Dave welcomed guests James Blake, Central Cee and Kano during his headline set at Reading 2026 – see the full setlist.
The South London rapper took to the festival’s main stage – now known as The Grid – at Little John’s Farm tonight (August 29).
It marked the first time Dave had headlined the event since 2022 and came at the end of his ‘The Boy Who Played The Harp’ world tour, which is due to conclude at Leeds Festival tomorrow (August 30).
In a rich, musically diverse set, Blake was the first guest for a version of ‘Both Sides Of A Smile’, from Dave’s 2021 album ‘We’re All Alone In This Together‘. The extended guitar riff from The White Stripes‘ ‘Seven Nation Army’ later served as the intro to ‘Thiago Silva’.
Kano reunited with Dave for a high-energy rendition of the 2023 freestyle ‘Three P’s*’ and a tender ‘Chapter 16’ before the two artists shared an emotional embrace.
The rapper was joined multiple times by a string section on stage, including for a stirring performance of ‘The Boy Who Played The Harp’, before Central Cee raised the tempo when he came out for their 2023 smash hit single ‘Sprinter’.
Fireworks accompanied Dave’s performances of ‘Starlight’ and ‘Raindance’ as he brought the show to a close.
Dave’s Reading 2026 setlist was:
‘Verdansk’
‘Clash’
‘Location’
‘Both Sides Of A Smile’ (with James Blake)
‘Screwface Capital’
‘Professor X’
‘Funky Friday’
‘Thiago Silva’
‘No Words’
‘Three P’s*’ (with Kano)
‘Chapter 16’ (with Kano)
‘Trojan Horse’
‘The Boy Who Played The Harp’
‘Sprinter’ (with Central Cee)
‘Starlight’
‘Raindance’
Dave released his third album ‘The Boy Who Played The Harp’ last October, which included appearances from Blake on ‘History’ and Kano on ‘Chapter 16’, as well as Jim Legxacy, Tems and Nicole Blakk. The record has been nominated for this year’s Mercury Prize.
In a four-star review of the album, NME wrote: “Although the record is vivid, striking and thought-provoking – with nearly every song on this album a deep, pensive sonic sulk – the south Londoner’s voice is beginning to slip further away from a generation he intended to represent: one that’s done overthinking and just wanting to feel.”
Dave became the youngest-ever solo artist to headline Reading in 2022, at the age of 24. That set saw him bring out AJ Tracey for ‘Thiago Silva’ and Stormzy for ‘Clash’, and NME labelled it a “history-making set” in a five-star review, adding that it was “a special one to round out an otherwise rowdy first day”.
Check back at NME here for the latest news, reviews, photos, interviews and much more from Reading & Leeds 2026.
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