Wow, what a scorcher of a weekend and another stellar Reading & Leeds that was. Cracking weather, beautiful people, and one of the best festival line-ups of the summer was saved ’til last to keeping us partying through the dust clouds and into the night. It was one for all time.
It was an R+L like no other, with a massive overhaul to the campsites making the fans a whole lot happier, and you could tell. We were down at Reading to capture it all, reviewing all the biggest and best sets from legends and rising stars, taking some beautiful photos of all the action and sitting down for a chinwag with all of the artists that made your weekend what it was. Check out everything we did from the field and backstage right here.
If you’re feeling those post-R+L blues, then fear not – festival boss Melvin Benn told us that next year’s line-up is already shaping up very nicely. But for now, relive all the most magical moments from Reading & Leeds 2025 below…
Words: Jordan Bassett, Rhian Daly, Liberty Dunworth, Andrew Trendell, Kyann-Sian Williams
Chappell Roan storms the castle
There was never any chance that Chappell Roan’s debut Reading performance would be anything less than spectacular. This is a pop star whose dizzying ascent has played out at festivals across North America, and this year was Europe’s turn to find out just what she’s made of. The answer? Superstar presence, flawless vocals and a brilliant sense of theatricality that brought the witchy, dark fairytale energy of her set together neatly and compellingly. From unifying sing-alongs to the likes of ‘Pink Pony Club’ and ‘Good Luck, Babe!’, the hordes of festival-goers who turned out to watch Roan weren’t left disappointed – far, far from it. Check out the full review here. (RD)
The Kooks and Rebel Wilson – sure!
When NME first heard rumblings that a celeb was set to grace The Kooks’ headline set, we didn’t know quite how weird things were about to get. No, we’re not talking about teens who weren’t even born in 2006 going absolutely nuts for ‘Ooh La’. “We’d like to film a scene from a movie with you,” frontman Luke Pritchard announced, before bigging up a “famous” actor we’d never heard of. It turned out Tazzi Young was one Rebel Wilson, who stormed onstage to lead the band through a rendition of Coolio’s ‘Gangsta’s Paradise’. It felt less like a movie and more like a fever dream. (JB)
Bring Me The Horizon reach boss level
“PRESS START” read the welcoming message over retro Doom and Final Fanstasy VII graphics before we were plunged into a sci-fi horror dystopia where “the world has crumbled to ash and the dead are feasting on the remains” while a demonic, parasitic presence spreads a deadly virus. Your only hope? Mosh your face off to Bring Me The Horizon’s heavy metal blockbuster spectacular and hope to survive.
The sheer batshit ambition of the production and the band’s runaway performance was anchored by frontman Oli Sykes’ genuine humility at the sight of the vast crowd of feral pits who have stuck with them to this crowning moment. With pyro and bangers plenty – and an Oasis classic thrown in for good measure – each song felt like a finale that most bands would kill for. When the dust settled and the video game adventure was over, BMTH had well and truly reached boss level. Check out the full review here. (AT)
Bloc Party were properly iconic
The prospect of hearing the words “indie” and “sleaze” together one more time might make you want to catapult a Pigeon Detectives CD into a landfill using a pair of skinny braces, but there was something very heart-warming about the huge crowd that greeted Bloc Party on the main stage. Now 20 years since they headlined the NME/BBC Radio 1 Stage off the back of immaculate debut ‘Silent Alarm’, this weekend’s show was billed as the festival’s first “icons” set and the sense of occasion was clearly not lost on frontman Kele Okereke, who promised us “fun” and duly delivered a relentless volley of indie anthems. Now, where are those braces? (JB)
There’s a changing of the guard during AJ Tracey’s set
UK rap has been on such a phenomenal run of late, and the emerging underground trap scene have been the poster children. Cue AJ Tracey’s Chevron set: when the west Londoner said he was going to treat the crowd and play an unreleased collaboration, there was a multitude of people he could bring out. Maybe his cousin and best friend Big Zuu would swap out his temporary DJ role to return to the mic for a quick ones-and-twos? But, no, in his blacked-out, swaggy fit and signature thick glasses, it was south London’s own FinesseKid strutting out from behind the blinds to add that “‘greazey” lawlessness of the UK underground trap world.
The moment carried extra weight. Earlier that day, Tracey spoke to NME and reflected on his authority in UK rap and said he was ready “to pass the baton” to the next generation. Bringing FinesseKid into the spotlight was proof he’s more than willing to back up that promise. (KSW)
Been Stellar lay claim to the future
Early arrivals to the Festival Republic stage on day one may have caught shelter from the sun, only to be met by a scorching blast of sound courtesy of NME‘s The Cover alumni Been Stellar. A self-proclaimed ‘Scream For New York’, the NYC indie heroes laid claim to much higher slots on the line-up with their dreamy world somewhere between The Strokes and My Bloody Valentine.
Looking cool-as-hell, the Dirty Hit signees made the perfect match for the beautiful young ones gathered in the tent with their summer-ready love songs and hazey shoegaze and spiked indie dream-pop, perfect for a teenage lost weekend. Speaking to NME backstage, they told us of progress on a new record that’s more concerned with time than place. After what we saw, their time is now. (AT)
Limp Bizkit’s Gallagher-approved frat party
Seeing as the nu-metal giants have a reputation for breaking out nothing but fan-favourites at their festival appearances, you’d be forgiven for thinking that if you’ve seen one Limp Bizkit show, you’ve seen them all. That is, until, the ‘90s icons walk out to Oasis’ ‘Roll With It’, boastfully projecting an AI-generated image of the Gallagher brothers on the screen behind them.
With classics like ‘Break Stuff’ and ‘Nookie’ coming in quick succession, the band somehow managed to keep their eternal promise of taking their audience back to 1999… despite the average Reading punter being born in 2008. What’s more impressive, though, was their ability to capture the same raw intensity as they did over three decades before, and command the mammoth crowd in front of them without the need for any extravagant production or special guests. Keep on rollin’… Check out the full NME review here. (LD)
Solidarity and free speech reigns
The BBC may have chosen to cut Hozier’s impassioned speech about Palestine Action, Kneecap, suffering minorities and – ironically – freedom of speech from their livestream, but it was a unifying moment for all gathered at his powerful headline set. While Victorious festival down in Portsmouth was catching flak for pulling The Mary Wallopers off stage, a metaphorical flag was raised up and waved proudly with love for Gaza by Soft Play, Bring Me The Horizon, Amyl & The Sniffers, Lambrini Girls, and loads more. “There’s space for escapism,” Enter Shikari’s Rou Reynolds told NME just after his inspiring call for justice on the main stage, “but at the end of the day, we are given a mic and there are things happening that shouldn’t be happening.” Let your voice be heard. (AT)
Sophie Ellis-Bextor + Royel Otis = one mega nostalgic singalong
For Gen-Zers, nostalgia is one helluva drug – proven this year by The Kooks and Limp Bizkit turning their sets into utter ragers for both the youngsters and the elder statesmen. But no one expected Sophie Ellis-Bextor to pop up during Royel Otis’ main stage slot. The second the first note of ‘Murder On The Dancefloor’ rang out across the arena, a ripple of shock surged through the crowd as the disco-pop queen herself strutted onstage.
For around three minutes, the set was transformed into a full-on, impromptu disco inferno. What could’ve been another buzzy indie slot suddenly became one of Reading’s most joyous crossover moments – proof that escapist pop anthems never really die, they just wait for the right stage to make us lose our minds all over again. (KSW)
The Linda Lindas’ explosive debut
From the second that The Linda Lindas bounded out onto the Festival Republic stage on Friday, the energy they were bringing to Reading was clear – punk, positive and very, very fun. You could sense each band member’s personality coming through in the way they performed, whether in Eloise Wong’s livewire antics or Bela Salazar’s calmer and more poised approach. Instead of feeling uncohesive, their differences made the likes of ‘No Obligation’ and ‘Growing Up’ soar, and helped The Linda Lindas nail their first time at Reading. (RD)
Still Woozy showed us not to take life so seriously
Just when you think that the world is all a little too much, Still Woozy reminds you it’s A-OK to be a little bit silly. His stage was dotted with inflatable flowers covered in scribbled-on faces, like doodles torn from a schoolbook and blown up to towering proportions, setting the tone for his off-kilter world. The Californian singer strutted, swung his arms and wiggled his bum, never bothered about keeping up a rockstar image. Instead, he leaned into his natural goofiness, radiating warmth through a set of dreamy, left-field pop that had the crowd grinning back at him.
The whole thing felt like a shared moment of glee – a reminder that sometimes the best festival moments are the ones that feel as daft as they are euphoric. (KSW)
Nell Mescal’s emotional gut-punch
“Wow, there are so many people here,” Nell Mescal said, looking out to her audience at the beginning of her set. Little did she know that as her ethereal, heartfelt vocals would start to shine throughout the set, the crowd at the Festival Republic stage was about to become a hell of a lot more packed.
There was something touching about the singer’s appearance at this R&L debut. Not only did the emotion and delicacy of her music stand out as one of the most wholesome moments of the festival, but there was also a humble charm to it. At various moments, she could be caught looking out at those swaying along to her tracks, almost in disbelief at the adoration she was receiving. Time to let it sink in, Nell. Based on this Reading performance alone, there are bigger and better things on the horizon. (LD)
Balu Brigada bring the thunder from down under
Sunday mornings at Reading can be a tough one – a crawl to the finish line through the dust and the hangovers. Stepping up to the challenge for an early set on the Festival Republic Stage were recent NME The Cover stars, Balu Brigada – a blast of pure summer bliss by way of the fabulous Auckland.
Theirs is a euphoric sound somewhere between the grooves of Jagwar Ma, the sweet haze of Tame Impala, the more subtle moments of Vampire Weekend, and a Southern hemisphere take on Phoenix. “Are you guys feeling electric out there?” they asked us. Hell yes. Few Reading debuts erupt like a greatest hits set, but this absolutely pumped. From the almighty groove of ‘Backseat’ to the cheeky synth pop of a newbie set to drop this week, the duo’s energy simply can’t be contained on a stage of this size. (AT)
Jasmine.4.t calls out for a better world
It’s already been a huge year for Jasmine Cruickshank – aka Jasmine.4.t – who released her boygenius-produced debut album ‘You Are The Morning’ in January. Since then, she’s toured with Lucy Dacus, played a bunch of major festivals and is set for headline shows around the world before 2025 comes to a close. Her Reading performance, then, was just the latest in a long line of completely deserved highlights, Cruickshank and her band delivering a searing, joyous and moving set that did everything from encouraging community and care, to reminding us to use our voices against the injustices in the world. (RD)
Amyl & The Sniffers get real rowdy
“Youse like swear words?” Amyl & The Sniffers asked, proudly holding up middle fingers as they brought their signature punk flair to the Reading main stage. At this point, it’s fair to say that the Aussie band indelibly leave their mark at every festival they’re at — and this time was no exception.
For those who are eternally longing for the long-gone days of “classic Reading”, there is no doubt that the raucous set here would satisfy that rock craving. The energy that the members delivered from start to end was unmatched, and the theatrical showmanship, unfiltered honesty, and quick wit of singer Amy Taylor alone were enough to blow any naysayers out of the water.
From the members calling out bigotry in all its forms, to fans donning cork hats grinning ear-to-ear as they crowd surfed over the barriers and sprinted back to the pit for round two, this was contemporary punk at its strongest, and definitely not a R&L set that will be forgotten any time soon. Check out the full review here. (LD)
Travis Scott blows our minds
The Houston rapper’s closing headline set fizzed with so much transgressive, punk energy that it’s hard to choose just one standout moment. Certainly, his mix of pyro, fireworks and whiplashing bangers inspired the most chaotic crowd of the weekend. Perhaps, though, the lasting image was that of countless young fans raising their phones up to the sky as they moshed to the apocalyptic ‘FE!N!’, the bursts of blown-out bass sounding like the gates of Hell being wrenched open. It was such an astonishing, transportive spectacle that NME almost didn’t spot The Streets’ Mike Skinner (or his doppelgänger) wandering past the edge of the crowd to the VIP bar. Check out the full review here. (JB)
Check back at NME here for all the latest news, reviews, interviews, photos and more Reading & Leeds 2025.