The Reading and Leeds festivals are hosting a new wave of performers with notable musical lineage, as Gene Gallagher, son of Oasis frontman Liam Gallagher, takes the stage with his band Villanelle. The 25-year-old's appearance at the Reading festival echoes his father's headline performance at the same event 26 years prior. Gene, accompanied by his bandmates, performed on the Canopy stage.
He is not the only offspring of famous musicians performing at the festivals this weekend. Moses Martin, 20, son of Coldplay's Chris Martin and Gwyneth Paltrow, performed with his indie-pop band People I’ve Met. The band, formed during their school years in Los Angeles, has been performing live for the past two years. Martin's set took place 27 years after his father last performed at the festival with Coldplay.
Adding to the roster of second-generation artists is Violet Grohl, daughter of Foo Fighters singer Dave Grohl. She performed at the Leeds event before appearing at Reading. Despite recently canceling two gigs due to voice loss, she recovered in time to perform songs from her album 'Be Sweet to Me.' Dave Grohl himself has a history with the Leeds and Reading festivals, having performed there seven times, with his last appearance in 2019.
Another notable performer is Cruz Beckham, 21, son of David and Victoria Beckham, who is scheduled to perform with his band The Breakers at both Reading and Leeds this weekend. His parents are reportedly vacationing in Spain and may attend his sets.
The presence of these artists, whose parents are established figures in the music industry, has drawn criticism and accusations of elitism, particularly following the organizers' decision to remove the BBC Introducing stage. This stage, launched in 2008, had been instrumental in launching the careers of artists like Ed Sheeran and Florence + The Machine, and in fact, featured approximately 70 percent of the British artists on the current lineup. Festival Republic cited a desire to open opportunities to a 'much wider pool of emerging talent' when announcing the overhaul.
Over 100,000 festival-goers are expected across both locations over the three days. The weather forecast indicated rainy conditions, with attendees seen preparing with rain gear upon arrival. The BBC is televising and streaming sets from the festival, including performances by RAYE and Chase And Status.