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Charli XCX captivates Reading Festival with career-spanning performance
British musician Charli XCX and Irish rock band Fontaines DC were joint headliners on the opening night of Reading Festival in 2026.
Published 28 Aug, 23:34 · Pearl Hundred newsroom
Charli XCX delivered an exhilarating, career-spanning performance at the Reading Festival.
The British vocalist presented her audience with popular songs from both her most recent releases and her earlier works.
A monochrome image depicts Charli XCX leaning against a wall while singing into a microphone, her figure silhouetted against a bright white background.
Charli XCX inaugurated her next artistic phase with a dynamic headlining appearance at Reading Festival, showcasing notable tracks from throughout her musical journey.
This event marked the British singer's initial UK festival appearance since the launch of her newest studio album, 'Music, Fashion, Film'. This record represents a shift from her influential electronic-pop album 'Brat', featuring a more rock-oriented sound.
Despite this, her Friday evening show expertly combined the strengths of both albums, along with beloved tracks from her previous catalog.
She also significantly enhanced the production compared to her previous 'Brat' tour, incorporating more intricate staging, multiple costume changes, dramatic pyrotechnics and strobe lighting, and was supported by a troupe of dancers and a live musical ensemble.
The show commenced and continued with fragmented, black-and-white video clips of Charli.
Fragmented, black-and-white visuals of Charli initiated the performance, prompting an immediate eruption from the tens of thousands assembled at the main stage as the opening chords of 'Rock Music', her new album's lead single, began.
Following energetic renditions of fresh tracks 'Wink Wink', 'Yeah', and 'Card Declined', she momentarily exited the stage to change from a sparkling black blazer into a black corseted dress.
The second segment of her performance demonstrated the wide scope of her artistic output, transitioning from the pop anthem 'Track 10' off her 2017 mixtape to the melancholic tones of 'House', a song she co-wrote for the recent 'Wuthering Heights' soundtrack album.
For those desiring her infectious dance music, the singer later brought out tracks such as 'Club Classics', '365', and the Grammy-winning 'Von Dutch' from her sixth album 'Brat', which became a cultural sensation and elevated her prominence in 2024.
After returning to the punk-influenced style of 'Music, Fashion, Film', she concluded her set with its final track, 'No One Lasts Forever'.
The song concludes with filmmaker David Cronenberg's spoken words, "no one lasts forever / they are dead, they are gone" and "oblivion is freedom," and Charli allowed these phrases to be the final sounds resonating as she surveyed the audience, surrounded by her dancers.
Before Charli XCX, Skepta performed energetically on the main stage despite the rainfall.
The main stage maintained its rock intensity as Fontaines D.C. followed Charli, with both groups sharing headliner status for Reading's opening night.
Fans experienced approximately a thirty-minute delay, but the Irish rock band from Dublin quickly re-engaged the crowd with hits like 'Favourite' and 'I Love You'.
Their set concluded with 'Starbuster', a Grammy-nominated song from their fourth album, 'Romance', as the audience chanted the lyrics back to them.
Written and edited by the Pearl Hundred newsroom.