The highly anticipated Reading and Leeds Festival 2025, featuring headliners such as Travis Scott, Bring Me the Horizon, Hozier, and Chappell Roan for her exclusive UK headline festival appearance, is generating considerable excitement, especially surrounding persistent rumors of secret performances. Secret sets are a well-established tradition at these twin festivals, held over the same weekend, and this year is no exception to the rampant speculation among festival-goers.

Two rock bands, in particular, are at the forefront of the secret set discussions. Fans are convinced that Wolf Alice will take to the stage, a belief significantly bolstered by the imminent release of their fourth studio album, "The Clearing," which is due on Friday, August 22. Similarly, the Australian electronic rock band Pendulum is another strong candidate, with their newest album, "Inertia," also slated for release on the same Friday. The alignment of new album releases with the festival dates is a common indicator that fans use to predict these surprise appearances.

Further fueling the rumor mill, many festival enthusiasts are convinced that the Foo Fighters might make an unexpected appearance. This speculation arose after fans noted a seemingly sparser lineup for the festival compared to previous years. The theory gained significant traction following a cryptic throwback post on the Foo Fighters' Instagram account, which featured a video of their 2019 Reading Festival set and directed fans to the full performance on BBC iPlayer. While some fans are highly confident about a surprise performance, others remain skeptical, citing the rarity of such a massive headlining act performing a secret set. The Foo Fighters have a rich history with the festival, having headlined multiple times since 2002, including in 1995, 1998, 2000, 2005, 2012, and 2019.

More recent and specific speculation has focused on Chase & Status. Fans deduced a "giveaway" clue from the festival's official Instagram account, which posted a silhouette of two people adorned with question marks. Many revellers quickly identified the silhouette as strongly resembling the electronic music duo. This particular rumor suggests a potential secret set at 19:30 on the Aux Stage at Reading.

However, not all news from the festival front has been positive. American rockers House of Protection unfortunately confirmed they would no longer be performing at this year's Reading & Leeds Festivals. The band cited financial constraints as the reason, explaining that most of their funding for the trip was contingent on a performance at the Heavy Music Awards, which was regrettably cancelled due to serious health issues affecting a key member of their team. Despite the disappointment, the band assured fans they are already planning a return to the UK in October to tour with fellow band, Architects.