Baby Queen is ready for her coronation at Reading 2023

Words: Finlay Holden.Photos: Patrick Gunning.

Having just announced her long-awaited debut album, the buzz around current Dork cover star Baby Queen has grown into a torrent of hype, intrigue and questions - but she’s not here to answer them all just yet.

Kicking off with ‘Internet Religion’, Bella instead smashes out some hits in her hybrid pop-rocker style; she necks champagne, riffs on real and air guitars, and slaps some cymbals, but the hook-rich melodies rule all.

Advising her crowd that “the best hangover cure is to drink more,” you can’t always trust her advice, but you can trust her to hype up a crowd. ‘Raw Thoughts’, ‘Buzzkill’ and the cloud-opening closer ’Want Me’ are sung back word-for-word, while ‘DREAM GIRL’ and ‘We Can Be Anything’ look set to join their ranks soon.

Emphasising how important this day is for her, Baby Queen reflects on her first-ever UK festival experience and setting her gaze on the exact spot she’s now sharing with her excellent live band. Based on the intimacy she shares with familiar faces on the front row, it’s important to many others, too. Her coronation may be waiting just around the corner, but Baby Queen’s kingdom has long been letting its presence known.