The Kooks brought out Rebel Wilson to cover ‘Gangsta’s Paradise’ for a surprise appearance during their set at Reading Festival 2025. Check out footage and photos below.
Past the halfway mark of the their sun-soaked early evening set, the band offered the far-stretching main stage crowd something of a surprise.
“We’d like to film a scene from a movie with you,” frontman Luke Pritchard announced to the huge audience, before introducing “the incredible – the unbelievable, the hugely successful, famous, beautiful – pop star Tazzi Young!” He added: “Otherwise known as Rebel Wilson.”
The audience roared when Wilson then appeared, wearing a torn shirt over a black laced top.
“I thought I should sing with you,” Wilson explained, apparently in character, adding: “I don’t know about you guys, but I was thinking about ‘Gangsta’s Paradise’,” to which the crowd roared excitedly.
“We don’t know ‘Gangsta’s Paradise,” Pritchard mock-protested,” as the band started up the famous opening strains of the track. “We’ve never played it.”
The Kooks and Wilson then launched into Coolio’s 1995 rap classic, the audience clapping and singing along. “We love you!” Wilson yelled.
And then The Kooks brought out Rebel Wilson to cover ‘Gangsta’s Paradise’, I suppose. #RandL25 pic.twitter.com/Sd7puLsrev
— Andrew Trendell (@AndrewTrendell) August 22, 2025
I JUSY WATCHED REBEL WILSON SING GANGSTA’S PARADISE WITH THE KOOKS????😭😭😭😭😭 pic.twitter.com/kFxGyYu8bZ
— lottie ❀ (@ihrtsadiee) August 22, 2025
She fizzed up a bottle of what looked like Champagne, spraying the liquid everywhere before slugging from the bottle.” Before exiting the stage, she exclaimed: “Let’s get drunk!”
It was a bizarre moment in a set that drew a hugely enthusiastic response from the packed crowd. As with the gig that Bloc Party played on the same stage earlier in the day, most of the audience were likely not even born in The Kooks’ mid-‘00s heyday.
“Thank you so much,” Pritchard gushed, adding, perhaps pointedly given the band’s second surge in popularity for a new generation, “thanks for having us back.”
Like Bloc Party’s Kele Okereke, he seemed to be in his element, stating: “Here’s some rock’n’roll – it’s back this year, OK?”
Perhaps surprisingly, the band performed ‘Jackie Big Tits’, taken from their 2006 debut album, ‘Inside In/Inside Out’, although it did receive a less rapturous response than the other tracks from that record. Before playing the song, the frontman announced: “Apologies to anyone named Jackie – or not!”
The young audience sang along to ‘Ooh La’ and went positively ballistic for ‘She Moves In Her Own Way’, with punters stood near NME chanting every word of that track.
With his shirt open to reveal a necklace, Pritchard praised guitarist Hugh Harris’ “crazy guitar playing” to 2014’s ‘Sweet Emotion’ and, towards the end of the set, got on his knees to worship the audience.
Back in May, Pritchard spoke about his night out “comparing chest hair” with Liam and Noel Gallagher, explaining: “It was a brilliant night.”
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