Slayyyter walked Sombr from an ambulance stretcher to the stage to kick off his performance at Reading Festival today – watch footage below.

The US pop singer performed on the festival’s main stage – now known as The Grid – at Little John’s Farm earlier today (August 29), ahead of headline performances from Dave and RAYE.

His performance attracted one of the biggest crowds of the weekend so far, and began with an elaborate entrance broadcast on the stage’s screens.

The footage showed the back doors of an ambulance opening to reveal Sombr lying on a stretcher, with Slayyyter sitting alongside him. After climbing down, the pair took each other’s hands and began walking through the backstage area towards The Grid.

Sombr stopped along the route to drop to the ground for a set of press-ups, with Slayyyter doing the same. They then emerged together at the side of the stage, where Slayyyter briefly hyped up the crowd and waved to fans before leaving Sombr to begin his set.

Check out footage of the entrance below.

Slayyyter had played her own set on The Grid earlier in the afternoon, and NME awarded the performance four-and-a-half stars, praising her “hangover-demolishing, hype-worthy performance” and writing: “That Slayyyter might have given up music before she got to this point makes today’s set feel even more special – a star who’s grinded for her breakthrough and is now enjoying the fruits of her labour, big time.”

Her set drew heavily from her third album ‘WOR$T GIRL IN AMERICA’, which arrived in March. NME awarded the record four stars and described it as a “new strain of brash, sleazy pop”.

Sombr, meanwhile, arrived at Reading less than 24 hours after performing at Electric Picnic in Ireland, where he brought out Noel and Mike Hogan of The Cranberries to cover ‘Zombie’. It was his second recent collaboration with the band, having previously performed ‘Linger’ with the Hogan brothers at Dublin’s 3Arena in March.

Sombr released his debut album ‘I Barely Know Her’ in August last year. In a four-star review, NME noted: “‘I Barely Know Her’ is an album driven by heartache but that hasn’t stopped Sombr from creating a gloriously dynamic record that’s less about misery and more about catharsis. It’s sad boy indie with a smirk.”

Both Sombr and Slayyyter are due to perform at Leeds Festival tomorrow (August 30).

Check back at NME here for the latest news, reviews, photos, interviews and much more from Reading & Leeds 2026.

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