Big Weekend: Vampire Weekend plays Radio 1 festival’s main stage in Luton – BBC News

Indie phenomenon Beabadoobee, who mixes delicate confessionals with crunching guitar riffs, will be starting her gig at the top of the new music stage’s bill very soon at 20:00.

You might know her from the lo-fi, pandemic-era hit Coffee (the first song she ever wrote) or the unfiltered happiness of last year’s ballad Glue Song, which earned the star her first ever Top 40 hit.

But the singer, whose real name is Beatrice Kristi Ilejay Lau, is practically uncategorisable – borrowing from folk, bossa-nova, grunge and psychedelic rock across a diverse and beguiling back catalogue.

With her avocado-green Telecaster, she’s always a joy to watch – and she’s guaranteed to win a whole host of new fans as they try to stay dry in the new music tent tonight.

Those chilled out, West African guitar grooves are going down as smoothly as the ice creams that have suddenly appeared since the rain stopped.

My only complaint is that they’re weirdly quiet…

Poor old Ezra is in danger of being drowned out by the dance tent as he glides through Capricorn and This Life.

Hope they turn up the volume for A-Punk.

Sun and stars at Vampire Weekend Ezra says he can’t believe his luck with the weather.

We can’t either!

Then it’s on to new single Capricorn as the indie vibes get going on the main stage.

It’s a long way from the downpours Sabrina Carpenter had to deal with.

In the new music tent I’ve bumped into DJ Kizzi from BBC Asian Network, who played on the Dance Stage earlier today.

She says she’s been “waiting all day” to see Olivia Dean perform and it was absolutely worth the wait.

Her favourite song? Ok Love You Bye.

Really happy vibes in the tent as Olivia closes with Dive.

Last year she was playing to some of the biggest crowds across America supporting Taylor Swift on her Eras Tour.

Tonight, beabadoobee‘s closing the show when she headlines Big Weekend’s new music stage at 20:00.

Quote Message: I was terrified every time I stepped foot on that stage. Clenching my butt cheeks, everything. But it was fun, the crowd was really welcoming.” from beabadoobee

She’s expecting an equally big welcome here in Luton too. Fans here will be treated to some pretty fresh music, including the first single from her new album.

Beabadoobee is also one of the few people who can say they’ve worked with both Taylor Swift and 1975 frontman Matty Healy, having supported them on their respective tours.

So of course after their infamous break-up, I had to ask her: who did she prefer working with?

“I’m Taylor Swift all the way. She’s my babe,” she says before adding “Matty, love you bro, but come on. It’s Taylor Swift!”

Olivia Dean told me earlier she would play a new track to test the waters.

I’m in the new music tent now and she tells the crowd it’s called Time.

Sunglasses on, guitar in hand – she has the audience bopping along.

Copyright: BBC

Vampire Weekend are here to charm us with their melodic, esoteric blend of pop and hip-hop and West African guitar music and whatever else they can find in the genre store cupboard.

The band are riding high on the success of their fifth album, Only God Was Above Us, which feels like an edited highlights reel of the career so far – with the reappearance of familiar musical motifs, mixed with tributes to the bands that inspired them.

The single Gen-X Cops, in particular, channels the scuffed-up sound of The Strokes.

Led by Ezra Koenig, recent gigs have seen the band mixing up the new material with peppy, updated versions of their greatest hits – including A-Punk, Diane Young and Holiday.

Restlessly musical, Vampire Weekend play the hell out of those songs.

This one could be special.

For Vampire Weekend frontman Ezra Koenig, choosing a set list for big shows like this one on the Big Weekend main stage is never easy.

When you have more than a decade of the biggest indie hits, which ones you choose?

Working with his team they got to this conclusion: “I’m gonna mostly do songs that have been played on Radio 1.”

So there’s a fair bet the crowds here will be treated to big recent releases such as Capricorn. Get ready for a lot of sing-a-longs.

Copyright: BBC

He says longer performances on his tour are a bit different, with moments to drop in those “deep cuts” and tracks that might not have got as much attention.

We’re chatting backstage just at the moment Sabrina Carpenter is performing her massive song of the summer, Espresso.

At that moment he says one of the lyrics in particular really stuck with him. “I’m working late, ‘cos I’m a singer,” he quotes. “That really connected with me”.

He won’t be working too late here tonight though. He’s taking to the main stage very soon at about 19:05 BST.

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This is where BBC Radio 1 has been coming from all weekend, giving fans a chance to see and meet their favourites.

If there was ever any doubt about whether BBC Radio 1’s New Music Show host Jack Saunders was living and breathing music as much as humanly possible (there wasn’t), the dude’s just stood in the evening breeze, watching the main stage, soaking it all in and waving at listeners.

As you might know, Coldplay‘s drummer Will Champion is from Southampton and he’s a massive fan of the local football team.

So, even though the band has a massive televised gig tonight, he was at Wembley for Southampton’s championship final against Leeds.

Luckily, not only did Southampton win – but the match avoided extra time.

“Otherwise they’d have had to start Higher Power at Big Weekend without me!” Will has posted on X, formerly known as Twitter..

Teddy Swims’ set on the new music stage attracted one of the biggest crowds of the day.

So big that groups had to gather outside the full tent.

The 31-year-old country and R&B star has been around for a few years, but the success of his track Lose Control clearly gained him a new fanbase, considering how popular he is today.

Fans have been passionately singing all the words of his emotionally-charged track All That Really Matters.

Olivia Dean is due on the new music stage very soon at 18:45.

She is so in demand that we interview Olivia while riding with her in a car going through the festival park.

Olivia reveals that tonight’s set will have a new song, “to see how it goes down”.

Quote Message: I’m feeling excited, the sun’s come out so that’s nice. Happy days.” from Olivia Dean

And Olivia says fans can expect “more music” from her.

“I’ve started working on another album now. I can’t say when it’s going to come out… but it will come out when it’s ready,” she says.

If you’ve been watching along with his set, Olly Alexander has pointed out a few times that it’s the first show he’s performed as himself.

Olly is the former lead singer of the band Years & Years – and the crowd is loving his performance of the band’s hit singles, especially Desire, which he notes is almost 10 years old.

Here are some of the best snaps we’ve seen.

After a gospel version of the Years and Years hit Shine, he started his cover of Pet Shop Boys’ It’s A Sin as a low-key piano ballad.

But before the atmosphere became too downbeat, the drums kicked in, with Olly punching the air as the crowd began to bounce.

The song’s been a part of his set since the 2021 Brit Awards; when performed a memorable version of it with Elton John.

Olly was also the star of the Channel 4 drama of the same name – playing Ritchie Tozer, a young man caught up in the Aids crisis in the early 1980s.

The series earned him a Bafta nomination, which presumably makes up for his lacklustre Eurovision result.

And when he plays Dizzy, the crowd give him a huge cheer of support – suggesting he needn’t worry about what comes next.

Olly Alexander has been playing a few songs from his back catalogue, including Eyes Shut, which he says is about 10 years old.

Olly Alexander introduces his next song, Dizzy, joking it was only 17 places away from winning Eurovision.

Olly has nothing if not a decent sense of humour.

The crowd erupts as its opening notes play.

Sabrina Carpenter was always going to be a tough act to follow, but the clouds have cleared and the sun is shining on Olly Alexander.

It’s his first full solo show, and he describes his chat as “rusty” – but there’s nothing rusty about his playing as the piano’s rolled out.

It’s A Sin, a song released in 1987 by the Pet Shop Boys, is now being played by Olly Alexander on the main stage.

Stockwood Park’s loving this one.

You could be forgiven for thinking Rag ‘N’ Bone Man is back for a second set at Big Weekend – but Teddy Swims is an entirely different gruff-voiced singer with an unruly beard and copious face tattoos.

He had a breakout hit last year with the bluesy howl of Lose Control, which is taken from his debut album, I’ve Tried Everything But Therapy (Part 1).

As the title suggests, it’s a soul-baring record, which documents his (frequently futile) attempts to get over a broken heart.

Nonetheless, he’s thanked his callous, anonymous ex for helping kick-start his career.

“I’m super grateful that person [that broke my heart],” he told Billboard last year.

“I think it’s so great to know that that pain is necessary because […] you know, pain is paying the bills.”

Screams for Teddy Swims who comes out wearing Radio 1 garms to the sound of blaring electric guitar.