26/08/2025
The last time I walked through the gates at Reading, I was an angsty yet overexcited 17-year-old, surrounded by similarly angsty yet excited 17-year-olds at various levels of sobriety. I’d just dramatically dropped out of sixth form and was itching for a weekend of parentless hedonism.
I’m now a somewhat mature, recently married, almost 30-year-old, and going back to Reading initially felt like a strange thing to do. 'It’s for teenagers' I thought. 'I have no place amongst them, I have minimal angst and a mortgage.'
However, after being tempted by the lineup a few times over the years, the Friday headliner for 2025 finally persuaded me to step once more into the hormonal swamp – Chappell Roan.
Since blowing up over the last year, I had been desperate to see her live, and had heard amazing things about her sets, so we got our Friday day-tickets and hopped on the train.
Something I didn’t remember from my first visit was just how close the festival is to the station – a well-signposted 15-minute walk. Our journey felt no more of a hassle from south-east London than festivals in Victoria Park or Gunnersbury. Once inside, I was pleasantly surprised – yes, it was mostly teenagers, but there were plenty of adult fans too, and a heartwarming number of little girls with their parents, often in pink cowboy hats and Chappell Roan merch.
The multiple stages offered a great mix – Bloc Party delivered old-school indie hits, and Rudimental on the Chevron stage was a rager (and I don’t think I’ve ever seen a festival tent that big).
We were impressed by the variety of drinks on offer, and it was great to attend as an adult and have a glass of ice-cold wine from the bar – a stark contrast to the crudely smuggled bag of cheap warm wine on my last visit. There were lots of food stalls too, with a decent amount of variety, from burgers to Sri Lankan curries. The toilets also seemed upgraded, with minimal queues even at peak times.
We then headed to the main stage for The Kooks – a band that appealed to both 17-year-old and 29-year-old me. They delivered the biggest surprise of the set: bringing out Rebel Wilson halfway through, who led a rousing rendition of Gangsta’s Paradise. A big hit with an admittedly bemused audience – word on the street is that it was for an upcoming movie, so I guess Festival For You has gone Hollywood?
And then it was time for Chappell Roan.
There was a real buzz in the air, and the crowd seemed to double in size – clearly most of the festival had made their way to the main stage.
Chappell is a showman through and through. The staging was ornate and gothic, with a sort of 80s gothic horror vibe. Across the set she treated us to three costume changes, all with a discreetly vampiric edge.
It’s hard to believe that so many hits come from just one album – opening with Super Graphic Ultra Modern Girl, she took us on a journey: from slower songs like Subway to the incredible crowd-pleaser HOT TO GO!
Seeing tens of thousands of people doing the cheer dance from HOT TO GO! in perfect sync will probably be an all time concert highlight for me. It’s incredible that she’s had such a cultural impact in so little time. Even those unfamiliar – such as my husband – were coached through the moves first by Chappell herself and then given a crash course by the gaggle of teenage girls next to us, who clearly wanted everyone fully involved in the party.
By the time we reached her massive hit Pink Pony Club, the crowd was ecstatic. Chappell Roan had her huge audience in the palm of her hand, and if this is what she can do off the back of one album, I can’t wait to see her ascent into megastar status over the coming years.
Unfortunately, due to boring grown-up commitments (sorry, 17-year-old me!) we couldn’t stay much later, so missed the final headliner of the night, Hozier, which was gutting. Hopefully we’ll catch him at another festival soon.
Overall, we were really impressed by Reading. It seemed to balance its crowd well and, although being surrounded by teenagers sounds like a bit of a nightmare, we experienced nothing but good vibes from people clearly having the time of their lives. Granted, I’m not sure I’ll ever return to camping, but as a day festival? Reading was the full package – and I won’t be waiting another 12 years to return.
