Only a handful of artists have headlined Reading & Leeds after just one album: The Darkness in 2004, The Strokes in 2002, Inspiral Carpets in 1990 - and, on Friday night, Chappell Roan. She’s also the first pure pop act to ever headline the Bank Holiday Weekend... Who are we kidding? There’s absolutely nothing about Chappell Roan topping the bill at Reading that feels like a risk.
That’s not to say her powerhouse performance is ever predictable. From the dark fairytale opening and the dungeons-and-drag-queen-inspired stage show, to the excitable energy behind the many, many smash hits, it’s massive in every way.
The music is just as gloriously over the top. There’s the smirking rage of ‘Femininomenon’, the country kiss off of ‘The Giver’ and the knowingly dramatic ‘After Midnight’. Sure, a live band gives her polished bangers a rugged snarl and a fiery cover of Heart’s ‘Barracuda’ is a glam-rock rager, but at no point during her 90-minute set does Chappell make concessions to fit the expectation of a Reading headliner. It’s deliciously Pop with a capital P.
She sings the soaring ‘Good Luck Babe!’ into a wind machine and starts the show dressed like a Disney villain. “I want to teach you a dance,” she grins before a giddy ‘HOT TO GO!’, clearly having fun with the whole thing. That playful spirit weaves its way through the show. The tender ‘Coffee’ sees her cuddling a goblin, and the “not overdramatic” line from opener ‘Super Graphic Ultra Modern Girl’ is delivered with the biggest of winks as fireworks erupt behind her.
As big and shiny as Chappell Roan’s pop spectacle is, it’s underpinned by raw emotion. There’s a dizzying excitement for recent single ‘The Subway’, a gut-wrenching post-breakup anthem that doesn’t skimp on heartbreak, and the searing ‘My Kink Is Karma’ feels like a purge for both Chappell and the tens of thousands watching. She goes on to dedicate the stripped-back beauty of ‘Love Me Anyway’ to the fans: “It’s truly a thank you for standing with me, I love you so much.” It ends with ‘Pink Pony Club’ - an anthem of ambition, belonging, staying true to your roots and, most importantly, joy. The whole thing is as warm, inspiring and thrilling as Reading headline sets get; it’s the stuff fantasies are made of.
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