Mark Savage
BBC Music correspondent

As you might know, Coldplay's drummer Will Champion is from Southampton and he’s a massive fan of the local football team.

So, even though the band has a massive televised gig tonight, he was at Wembley for Southampton’s championship final against Leeds.

Luckily, not only did Southampton win - but the match avoided extra time.

“Otherwise they’d have had to start Higher Power at Big Weekend without me!” Will has posted on X, external, formerly known as Twitter..

Annabel Rackham
BBC Culture reporter at Big Weekend, Luton

Teddy Swims' set on the new music stage attracted one of the biggest crowds of the day.

So big that groups had to gather outside the full tent.

The 31-year-old country and R&B star has been around for a few years, but the success of his track Lose Control clearly gained him a new fanbase, considering how popular he is today.

Fans have been passionately singing all the words of his emotionally-charged track All That Really Matters.

Manish Pandey
BBC Newsbeat reporter at Big Weekend, Luton

Olivia Dean is due on the new music stage very soon at 18:45.

She is so in demand that we interview Olivia while riding with her in a car going through the festival park.

Olivia reveals that tonight’s set will have a new song, “to see how it goes down”.

And Olivia says fans can expect “more music” from her.

“I’ve started working on another album now. I can’t say when it’s going to come out... but it will come out when it’s ready,” she says.

If you've been watching along with his set, Olly Alexander has pointed out a few times that it's the first show he's performed as himself.

Olly is the former lead singer of the band Years & Years - and the crowd is loving his performance of the band's hit singles, especially Desire, which he notes is almost 10 years old.

Here are some of the best snaps we've seen.

Mark Savage
BBC Music correspondent

Image source, PA Media

After a gospel version of the Years and Years hit Shine, he started his cover of Pet Shop Boys’ It’s A Sin as a low-key piano ballad.

But before the atmosphere became too downbeat, the drums kicked in, with Olly punching the air as the crowd began to bounce.

The song’s been a part of his set since the 2021 Brit Awards; when performed a memorable version of it with Elton John.

Olly was also the star of the Channel 4 drama of the same name - playing Ritchie Tozer, a young man caught up in the Aids crisis in the early 1980s.

The series earned him a Bafta nomination, which presumably makes up for his lacklustre Eurovision result.

And when he plays Dizzy, the crowd give him a huge cheer of support - suggesting he needn’t worry about what comes next.

Olly Alexander has been playing a few songs from his back catalogue, including Eyes Shut, which he says is about 10 years old.

Olly Alexander introduces his next song, Dizzy, joking it was only 17 places away from winning Eurovision.

Olly has nothing if not a decent sense of humour.

The crowd erupts as its opening notes play.

Mitch Mansfield
BBC Newsbeat reporter at Big Weekend, Luton

Sabrina Carpenter was always going to be a tough act to follow, but the clouds have cleared and the sun is shining on Olly Alexander.

It’s his first full solo show, and he describes his chat as “rusty” - but there’s nothing rusty about his playing as the piano’s rolled out.

Jack Burgess
Live reporter

It's A Sin, a song released in 1987 by the Pet Shop Boys, is now being played by Olly Alexander on the main stage.

Stockwood Park's loving this one.

Mark Savage
BBC Music correspondent

You could be forgiven for thinking Rag ‘N’ Bone Man is back for a second set at Big Weekend – but Teddy Swims is an entirely different gruff-voiced singer with an unruly beard and copious face tattoos.

He had a breakout hit last year with the bluesy howl of Lose Control, which is taken from his debut album, I’ve Tried Everything But Therapy (Part 1).

As the title suggests, it’s a soul-baring record, which documents his (frequently futile) attempts to get over a broken heart.

Nonetheless, he’s thanked his callous, anonymous ex for helping kick-start his career.

“I’m super grateful that person [that broke my heart],” he told Billboard last year.

“I think it’s so great to know that that pain is necessary because […] you know, pain is paying the bills.”

Pria Rai
BBC Newsbeat presenter at Big Weekend, Luton

Screams for Teddy Swims who comes out wearing Radio 1 garms to the sound of blaring electric guitar.

Mark Savage
BBC Music correspondent

Taking his 18th-place Eurovision finish on the chin, here comes Olly Alexander with a ray of sunshine on a dreary afternoon.

The former Years and Years frontman always puts on a good show, with super-tight choreography, hyper-polished pop hits and an impish sense of charm.

The setlist should include his biggest hits with Years and Years, including Desire, King and If You’re Over Me.

But will he play Dizzy – or is he keen to put Eurovision in the rear view mirror?

We’re about to find out.

Emily McGarvey
Live reporter

She's working late, 'cause she's a singer.

Sabrina Carpenter has just finished her main stage set at Radio 1's Big Weekend in Luton. She apologised for the rain but that didn't stop the crowd from popping off.

We kept an eye out for her beau, Saltburn star Barry Keoghan, in the crowd but we weren't able to spot him, sadly...

Her hit UK number one single Espresso went down a treat just now in Stockwood Park.

Despite the rain, the crowd were loving it.

Here are some of the best snaps from Sabrina Carpenter gig:

Image source, PA Media

Image source, PA Media

Image source, PA Media

Image source, Ian West/PA Wire

Mitch Mansfield
BBC Newsbeat reporter at Big Weekend, Luton

Image source, PA Media

Until today, it had been almost two years since London Grammar last played a show.

"It was quite a surreal experience going back on stage, feeling like a very different person," vocalist Hannah Reid tells us after their main stage set.

The indie pop band have a new album on the way, which Hannah recently announced with an Instagram post saying she's "entering her Mum era".

"But I feel so lucky, and it was it was amazing," she says - adding that having a child has also influenced her art.

"Now, I look back at some of the lyrics that I've written for this album - there is such a connection, but sometimes I didn't really realise it at the time," she says.

Mark Savage
BBC Music correspondent

Image source, Getty Images

“It’s wet and cold,” announces Remi Wolf in the new music tent, displaying stunningly astute powers of observation.

“I feel like I need to wake up and I feel like you guys need to wake up, too, so we’re going to do some exercises together,” she says.

To loosen up, we’re encouraged to swivel our hips, then place our index fingers on our temples and shake our heads around (it unlocks latent energy, apparently).

Who knows if it works - but the energy boost when she kicks into her next song, a kooky pop bonanza called Cinderella, is palpable.

She continues with a cover of The Zutons’ Valerie, raising the temperature even higher.

If you’re feeling soggy after Sabrina Carpenter, you could head over here for a steam dry.

Manish Pandey
BBC Newsbeat reporter at Big Weekend, Luton

The crowd dance and sing along to Espresso - the one everyone wanted.

Sabrina says she was “told to keep it PG”.

Not sure the Nonsense outro quite fit that description.

Manish Pandey
BBC Newsbeat reporter at Big Weekend, Luton

Image source, PA Media

Sabrina Carpenter says she’s "obsessed" with the ponchos.

And the sun threatens to make a brief appearance… before going back behind the clouds.

But the more Sabrina sings, the more the sun comes out.

Even if the sun doesn’t, the fans clearly do.

Manish Pandey
BBC Newsbeat reporter at Big Weekend, Luton

Teddy Swims is due to perform on the new music stage shortly at 17:45, but he’s already got one eye on today's main stage headliner Coldplay.

The Lose Control singer says it's his “first time” watching the band live and that he's “so excited”.

Teddy covered Coldplay's song A Sky Full of Stars at a concert last year.

“If I got the chance to meet them, I’d probably pass out," he says.

But Teddy says he's already "having the time of my life" and also revealed there will be a second part to his album later this year.

Manish Pandey
BBC Newsbeat reporter at Big Weekend, Luton

A group in front of me turn back and say “this is proper festival weather”.

I’d rather the sun to be honest.