{"id":2119178,"date":"2026-08-30T09:19:46","date_gmt":"2026-08-30T06:19:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2119178"},"modified":"2026-08-30T09:19:46","modified_gmt":"2026-08-30T06:19:46","slug":"dave-live-at-reading-festival-2026-review-a-headline-set-for-the-history-books","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2119178","title":{"rendered":"Dave live at Reading Festival 2026 review: a headline set for the history books"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/www.nme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Dave_ReadingFest_Andrew-Timms.jpg&#8221;]<\/p>\n<article id=\"template-id-3332206\" class=\"post-3332206 tdb_templates type-tdb_templates status-publish post\">\n<div id=\"tdi_65\" class=\"tdc-zone\">\n<div class=\"tdc_zone tdi_66  wpb_row td-pb-row\">\n<div id=\"tdi_67\" class=\"tdc-row stretch_row_1400 td-stretch-content\">\n<div class=\"vc_row tdi_68  wpb_row td-pb-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_column tdi_70  wpb_column vc_column_container tdc-column td-pb-span12\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_featured_image tdi_71 tdb-content-horiz-left td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_71\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"696\" height=\"442\" class=\"entry-thumb\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Dave_ReadingFest_Andrew-Timms-696x442.jpg\" alt title=\"Dave at Reading Festival 2026\"><figcaption class=\"tdb-caption-text\">Dave at Reading Festival 2026. Credit: Andrew Timms<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"tdi_72\" class=\"tdc-row stretch_row\">\n<div class=\"vc_row tdi_73  wpb_row td-pb-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_column tdi_75  wpb_column vc_column_container tdc-column td-pb-span12\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_breadcrumbs tdi_76 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2 tdb-breadcrumbs \" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_76\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span>Reviews<\/span><span>Live Reviews<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_title tdi_77 tdb-single-title td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_77\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Dave live at Reading Festival 2026 review: a headline set for the history books<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_subtitle tdi_78 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_78\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<p>Richfield Avenue, August 29, 2026: bringing out James Blake, Kano and Central Cee, the rapper leaves nothing to chance<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_review_overall tdi_79 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_79\">\n<table class=\"td-review td-fix-index\">\n<tr class=\"td-review-footer rate_stars\">\n<td class=\"td-review-score\">\n<div class=\"td-review-overall\">\n<div class=\"td-review-final-score\">5<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_author tdi_80 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2 tdb-post-meta\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_80\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-author-name-wrap\"><span class=\"tdb-author-by\">By<\/span> Jordan Bassett<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_date tdi_81 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2 tdb-post-meta\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_81\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><time class=\"entry-date updated td-module-date\" datetime=\"2026-08-30T10:19:46+01:00\">30th August 2026<\/time><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"tdi_82\" class=\"tdc-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_row tdi_83  wpb_row td-pb-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_column tdi_85  wpb_column vc_column_container tdc-column td-pb-span12\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_content tdi_86 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2 td-post-content tagdiv-type\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_86\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<p>It\u2019s seven years since Dave picked a lad called Alex out of the audience and made Glastonbury history, but it feels like many, many more. A lot has happened since that mind-bogglingly brilliant performance of \u2018Thiago Silva\u2019 \u2013 for the planet and for Dave himself, who broke America with the massive Central Cee team-up \u2018Sprinter\u2019 and responded to his career level-up by retreating from the limelight. The result was last year\u2019s \u2018The Boy Who Played the Harp\u2019, a deeply introspective album that saw him grapple with fame and question his calling even as he scaled new heights of lyrical dexterity.<\/p>\n<p>As the 28-year-old bounds onto the main stage at Reading Festival for his co-headliner slot (shared with RAYE) on the Saturday night, though, it soon becomes clear that he\u2019s in party mode. During an opening salvo that packs in the hardboiled \u2018Verdansk\u2019, a slinky \u2018Clash\u2019 and a groovy \u2018Location\u2019, he floods the stage in yellow smoke, conducts the crowd who are singing along and deploys pyro that warms you even from behind the second barrier.<\/p>\n<div class=\"td-a-ad id_inline_ad0 id_ad_content-horiz-center\"><span class=\"td-adspot-title\">Advertisement<\/span><\/div>\n<p>Dressed simply in a black boiler suit, the top half of which he soon wraps around his waist to reveal a fitted jumper, he looks momentarily overwhelmed, smiling bashfully at the huge, densely packed audience that seems to stretch for miles back into the distance.<\/p>\n<p>There\u2019s little time to take it all in, though, as that audience punctuates each track with a chant of <em>\u201cOhhh Thiago Silva\u201d <\/em>set to the tune of \u2018Seven Nation Army\u2019. Dave\u2019s guitarist responds by launching into the track\u2019s swaggering riff, inciting a moment of sheer pandemonium. \u201cI\u2019ve got this song called \u2018Thiago Silva\u2019, the rapper teases. \u201cIf you want me to do it, Reading\u2026?\u201d The ensuing performance should go down in the festival\u2019s history, as thousands of fans rattle off every single word with him.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3965722\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3965722\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-3965722\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Dave-central-Cee-reading.jpg\" alt width=\"2000\" height=\"1271\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3965722\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Dave and Central Cee at Reading Festival 2026. Credit: Andrew Timms<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>In fact, this infectiously joyous set features a remarkable number of moments that should go down in Reading history. Dave brings James Blake for an aching \u2018Both Sides of a Smile\u2019, spars with Kano over \u2018Chapter 16\u2019 and creates more pandemonium when Central Cee strolls onstage for a red-hot run through \u2018Sprinter\u2019. The enormity of the occasion is evidently not lost on the main man, who marvels that he first played the festival\u2019s 1Xtra tent in 2017 and promises he doesn\u2019t take his ascent to the top slot \u201cfor granted\u201d. This was yet another mind-bogglingly brilliant performance from an artist at the top of his game.<\/p>\n<h3>Dave played:<\/h3>\n<p>\u2018Verdansk\u2019<br \/>\n\u2018Clash\u2019<br \/>\n\u2018Location\u2019<br \/>\n\u2018Both Sides of a Smile\u2019 (with James Blake)<br \/>\n\u2018Screwface Capital\u2019<br \/>\n\u2018Professor X\u2019<br \/>\n\u2018Funky Friday\u2019<br \/>\n\u2018Thiago Silva\u2019 (preceded by \u2018Seven Nation Army\u2019 intro)<br \/>\n\u2018Wanna Know\u2019<br \/>\n\u2018No Words\u2019<br \/>\n\u20183 P\u2019s Freestyle\u2019 (with Kano)<br \/>\n\u2018Chapter 16\u2019 (with Kano)<br \/>\n\u2018Trojan Horse\u2019<br \/>\n\u2018The Boy Who Played the Harp\u2019<br \/>\n\u2018Sprinter\u2019 (with Central Cee)<br \/>\n\u2018Starlight\u2019<br \/>\n\u2018Raindance\u2019<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_tags tdi_87 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_87\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<ul class=\"tdb-tags\">\n<li><span>Related Topics<\/span><\/li>\n<li>Dave<\/li>\n<li>Rap<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"tdi_88\" class=\"tdc-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_row tdi_89  wpb_row td-pb-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_column tdi_91  wpb_column vc_column_container tdc-column td-pb-span12\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"vc_row_inner tdi_93  vc_row vc_inner wpb_row td-pb-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_column_inner tdi_95  wpb_column vc_column_container tdc-inner-column td-pb-span12\">\n<div class=\"vc_column-inner\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper td_block_wrap vc_raw_html tdi_97 \">\n<div class=\"td-fix-index\">\n<h3>More Stories<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap td_flex_block_1 tdi_98 td-pb-border-top td_module_flex_1--card td_module_flex_1--card--highlight td_block_template_2 tdc-no-posts td_flex_block\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_98\">\n<div id=\"tdi_98\" class=\"td_block_inner td-mc1-wrap\">\n<div class=\"td_module_flex td_module_flex_1 td_module_wrap td-animation-stack\">\n<div class=\"td-module-container td-category-pos-above\">\n<div class=\"td-module-meta-info\">\n                    Music News<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"entry-title td-module-title\">Dave joined by James Blake, Central Cee and Kano in Reading 2026 headline set<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_module_flex td_module_flex_1 td_module_wrap td-animation-stack\">\n<div class=\"td-module-container td-category-pos-above\">\n<div class=\"td-module-meta-info\">\n                    Music News<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"entry-title td-module-title\">Watch Skepta debut new songs from \u2018Fork &amp; Knife\u2019 at Reading 2026<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_module_flex td_module_flex_1 td_module_wrap td-animation-stack\">\n<div class=\"td-module-container td-category-pos-above\">\n<div class=\"td-module-meta-info\">\n                    Music News<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"entry-title td-module-title\">Bobby Vylan to face no further action over \u201cdeath to the IDF\u201d chant as he tells Met Police to \u201cdo some real work\u201d<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_module_flex td_module_flex_1 td_module_wrap td-animation-stack\">\n<div class=\"td-module-container td-category-pos-above\">\n<div class=\"td-module-meta-info\">\n                    Music News<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"entry-title td-module-title\">J. Cole cancels gig after touring crew member\u2019s death<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_module_flex td_module_flex_1 td_module_wrap td-animation-stack\">\n<div class=\"td-module-container td-category-pos-above\">\n<div class=\"td-module-meta-info\">\n                    Music News<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"entry-title td-module-title\">\u2018JA\u0178-Z IN 8\u2019 confirmed for MUBI release<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_module_flex td_module_flex_1 td_module_wrap td-animation-stack\">\n<div class=\"td-module-container td-category-pos-above\">\n<div class=\"td-module-meta-info\">\n                    Music News<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"entry-title td-module-title\">Anderson .Paak and Cordae announce collaborative album \u2018Heavy Is The Crown\u2019<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"tdi_99\" class=\"tdc-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_row tdi_100  wpb_row td-pb-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_column tdi_102  wpb_column vc_column_container tdc-column td-pb-span12\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper td_block_wrap vc_raw_html tdi_104 \">\n<div class=\"td-fix-index\">\n<h3>You May Also Like<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span class=\"td-page-meta\"><\/span><span class=\"td-page-meta\"><span class=\"td-page-meta\"><\/span><\/span><span class=\"td-page-meta\"><\/span><span class=\"td-page-meta\"><span class=\"td-page-meta\"><\/span><span><\/span><\/span><span class=\"td-page-meta\"><\/span><\/article>\n<\/p>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_content tdi_86 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2 td-post-content tagdiv-type\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_86\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<p>It\u2019s seven years since Dave picked a lad called Alex out of the audience and made Glastonbury history, but it feels like many, many more. A lot has happened since that mind-bogglingly brilliant performance of \u2018Thiago Silva\u2019 \u2013 for the planet and for Dave himself, who broke America with the massive Central Cee team-up \u2018Sprinter\u2019 and responded to his career level-up by retreating from the limelight. The result was last year\u2019s \u2018The Boy Who Played the Harp\u2019, a deeply introspective album that saw him grapple with fame and question his calling even as he scaled new heights of lyrical dexterity.<\/p>\n<p>As the 28-year-old bounds onto the main stage at Reading Festival for his co-headliner slot (shared with RAYE) on the Saturday night, though, it soon becomes clear that he\u2019s in party mode. During an opening salvo that packs in the hardboiled \u2018Verdansk\u2019, a slinky \u2018Clash\u2019 and a groovy \u2018Location\u2019, he floods the stage in yellow smoke, conducts the crowd who are singing along and deploys pyro that warms you even from behind the second barrier.<\/p>\n<div class=\"td-a-ad id_inline_ad0 id_ad_content-horiz-center\"><span class=\"td-adspot-title\">Advertisement<\/span><\/div>\n<p>Dressed simply in a black boiler suit, the top half of which he soon wraps around his waist to reveal a fitted jumper, he looks momentarily overwhelmed, smiling bashfully at the huge, densely packed audience that seems to stretch for miles back into the distance.<\/p>\n<p>There\u2019s little time to take it all in, though, as that audience punctuates each track with a chant of <em>\u201cOhhh Thiago Silva\u201d <\/em>set to the tune of \u2018Seven Nation Army\u2019. Dave\u2019s guitarist responds by launching into the track\u2019s swaggering riff, inciting a moment of sheer pandemonium. \u201cI\u2019ve got this song called \u2018Thiago Silva\u2019, the rapper teases. \u201cIf you want me to do it, Reading\u2026?\u201d The ensuing performance should go down in the festival\u2019s history, as thousands of fans rattle off every single word with him.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3965722\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3965722\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-3965722\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Dave-central-Cee-reading.jpg\" alt width=\"2000\" height=\"1271\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3965722\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Dave and Central Cee at Reading Festival 2026. Credit: Andrew Timms<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>In fact, this infectiously joyous set features a remarkable number of moments that should go down in Reading history. Dave brings James Blake for an aching \u2018Both Sides of a Smile\u2019, spars with Kano over \u2018Chapter 16\u2019 and creates more pandemonium when Central Cee strolls onstage for a red-hot run through \u2018Sprinter\u2019. The enormity of the occasion is evidently not lost on the main man, who marvels that he first played the festival\u2019s 1Xtra tent in 2017 and promises he doesn\u2019t take his ascent to the top slot \u201cfor granted\u201d. This was yet another mind-bogglingly brilliant performance from an artist at the top of his game.<\/p>\n<h3>Dave played:<\/h3>\n<p>\u2018Verdansk\u2019<br \/>\n\u2018Clash\u2019<br \/>\n\u2018Location\u2019<br \/>\n\u2018Both Sides of a Smile\u2019 (with James Blake)<br \/>\n\u2018Screwface Capital\u2019<br \/>\n\u2018Professor X\u2019<br \/>\n\u2018Funky Friday\u2019<br \/>\n\u2018Thiago Silva\u2019 (preceded by \u2018Seven Nation Army\u2019 intro)<br \/>\n\u2018Wanna Know\u2019<br \/>\n\u2018No Words\u2019<br \/>\n\u20183 P\u2019s Freestyle\u2019 (with Kano)<br \/>\n\u2018Chapter 16\u2019 (with Kano)<br \/>\n\u2018Trojan Horse\u2019<br \/>\n\u2018The Boy Who Played the Harp\u2019<br \/>\n\u2018Sprinter\u2019 (with Central Cee)<br \/>\n\u2018Starlight\u2019<br \/>\n\u2018Raindance\u2019<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>[analyse_source url=&#8221;https:\/\/www.nme.com\/reviews\/live\/dave-reading-festival-2026-review-setlist-photos-kano-james-blake-central-cee-3965629&#8243;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/www.nme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Dave_ReadingFest_Andrew-Timms.jpg&#8221;] Dave at Reading Festival 2026. Credit: Andrew Timms ReviewsLive Reviews Dave live at Reading Festival 2026 review: a headline set for the history books Richfield Avenue, August 29, 2026: bringing out James Blake, Kano and Central Cee, the rapper leaves nothing to chance 5 By Jordan Bassett 30th August 2026 It\u2019s seven [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[226,78],"class_list":["post-2119178","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics","tag-crawlmanager","tag-nme-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2119178","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2119178"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2119178\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2119178"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2119178"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2119178"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}