By Ally Olis
Photo Credit: BBC / James Watkins
Saturday (Day Two) at BBC Radio 1’s Big Weekend brought some of my favourite moments of the festival. Opening the flood gates to families and ages of all kinds, there was a palpable vibe change from the day before. The sweltering temperatures couldn’t keep the crowds away from catching the first sets of the day, on this jam-packed 9 hours of artists.
Starting off with probably my favourite set of the entire weekend, Ellie Goulding’s return to the festival stage post the birth of her son, more than delivered. Every single person in the audience, packed all the way to the back of the festival grounds (which is unheard of for a timeslot at 1:15pm) knew the words to the songs. You wouldn’t instinctively assume that she is responsible for some of the biggest tunes of our time, but she most definitely is. Burn, Love Me Like You Do, Outside, Hate Me, I Need Your Love – I couldn’t rave enough about Ellie Goulding! Unplugged, no bells and no whistles – except for some pyrotechnics during Burn, because you must have those – I am in desperate need of attending a solo show, and you should be too.
Gracing the New Music Stage with a set that was an eclectic mix of ethereal, summery, and frolic worthy indie music, Wasia Project are always a pleasure for listeners new and old. This time around specifically, presented them with an opportunity to shine. Having seen them perform a predominantly jazz orientated set at LIDO Festival in Victoria Park last year, this time around they seemed invigorated and full of a new kind of energy.
Their track 2515, which I hadn’t heard prior to the festival, was a pleasant and well-crafted surprise. Pulling from their new EP, Bleeding Gold, the title track holds a rhythm that is vibrant and summery, despite its sadder lyrical aspects. For someone who knows them from their tunes, like ur so pretty, an exciting turning point for the group is on the horizon, as the audience members I interacted with unanimously enjoyed their set.
After a quick break to interview Heidi Curtis, it was time go to back to the tent to join the hordes of the girls, gays, and theys, to see the highly anticipated set of the next act, MUNA.
It’s almost unheard of for a group to play a set of their newly released album on a festival stage, and have the entire audience be able to sing along to the words. This, however, is not unheard of in the case of MUNA, who never fail to usher in the feeling of summer with their releases. Opening the set with Wannabeher, into Mary Jane, and Eastside Girls, which was a huge crowd favourite, the place to be during that block from 3:30 onwards, was that tent. Ending their set with some crowd service tunes like Silk Chiffon, they were just as ecstatic to be playing for us as we were to be watching them.
It’s never a dull moment in the New Music tent, as there’s a high likelihood it will be home to your favourite artists’ festival sets, and this was the case back-to-back on Saturday.
I’ve always thought Mitski should be given an immense amount of flowers for her composition, lyricism and theatrical performances. If I could put any listeners onto any new artist, she would most definitely be at the top of my list. Her new album, Nothing’s About to Happen to Me, brings us a setlist full of highlights like That White Cat. This was, however, a bit of a difficult environment to fully appreciate all that she has to offer. Despite the fact that the crowd seemed to be extremely TikTok influenced, that didn’t stop a beautiful rendition of I Bet on Losing Dogs, and Washing Machine Heart, which were likely the tunes everyone was there to see. If you’re an avid listener, in a true Mitski fashion, she did manage to get a few tears out of me during My Love Mine All Mine. Her influence does transcend stage, but it did make me long for an individual show instead.
As the evening wound down, it became the time for yet another headliner to pull out all the stops and close the festival for the day.
Covered in sequins, and dressed from head to toe in the most vibrant colours, it’s no secret that Zara Larsson was the reason for the never-ending lines at the face painting and hair tinsel booths.
It was an interesting choice to open her set with one of her most famous songs, Midnight Sun. While she was met with an eager and roaring crowd, for those with short attention spans and looking to beat the hordes of people rushing for public transportation at the same time, it was a very interesting choice indeed. However, the song did make a reappearance in the outro later on in the set, and the Swedish queen of pop also gave us other hits like Crush, Lush Life, Stateside, and Never Forget You.
One thing about Larsson though is that she is always going to give her fans a special moment on stage, and a festival doesn’t change this, but do keep in mind, if you are ever able to find yourself at her barricade, you’ll most definitely need to know the steps to the dances.
Overall, Saturday at BBC Radio 1’s Big Weekend presented some of my favourite acts of the entire festival, making it a five star day for any humble festival attendee, no matter what you listen to. Though Sunday would prove to be the busiest day of the festival, being the only fully sold-out date, and with soul sensation Olivia Dean set to close out the entire weekend, anticipation was at an all-time high.
Photography Copyright 2026 © BBC Public Service.
Text Copyright 2026 © Ally Olis/ADRENALINE Magazine.
Patrick Maloney