Matty Healy's tribute to Lewis Capaldi during The 1975's Leeds Festival set

26 August 2023 , 19:40

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Matty Healy's tribute to Lewis Capaldi during The 1975's Leeds Festival set (Image: Getty Images)

Matty Healy took a moment to give Lewis Capaldi a shout out on stage as his band The 1975 replaced the Scottish singer as a headliner at this year's Reading and Leeds Festival.

The 1975 took to the Main Stage of Reading Festival this evening, marking their second year in a row to headline the iconic event, with fans watching at home delighted with the band belting out hits from their debut album as they kept updated on the group's performance via a live stream.

Led by frontman Matty, the Grammy-nominated pop rock band kicked off their show in fine style, before taking a moment to pay tribute to Lewis. Speaking to the crowd, Matty mused how he wanted to take a moment to send the Someone You Loved some love.

"When Lewis took a well deserved and well needed break that left the slot open for us," Matty said on stage. "That left us free to perform songs from our debut album. It's jam packed full of bangers," he continued, before going on the tease the crowd with the opening beats of hit song Chocolate, from The 1975's self-titled album.

Matt Healy will lead the 1975 as they headline Reading on Saturday (Getty Images)

ewis pulled out over struggles with his Tourette's Syndrome and mental health battles. The 1975 was also announced as the replacement act for the Rage Against the Machine at Reading and Leeds 2022, after the US band had been forced to pull out at the last minute over its leaders singer's medical concerns.

Carol Vorderman takes rarely seen daughter Katie to meet Lewis Capaldi backstage

The show marked 1975's first gig back in the UK since the coronavirus, which had forced them to cancel their European tour dates over health and safety concerns. Fans of the 1975 will get another chance to see them live on Sunday, when they will be performing at the Main Stage West Leeds between 7.40 and 9.10pm.

In celebration of the 10th anniversary of their debut album, the band is expected to perform all the tracks from the bestselling 2013 record. Speaking about the album in 2012 ahead of its release, Matt Healy described its sound as "ambitious" and "experimental." The band dropped five singles to promote the record, including "Sex", "Girls", "Settle Down", "Robbers" and "Heart Out."

1975 fans took to social media ahead of the concert, with many heading to Twitter to share their excitement at the upcoming gig. "Can't wait," one person wrote, while another said, "SEE YOU THERE." Others took to the platform to air their grievances over missing the show, which is expected to be seen by tens of thousands of people.

"Can't believe I'm not there," a disappointed fan commented, while others posted their relief that at least the concert to be livestreamed. This year, the BBC will be streaming Reading Festival via the Player platform for those who couldn't attend in person. Selected performances will be made available via the Reading Highlights channel on the platform from August 28.

Emma Dooney