Manish Pandey
BBC Newsbeat reporter at Big Weekend, Luton

Image source, .

Aitch dedicates a song to his sister, who has Down’s syndrome.

He says he will be climbing Mount Kilimanjaro soon to raise awareness for Down’s Syndrome.

He's previously spoken to BBC Newsbeat about Down’s Syndrome and you can read more here.

Mitch Mansfield
BBC Newsbeat reporter at Big Weekend, Luton

You heard it here first… Shygirl told us she’d be jumping on stage with Charli XCX, and she wastes no time in doing that - minutes into the set.

Charli promised us “strobes and partying”.

We can confirm there is already a lot of both.

Manish Pandey
BBC Newsbeat reporter at Big Weekend, Luton

Aitch says he is celebrating Man United’s FA Cup win over Manchester City today.

So we’re being told to “clap clap clap” as he raps 1989.

We hear the dulcet tones of Ed Sheeran - sadly he’s not here (one of my favourites), but the very popular collab My G has the crowd waving their arms from side to side, at Aitch’s request.

Andrew Rogers
BBC Newsbeat reporter at Big Weekend, Luton

First track in and we already have a collab as Charli XCX brings Shygirl on to the stage.

Hands in the air!

Manish Pandey
BBC Newsbeat reporter at Big Weekend, Luton

When I asked Aitch earlier about any surprises, he said “maybe”.

Well, he’s just brought out YouTuber Yung Filly and they belt out Grey.

We hear about Veronica, Elena, Anita and Nina among others.

Can only mean we’re hearing PSYCHO - the collab with Anne Marie.

Andrew Rogers
BBC Newsbeat reporter at Big Weekend, Luton

She’s not even on yet and the crowd is already chanting her name.

“Charli! Charli!” This reporter was chanting too.

Manish Pandey
BBC Newsbeat reporter at Big Weekend, Luton

A packed crowd here for Aitch on the main stage right now.

“Luton’s pretty lit y’know… shall we turn it up another level? Just another bit,” he says.

Aitch is looking for “the mosh pit crews” on each side and directing traffic.

Mark Savage
BBC Music correspondent

I first saw The Last Dinner Party last July, on a tiny side stage at the Latitude Festival.

Even then it was apparent they had something special: An invigorating abundance of musicality and flair.

Just 10 months later, they’ve improved beyond definition.

There’s a swagger and confidence that comes from playing to an audience that knows every word - and the band are locked in step, all adhering to a black, white and red colour scheme without sacrificing their individuality (Georgia is in school uniform, Emily is in a ruffled Victorian bodysuit).

There’s a swagger and confidence that comes from playing to an audience that knows every word - and the band are locked in step, all adhering to a black, white and red colour scheme without sacrificing their individuality (Georgia is in school uniform, Emily is in a ruffled Victorian bodysuit).

During Caesar On A TV Screen, Abigail, Georgia, Emily and Lizzie even stand facing each other in a circle - engaged in a sort of Mexican standoff of guitar pyrotechnics.

And later, they treat the audience to a new song - a post-punk/new wave scorcher called Zecond Bezt, which Emily calls “quite a special” addition to the set.

“It’s about choosing to leave someone who treated you as second best,” she explains. Abigail Morris is their not-so-secret weapon, though.

A whirling, preening, vocal powerhouse who coyly enlists the audience to help her break the BBC’s taste and decency guidelines.

“You’ve now become incredibly important to us because we can’t swear," she explains to their audience and says "but we know a few thousand people who can".

"So to help us out of this little tizzy, in the chorus, give us the loudest [ahem] that you can,” Abigail says.

The crowd knows exactly what to do, and does it so loudly that the tent itself blushes. Expect a guidance warning when this goes on iPlayer.

Mitch Mansfield
BBC Newsbeat reporter at Big Weekend, Luton

Shygirl may have finished her set, but she may not be done on the new music stage just yet.

While cooling down in her dressing room, she tells us "I'm going to catch Charli XCX," who headlines tonight.

"I might even jump on stage with her," she teases.

"We've got a few surprises!"

Keep your eyes - and ears - peeled.

Mark Savage
BBC Music correspondent

Image source, Reuters

I’m expecting one of today’s biggest audiences for this one. Aitch is a festival phenomenon – a cheeky, but focused, performer who never fails to shake up the stage.

The Manchester rapper comes armed with bass-heavy, innuendo-laden hits like Taste (Make It Shake) and Baby.

Part of his appeal is his underdog story – he was a school drop-out who was working on a construction site when videos of him rapping in the park went viral and led to a record deal and collaborations with grime legends like Stormzy and Headie One.

He’s on the back foot again at the moment: His latest single, Famous Girls, stalled at number 78 in the charts, which is an unusual position for a rapper who usually spends the summer in the Top 10.

But Aitch is often at his best when he’s got something to prove, so this could be an incendiary set.

If you’re near the front, get ready for the moshpit. Also, stop reading this page and put your phone somewhere safe.

Mabel gave an electric performance a little while ago and the crowd at Stockwood Park in Luton were absolutely loving it.

Here are some of the best snaps from her gig:

Image source, Ian West/PA Wire

Manish Pandey
BBC Newsbeat reporter at Big Weekend, Luton

Aitch met us backstage in a really happy mood, following his beloved Manchester United’s 2 - 1 win over Manchester City in the FA Cup final at Wembley today.

He was at the game and left after 55 minutes, so he managed to catch both of United’s goals.

“Absolutely over the moon; I’m buzzing. I can’t believe it!”

And that excitement is carrying into his set.

“I’ve not done a proper show for a while, being stuck in the studio. So I’m excited to get out there and do what I do best,” Aitch says.

As for any surprises?

“Maybe,” he says.

Image source, PA Media

It's the football club that's literally on its neighbour's doorsteps - so naturally it's become a social media meme.

If you're at the festival and out exploring Luton, one of the town's infamous landmarks is just a short walk from the centre.

Away from Stockwood Park, in the Bury Park area, is the home of Luton Town FC's Kenilworth Stadium.

The grounds are famous for having one of its entrances in an unexpected location - in a row of terraced houses.

The Oak Road turnstiles are snuggly wedged among people's homes with front doors flanking each side.

The club has been planning a move to a new stadium but construction has not begun and the project is now delayed.

Mitch Mansfield
BBC Newsbeat reporter at Big Weekend, Luton

Image source, Sarah Jeynes/BBC

Charli XCX had to cancel her last Big Weekend performance in 2022 after losing her voice.

But before her headline set on the New Music Stage tonight, she speaks with the confidence of an artist who very much belongs at this level.

"We've known each other for a really long time - we came up at similar times, we were writing a lot together, so it's very serendipitous," she tells us.

But what we can we expect from Charli's set tonight? "Lots of strobes and partying!"

Mark Savage
BBC Music correspondent

“This is definitely where we’re meant to be,” ShyGirl tells the new music stage.

“It’s just so natural to hear your applause,” she adds.

Her tongue is partly planted in her cheek - but the statement’s in keeping with her self-consciously positive brand of dream pop.

The singer, aka Blane Muise, won a Mercury Prize nomination last year for her debut album, Nymph - a distinctive and restless exploration of vulnerability and sexual liberation.

Her vibey, impressionistic songs pulled an impressive audience in Luton, who whooped along to club smashes like BB (Bad Boys), f@k€ and Mr Useless, while a diverse troupe of dancers in grippingly-tight lycra vogued and gyrated their way around the stage.

The least PG-rated set of the weekend so far.

Andrew Rogers
BBC Newsbeat reporter at Big Weekend, Luton

It's one thing getting to listen to your favourite songs on the radio.

It's another getting to see them performing live on stage.

For some of the artists here they won't have had many opportunities to do that before, especially over on the BBC Introducing stage.

Even big artists will know that plenty of people in these crowds will have never seen them live before.

That can be a make or break moment.

Tom says he's looking forward to seeing The Last Dinner Party.

"I think they'll be good live," he says.

We'll find out later if they make that all important good impression - they're due on the new music stage at 18:45 BST.

Mark Savage
BBC Music correspondent

Re-emerging after a two-year hiatus, Mabel has just burst on to the main stage.

You’ll know her as the Brit-Award winning singer of dance bangers like Don’t Call Me Up and Finders Keepers.

And music is in her veins: She’s the daughter of rap legend Neneh Cherry and Massive Attack producer Cameron McVey.

As a child, she says, she used to fall asleep in the bass bins of the speakers in her dad’s recording studio.

Obviously, that had an effect. There’s a satisfying bass rumble to her songs – the sort of thing that hits you in the chest and forces you to start dancing.

And her latest material marks a return to the R&B sounds that she started her career with.

Best of all is the new single Look At My Body – which is both sizzling-hot and a damning condemnation of society’s treatment of women.

“This is me taking control,” she says, “being unapologetic and pointing out all the hypocrisies and double standards that women have to live up to; not just in music but in our every day lives.”

Rag'n'Bone Man just gave a soulful, powerful performance on the main stage.

Here are some of the best photos from his gig as he belted out his hit tunes in Stockwood Park.

Image source, PA Media

Image source, PA Media

Image source, PA Media

Danny Fullbrook
BBC Three Counties Radio

Image source, BBC/Danny Fullbrook

A 10-year-old boy has said it was "a dream come true" to meet a member of the hit band Rudimental at BBC Radio 1's Big Weekend in Luton.

Josh Lynch won tickets to Friday's event from BBC Three Counties Radio as a reward for caring for his mum Jenna Lynch, 36, who has mobility issues.

He has also raised money for Keech Hospice in Luton.

After learning he had tickets, he tearfully told presenter Justin Dealey that Rudimental's music "means everything to me and my mum".

On Friday, he was surprised by a meeting with Locksmith from the band and said: "It's like a dream come true."

Read more on this story here.

Andrew Rogers
BBC Newsbeat reporter at Big Weekend, Luton

This time a year ago, The Last Dinner Party were just releasing their first big single, Nothing Matters.

Now they're playing in front of massive crowds and kicking off their first big festival season.

So any big surprises coming up in their set?

"We're gonna make out," they joke.

They do tease that they'll play some tracks that aren't on their album, though.

Ones they've played before but won't be well known just yet.