By Patrick Maloney
Photo Credit: Shutterstock Editorial for Global, provided directly by the Global team.
Saturday 6th June. It was time for one of Wembley’s most anticipated events of the year: the Capital Summertime Ball.
With a line-up packed full of household names such as Niall Horan, Myles Smith, Calvin Harris and Raye, we were destined to have a fantastic day of admiring the biggest talents the UK has to offer – even with a little rain.
Opening the show was Take That. They’re a band whose sound evokes a true sense of ‘90s and 2000s nostalgia. The trio and the crowd’s energies complemented each other and filled the room. The song that stood out and brought the best collective reaction was Patience. A sold-out Wembley stadium all waving their arms, in full voices for a song twenty years old was beautiful to see. What an epic start to the day.
Next was Robyn, who took to the stage in a powerful black outfit with red roses. The Swede’s performance was mesmerising and she delivered an emotional yet exciting set with classics like Dancing On My Own. Robyn really got the festival into full flow and was a catalyst in the energy the crowd brought for the subsequent acts.
Next in line was the fabulous Lola Young. For the second year in a row, the South Londoner was on the bill at Wembley and she seriously smashed it out the park. Last year, Young notably had technical difficulties with her in-ear monitors. She spoke openly about the pressures that performance put on her mental health afterwards. The courage she showed on stage this year to come back and show one hundred percent of her capabilities was particularly inspiring. This year’s performance of Messy will certainly go down in Summertime Ball history and Lola Young deserves to celebrate.
Up next was up-and-coming boyband December 10 with their Wembley debut. After seeing their three song set and hearing the overwhelmingly noisy reaction from the crowd, we can safely presume that it won’t be their last time on the Summertime Ball lineup. They had their fans in the palms of their hands, generating the biggest cheers (and a lot of shrieks) from the Wembley crowd. Their presence on stage was very notable and their cover of Djo’s End of Beginning was one of the best covers of the day. The use of instrumentation with the guitar solo near the end was a very unique touch and really added the cherry on top to an all-round great debut.
All the way from California, Stephen Sanchez brought his unique energy to the London stage. His hit single Until I Found You, a beautiful love song, had phone torches waving from the nosebleeds to the pit. The most notable part of the performance, despite the quality of his voice and musicianship, was easily his stage presence and ability to engage a large audience. Stephen Sanchez is one of the funniest people in music and displayed his humour onto all of the crowd. After ditching the socks and shoes on the wet Wembley floor, and a fantastic Summertime Ball performance later, the Californian stumbled off the stage in true Sanchez-style, as entertaining and humorous as ever.
Penultimately, we had Calvin Harris: truly one of the musical greats. The set was packed with bangers featuring the likes of Dua Lipa and Rihanna. These raised decibels to astronomical levels, with a stand-out track being How Deep Is Your Love. Calvin Harris once again proved that he has the best summer soundtrack as his anthems laid the icing on an already well-baked Summertime cake.
To wrap up an amazing day, it was time for the headliner, RAYE. Escapism kicked things off with an empowering punch, setting the scene for a quality closing set. The utter humility and enthusiasm that RAYE shows in her performances cements her as one of the best in the world, second to none in the industry she’s in. RAYE capped off her exhilarating headline slot with her iconic WHERE IS MY HUSBAND!. This anthem really proved RAYE to be a worthy headliner and put this year in the Summertime Ball history books.
From Take That to RAYE, we saw a lineup of amazing music: nostalgic acts, current household names and uprising stars with a promising future. A special day for all involved, each set capturing the magic of the Capital Summertime Ball. We cannot wait for next year!
Photography Copyright 2026 © Shutterstock Editorial for Global, provided directly by the Global team.
Text Copyright 2026 © Patrick Maloney/ADRENALINE Magazine.
Ally Olis