When Chappell Roan made her U.K. live debut in June 2023, she played the 600-cap London venue The Garage. Now, a little more than two years later, she’s headlining one of the country’s most beloved festivals.

Roan’s ascent has been so stratospheric that when she stepped on stage at Reading Festival on Friday (Aug. 22), it wasn’t just her first time as a U.K. festival headliner, but her first-ever appearance at a British music festival. And it was no one-off: she’ll also headline Reading’s sister fest in Leeds on Saturday (Aug. 23) and venture to Scotland for two huge outdoor shows at Edinburgh’s Royal Showground next week.

Roan’s debut album The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess has been warmly embraced in the U.K., where it hit No. 1 in August 2024, almost a year after its release the previous September. She’s also sent five songs into the top five of the U.K.’s Official Singles Chart — “Good Luck, Babe!,” “Hot to Go!,” “Pink Pony Club,” “The Giver” and “The Subway” — so her performance was always going to contain unifying, roar-along moments.

But, given that she only has one album to draw from, would Roan have enough copper-bottomed bangers to sustain a headline set? As it turned out, there was no need to worry. After arriving on stage in a gothic ensemble that made her look a little like a Transylvanian Stevie Nicks, Roan kept the crowd — one of the festival’s biggest ever — enthralled for nearly 90 minutes.

Traditionally, Reading Festival is a rite-of-passage for British teens looking to let off steam after they receive their exam results. On Friday, there was no doubt that Roan passed with flying colours. Here are seven highlights from her stellar set.