and God. Later in the film, she’ll be cast out of this utopia, but, for now, she’s safe in this divine space.
As the screens change to show the ornate world the singer has created on Reading’s Main Stage – which includes an ivy-covered exterior of a stately home – it feels like Little John’s Farm could become an extension of that heaven. Del Rey walks on beaming and opens with ‘Norman Fucking Rockwell’, its blunt first line (“Goddamn manchild, you fucked me so good I almost said, ‘I love you’”) an iconic starting point.
Quickly, though, there are problems, as the pounding bass from The Chevron stage at the other end of the festival is so loud it competes with Del Rey. ‘Arcadia’ seems stunning and ‘Without You’, the ‘Born To Die’ track she resurrected earlier this year after a decade in the cupboard, could be an early highlight of the set. Both, however, are turned into wobbling, chest-rattling discordance. Even if you position yourself directly under a speaker – or are onstage, it turns out – Sonny Fodera’s house beats are still frustratingly audible. “Can you hear me through the techno?” Del Rey asks the crowd after ‘Ride’.
There are some beautiful moments here – if you can shut out the bass. ‘Summertime Sadness’ finds the star and her backing dancers holding up art deco-style mirror boards, turning Del Rey into a 1920s statue. ‘Ride’ is as exquisite as ever: scenes from its music video, interspersed with shots of Lana in real time, fill the screens and pull you into her gorgeous visual world. ‘The Grants’ and ‘Did you know that there’s a tunnel under Ocean Blvd’ give her backing singers a moment in the spotlight, their incredible vocals covering Reading in powerful, poignant emotion.
“Thank you so much, Reading. We’re going to play you a couple more songs for as long as we can,” the star tells the huge audience after ‘Video Games’. Unfortunately, that isn’t the case. Instead, due to a production error (for which the festival later apologised “unreservedly”) that halts the performance five minutes early, the big screens cut to the festival’s graphics, momentarily coming back on as fireworks explode in the night sky and Del Rey looks pensively out into the crowd. It’s a disappointing end to a set that had the potential to go down as a classic and, following Glastonbury 2023, a second big UK festival moment in just over 12 months that could have been something much more glorious. We’ll just have to wait for Lana Del Rey’s return to truly experience paradise with her.
‘Norman Fucking Rockwell’
‘Arcadia’
‘Without You’
‘West Coast’
‘Summertime Sadness’
‘Cherry’
‘Pretty When You Cry’
‘Ride’
‘Bartender’
‘Chemtrails Over The Country Club’
‘The Grants’
‘Did you know that there’s a tunnel under Ocean Blvd’
‘Video Games’
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LIVE REVIEWS
The closing hours of Reading 2026 have finally arrived. Florence + The Machine brought the rain during ‘Dog Days Are Over’ at The Grid, opening the heavens and leaving the festival site completely soaked. The weary fans who have stayed behind are wet, exhausted and clearly feeling the effects of the weekend. What they need now is one final enormous celebration to make the wait worthwhile.
The Gallery tent comes alive as the speakers blast ‘Favourite’ by Friday’s headliners and fellow countrymen Fontaines D.C., receiving the kind of reaction usually reserved for ‘Mr Brightside’ at a drunken wedding reception. Moments later, Kneecap display their familiar statement accusing Israel of carrying out genocide against the people of Palestine and Lebanon, with support from the UK government. It captures the Belfast rap trio perfectly, combining serious political messages with an unapologetic party atmosphere.
“We use our platform to talk about what we believe is right,” Mo Chara explains during the performance, before recognising those who “aren’t so fucking lucky” and whose voices have been suppressed. He soon encourages the audience to roar “fuck Netanyahu” and “free free Palestine”. Later, he starts a powerful chant of “Aaaaaa-ndy Buuurn-ham’s a waaaaaaan-ker” to the melody of ‘Seven Nation Army’, targeting our new Prime Minister over his claim that “a united Ireland is off the table”. Laughing, he asks: “The BBC won’t broadcast that, or will they?” As it turned out, they did not.
Away from the headlines and the controversy, there is no denying the connection Kneecap have built with their audience. Politics may shape the conversation, but the crowd also came to enjoy themselves, ready for a rave after the rally. The performance begins carefully with the heavy rumble of ‘Smugglers & Scholars’, before exploding during the Grian Chatten collaboration ‘Better Way To Live’ and the threatening energy of ‘Sick In The Head’. “Are ya ready for a mad one?” Mo Chara shouts. The response is already obvious.
The atmosphere becomes increasingly chaotic as the hip hop rhythm of ‘Cold At The Top’ and the hypnotic trance sounds of ‘An Ra’ send the entire tent into motion. The trio jokingly thank the UK for everything it has given Ireland, listing UKIP, fish and chips, a mental health crisis, Jimmy Saville, HP Sauce and Bloody Sunday. However, the show reaches another level once the second half begins. The explosive ‘Sayonara’ brings the ‘beef’ to ‘IBEEFA’, while ‘Get Your Brits Out’ and ‘Guilty Conscience’ give the crowd every reason to obey Móglaí Bap’s demand to “oooopen up the piiiiiit”.
Anyone watching closely may have questioned why the cameras continued to focus on Móglaí Bap and Mo Chara. The pair eventually reveal that they have spent recent weeks performing alongside a “provisional” DJ Próvai. Wearing the familiar tricolour balaclava, the temporary replacement handles his role as the crowd agitator with confidence while their bandmate enjoys some paternity leave. “Some things are more important than music, and that’s family,” they explain. How sweet. Móglaí Bap quickly destroys the tender moment by adding: “As you might know, the Brits took all our potatoes from Ireland; they took all our cocaine,” before declaring, “but we still have all our caaandy.” The group then charge directly into one of the biggest tracks ever written about extremely powerful ketamine.
‘Liar’s Tale’ sparks another huge reaction with its response to Keir Starmer, “genocide armer”, while the group warn that “you’re not getting away with doing nothing”. It is a politically charged message hidden inside an irresistible anthem from musicians who have experienced the “belly of the beast” through the legal system. Their latest album, ‘Fenian’, has helped Kneecap fully embrace the celebration that has always been part of their identity. Their live production now feels capable of filling arenas, blending the intimacy of a late night lock in with the rhythmic force and visual scale of The Chemical Brothers, the reckless electronic punk spirit of The Prodigy, and the fearless political honesty of Public Enemy. The spectacular visuals complete the experience.
Kneecap fans at Reading 2026. Credit: Andy Ford for NME
Kneecap fans at Reading 2026. Credit: Andy Ford for NME
Closing with the powerful combination of ‘Fenian’, ‘H.O.O.D.’ and the enormous ‘The Recap’, Kneecap bring our final celebration at Reading to a thrilling conclusion while also finishing their last festival appearance of the summer. “It’s been a pleasure to spend it with you mad c**ts,” Mo Chara says before leaving the stage. The feeling is mutual.
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