Reading and Leeds festival will probably always be a post-GCSE rite of passage: a gleefully riotous taste of freedom before having to make actual life decisions. But the sibling events have been struggling for a sense of identity beyond this, particularly post-Covid. In 2025, the festival decided to theme days based on genre, which felt out of touch – but, this year, organisers have decided to tackle gen Z’s borderless approach head on. There are new stages, such as the chandelier-adorned Ballroom, and overall the lineup is wonderfully mazy.
On the festival’s second stage, you can catch everything from UK underground rap selector DJ EJ, warbly US rockers Geese, and raw, live-drummed jungle from 4am Kru. “I dedicate this one to all the bad bitches from small places. Let’s make a song about the bad bitches from Leeds,” Slovakian pop star Adéla gleefully giggles during her own set here, before launching into neon-streaked megahit Ain’t in LA. In a ping-ponging journey across styles, other highlights include London singer Dexter in the Newsagent’s blue-skied bedroom pop, Australian artist Mall Grab’s Game Boy grime beats and Bar Italia’s insouciant rock, which is significantly more fun and dance-y than their recent lukewarm album reviews might suggest.
