The sun coming out for our festival-organised boat shuttle down the Thames was relief indeed, as we ditched the wellies and reached for the Crocs on our way into the arena.
Saturday afternoon was a melee of young folk, festering in the mire of their GCSE exam results – something the organisers are obviously battling with, given the amount of drug searches, water hand outs and well-oiled system of pulling kids out of the mosh pit.
To kick off the afternoon fun, Grian Chatten in his bright green shell suit jacket, led the swells and synth of Fontaines DC, in a top notch set mixing up old songs with the Dublin poet-rockers just-launched new album, Romance – meaning that fans were delighted by “I Love You” and “Boys in the Better Land” and tantalised with “Favourite” and “Starburster”.
Record-breaking singer-songwriter Raye came next to the stage, giving perfect festival vibes in a floor-length sequin dress and full choir behind her. After winning six accolades at the BRITs earlier this year, this is clearly Raye’s time to shine. “It’s always been my dream to play this festival,” she quips, adding, “but I didn’t think we would start off on the main stage with all these people here.” With her Camden accent, scat-jazzing to the sax and sassy persona, you can’t help but draw comparisons to Amy Winehouse, but the music is very much her own style – as seen in “You Don’t Know Me”, “Prada” and the euphoric “Secrets”. There is one sad track, that the R&B singer introduces with emotion, telling us: “Music is medicine, to help you feel better, excited and listened to. I pray you don't relate to this song, but if you do I hope it feels like a hug”, before singing “Ice Cream Man”, which details her experience of sexual assault. It’s a sobering moment, before she brings the party with afro beats for the peeps who've just done their exams, and we are told to sway and two-step along before bouncing to “Escapism” as the sun sets over a vast, pumped crowd.
But it was the Queen of Hollywood sadcore that everyone was waiting for – and living up to her reputation, Lana Del Rey hit the stage 15 minutes late, after an elaborate stage of pillars, wrought iron balconies, ivy trellises and golden pianos was built. Opening with “Norman Fucking Rockwell”, it soon became clear that there was a slight delay between her live voice and the big screens – just one of the technical annoyances that plagued the Californian singer’s set.
Wafting dreamily through some of her more chilled and arguably lesser-known hits such as “Arcadia”, “Without You” and “West Coast”, Lana struggled to compete with Australian DJ Sonny Fodera who was blasting out drum and bass from the Chevron stage at the opposite end of the field, prompting her to ask “Can you hear me through the techno?” But this didn’t deter her fans who drowned out the dance music as they sang along to “Summertime Sadness” (performed alongside some spectacular dancers dressed in red, wielding folding tan mirrors) and “Ride”, yelling along to a cinematic backdrop of double denim, rope swings, Harley Davidsons and American flags.
Lana’s sit-down Gospel version of “Chemtrails Over the Country Club” was particularly magical, tapping into the soft, wistful sounds she’s known for, before we heard the poetic “Did You Know There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Boulevard” and finally, the dark glamour of “Video Games”.
Coming back onstage for what should presumably be an encore, Lana’s microphone was switched off and the singer could do nothing but smile and shrug as she sat down on the stage to watch the fireworks along with her fans – something the festival organisers would later apologise for, saying “Due to an error by the Reading production team we accidentally cut Lana Del Rey's incredible set short by five mins, we apologise unreservedly to Lana and her fans.”
It was a shame we didn’t get to hear the bigger hits in Lana’s encore tracks (we were anticipating “Born to Die”), but the technical difficulties didn’t detract from a remarkable experience of nostalgic romance and melancholic glamour from this cinematic star.
