Midnight Sun-derland: Zara Larsson electrifies the crowd at Big Weekend

BBC

Zara Larsson brought never-ending summer energy to the main stage of BBC Radio 1's Big Weekend during her highly anticipated headline set.

The Swedish pop star treated the crowd to back-to-back, high-energy pop bangers from her latest album Midnight Sun, alongside a host of fan favourites like Stateside and Ain't My Fault.

Larsson's dancers, and their sleek and sassy choreography, have been key to hyping up audiences on her current world tour, and on Saturday night they had tens of thousands vibing in Sunderland's Herrington Country Park.

Another tradition during her shows is to bring a fan on to the stage to perform the viral Lush Life dance alongside her.

Superfan Kayleigh, who revealed she has been to three shows in America to see Larsson, was the lucky girl at Big Weekend.

After the 28-year-old pop star gave her a custom t-shirt, they launched into an energetic performance of the iconic routine as the crowd cheered them on.

This marked Larsson's fourth time performing at Big Weekend, but it is her first time headlining a major European festival, according to BBC Radio 1.

The singer emerged on the music scene after winning Sweden's version of Britain's Got Talent in 2008, aged just 10.

She shot to fame in 2016 when her song Lush Life became one of the major soundtracks of the year.

The pop hit surged back into the charts this year, and peaked at number three, thanks largely to a wave of 2016 nostalgia that took over social media.

She brought the night to an end by reflecting on the expanse of her career, ending with the title track of her new Scandi-pop album Midnight Sun, before taking it all the way back to her 2017 collaboration with Clean Bandit on Symphony.

Before leaving the stage, she declared: "Summer isn't over... summer has just started."

Lola Young told the crowd "it feels good to be back performing" as she took to the main stage ealier in the evening.

Big Weekend marked the first festival she's played since collapsing on stage at New York's All Things Go last September.

The 25-year-old Londoner took a few months out to work on her physical and mental health, and she has been playing a run of intimate gigs since re-emerging at the Grammy Awards in February.

Her set featured a host of her refreshingly honest and soulful tracks including d£aler, Post Sex Clarity and One Thing.

She arguably saved her best to last, closing out with her confessional anthem Messy, which secured her the Grammy for best pop solo performance and the breakthrough prize at the Brit Awards earlier this year.

British singer-songwriter James Blake offered a change of pace over at the New Music stage during the evening, where his silky voice could be heard reverberating through the tent.

Smoke drifted across the stage while strobes danced across the room, creating a truly captivating set which featured his popular tracks Godspeed, Retrograde and I'll Come Too.

Ahead of the latter, he told the crowd it was about "doing anything, moving anywhere for love" and he'd "love" for people to singalong to it.

Indie star Mitski isn't your typical Radio 1 artist, but she also drew an impressive crowd to the same stage on Saturday afternoon, including some who took the opportunity to shelter from the sun.

She made a point to remind fans to keep hydrated during her set and to bend their knees, telling the crowd: "We don't want any fainters."

The New York singer-songwriter showcased tracks from her latest album, Nothing's About to Happen to Me, which reflects her ability to be both relatable and mysterious simultaneously.

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Earlier in the day, the sun blazed down on the crowds at the main stage who were taken on a trip down memory lane by Ellie Goulding as she belted out a host of hits including Burn, Love Me Like You Do and Starry Eyed.

Louis Tomlinson later granted the wishes of One Direction fans when he performed one of the group's major hits during his main stage set.

A roar rang out as his band played the opening chords of Night Changes, an emotive song that has become an unofficial tribute track for his bandmate Liam Payne following his death in 2024.

Tomlinson also hyped the crowd with lively renditions of his solo hits Imposter, Lemonade and Sunflowers.

Skye Newman, who won BBC Radio 1's Sound of 2026, and new wave indie singer Rachel Chinouriri also serenaded festivalgoers during the festival's second day.

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