British indie heroes The Kooks stunned fans at Reading Festival earlier today [Friday 22nd August 2025] with a euphoric mainstage set that featured an unlikely surprise: A-list Hollywood star Rebel Wilson joined them on stage for a raucous cover of the 1995 rap classic “Gangsta’s Paradise” by Coolio feat L.V.
The band, who first played the festival in 2006 – the same year as the release of their genre-defining album “Inside In/ Inside Out”, worked their way through an explosive set of fan favourites including “Ooh La” and “She Moves In Her Own Way”.
After a singalong moment for “Seaside”, frontman Luke Pritchard introduced the Australian star. Hinting that the appearance may be part of an upcoming movie, Luke said: “We’d like to film a scene of a movie with you.
“So we’d like to welcome to the stage the incredible, the unbelievable, the hugely successful, famous, beautiful pop star, Tazzie Young… otherwise known as Rebel Wilson”.
Fans screamed as Rebel took to the stage. Approaching the microphone to rapturous screams, she joked to the audience, “What’s up Reading? Seeing as I’m out here, I thought I should sing a classic Kooks song… so I don’t know about you guys, but I was thinking about Gangsta’s Paradise…”.
The band members looked at each other in faux confusion, before firing up an uncanny rendition of the Coolio hit, with Rebel rapping every verse seamlessly and Luke Pritchard joining in for the choruses; belting out the track’s hook, “Livin’ in a Gangsta’s Paradise”.
Speaking about how the moment came together, Luke said, “We’re huge fans of Rebel. She got in touch saying she wanted to come and watch us. Immediately I invited her to join us on stage.
“We asked her which song she wanted to sing, expecting her to pick one of ours. She said the only song she knows all the words to is ‘Gangsta’s Paradise’… so ‘Gangsta’s Paradise’ it was!”
The actress is best known for starring in the hit “Pitch Perfect” trilogy, as well as for her memorable roles in “The Hustle”, “Bridesmaids”, and “Jojo Rabbit.”
The festival marks The Kooks’ third appearance at Reading and Leeds. Their seventh studio album, “Never/Know”, was released in May this year, reaching the UK chart’s top five, their highest charting record since 2008. The band will play London’s O2 Arena on October 11th as part of an arena tour.
The Kooks, whose 2006 debut sold more than two million copies, have unexpectedly found themselves beloved by a new generation. While their original fans remain, they’ve layered on a fervent Gen Z following, headlining festivals and selling out shows worldwide.
Social media has made them a generations’ new favourite band again, introducing their unmistakable Brit-pop joy to fresh ears. Their debut was a defining moment for indie music in the 2000s, their first releases set the sound of a moment in time.
There are few songs as defining of the 2000s as “Naïve”, but the band were never a one-hit wonder – their follow-up record, “Konk”, hit number one as one of four top 10 albums. The band has not stopped evolving, transitioning from indie rock to synth’ pop and Kraut rock influences.
Over time, they’ve integrated wide-ranging inspirations; Harris’ love of soul and opera, alongside Pritchard’s classic influences like Bob Dylan and The Rolling Stones.
Photos by Patrick Gunning
