Olivia Dean closes Radio 1's Big Weekend with headline set

Olivia Dean closed BBC Radio 1's Big Weekend with a headline set at Herrington Country Park in Sunderland.

She told the crowd the performance was "magic" and said she could not believe she was headlining after playing the Introducing Stage in 2023. Dean performed Dive, The Hardest Part, So Easy (To Fall In Love) and her number one single Man I Need, backed by a live band on a stage decorated with flowers. She wore shimmering dresses and spoke to the audience between songs.

Dean, 27, from London, won four Brit Awards earlier this year, including best British artist and best album for The Art of Loving. She also received the Grammy for best new artist and three Mobo Awards.

Temperatures reached 24 degrees as the festival ended. Irish singer CMAT opened her set by noting she had received "very nasty comments" about her appearance after last year's appearance. She removed her shirt to reveal a light blue two-piece outfit before performing Take A Sexy Picture Of Me.

Maisie Peters played the New Music stage days after releasing her album Florescence. Ezra Collective followed with a high-energy set that mixed jazz, funk, reggae and carnival styles. Dermot Kennedy and Kehlani also performed on the main stage, and Niall Horan joined Myles Smith for Drive Safe. Girl group Flo appeared on the New Music stage.