Lola Young flashes Reading 2026 surprise finale, first major UK music festival after canceling tour

3:15 pm, main stage The Grid. This time point should have belonged to the name written on the program list, but Reading 2026 chose to reveal it only on the day of the performance: Lola Young was on stage.

The London singer who became popular with "Messy" will make her R+L (Reading+Leeds) debut on Sunday, August 30, the afternoon at the end of the Reading Music Festival. It is worth mentioning that this surprise performance only takes place at the Reading venue in the south, and will not be available at the sister venue Leeds in the north.

For Young, this was more than just an extra game. She canceled a tour in 2025 due to burnout, and had collapsed midway through a performance in New York before. During her recuperation, she spoke openly about undergoing addiction treatment and attending Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) to readjust her life. In an interview with NME earlier this year, she described her state as follows: "All the healing processes are never really over," but she is "definitely in a much better place" and is "ready and excited to perform and release new music."

Talking about the support her fans have given her when she's openly vulnerable, she said: "My fans inspire me in the same way they inspire me. I've never set out to be particularly honest... it just comes naturally to me. I have no choice but to be honest, and if that resonates with people, that's great."

This surprise design on Reading Sunday is not the first time. On Friday, the opening day, Jamie T was the first to take the stage at The Grid at noon. In addition to performing classics, the audience who arrived early also let the audience who arrived early hear excerpts from the new album "Ghosts (100 Days Of Morning)". At 2 p.m. that day, Brighton duo Royal Blood moved to The Gallery tent and heated up the atmosphere on Friday afternoon with tracks from their new album "Ten Over Ten" and old songs familiar to music fans.

Reading 2026 will end on Sunday with lineups such as Florence & The Machine, Chase & Status, Kneecap, Westside Cowboy, Violet Grohl, etc. Lola Young's surprise appearance falls on this closing afternoon.