A white tutu was pinned behind denim shorts, and ballet shoes were put on her feet - this is the scene of ADÉLA running off the stage and turning back midway through "Death By Devotion" on the Reading Festival stage. When NME reviewed Reading & Leeds' "most magical moment," it was described as a spinning and pointe performance that gave the song an extra layer of elegant edges and proved that the Slovak-born singer "still has a lot of tricks up his sleeve."
This performance on The Gallery stage was also the first time "Boys" was sung publicly to the audience. ADÉLA put it bluntly when introducing this new song: "The next song is a new song, and it's basically about you and your sisters being in a nightclub, but being annoyed by guys all the time." The entire set list also includes "KGB", "Finally Apologizing", "Go", "Ain't in LA", "Red Bottoms", "Marijuana", "SexOnTheBeat" and "SUPERSCAR".
Before singing "Ain't In LA," ADÉLA talks about her origins. She told the audience: "I have always had a big dream, to stand on a stage like this and be a pop singer, but I always felt that I was too far away from that dream. As a result, I am here... I wrote this song to all the bad bitches from small places." Before "SexOnTheBeat", she also commented on the atmosphere at the scene, mentioning that Reading is a celebration for many people after completing GCSE exams, "I can feel the energy, you guys look really happy."
ADÉLA, one of NME's 100 Important Emerging Acts of 2026, released the EP 'The Provocateur' last year. She talked about her creative direction in an exclusive interview with NME: "I am here to make everyone more accustomed to being 'uncomfortable'." She also added: "Being a real person in pop music, I like to talk about my imperfections. To me, the negative side of myself is just as interesting as the positive side."
There is no studio version or release date for "Boys" yet, and this Reading performance marks the first time it has been sung in public.
