The stars were out in force at this year’s Capital Summertime Ball – and this year it was the ladies who ruled the stage. While headline act Shawn Mendes got the biggest cheers of the night from the 80,000 fans gathered inside an electric Wembley Stadium, female singers including Rita Ora, Jess Glynn and Camila Cabello put on some of the most impressive sets of the night.
Rita, 27, commanded the stage as the penultimate act of the evening, beginning her performance in a colourful flamenco-style skirt which she ripped off to reveal bright orange PVC hotpants. The London-born star delivered some of her biggest hits, including Girls and I Will Never Let You Down, accompanied by a troupe of perfectly in-step dancers. She also paid tribute to the late DJ Avicii in her set, performing their collaboration Lonely Together while the words "1989-2018" were emblazoned on the stage behind her. She clearly enjoyed herself, later writing on Twitter: “Thank you for having me @capitalofficial had so much fun.”
There were fireworks and streamers at the summer festival
In perhaps the most nerve-wracking slot of the ball, Camila Cabello was showing no signs of fear when she opened the entire show. Wearing a blue velvet shorts suit and nude bralet with a pearl choker, the petite star had the audience spellbound as she belted out her biggest hits. The loudest cheers were, of course, directed at her debut hit Havana, which she delivered with aplomb.
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The signer jetted straight from Wembley to Manchester after the show, where she was performing as the support act to Taylor Swift’s tour at the Etihad Stadium, later writing on Twitter: “Today we played in 2 stadiums in a day !!! taking the opportunity to say that cause you just never know where life will take you thank you so much @capitalofficial #capitalsummertimeball and all of you guys there gonna pass out now, love you.”
After initially popping up for a brief appearance during Rudimental set, Jess Glynn later performed alongside a live band for her set, delivering all her hits in her unique voice while the crowd sang along. Singer Demi Lovato made a surprise appearance, co-hosting part of the show with Capital breakfast presenter Roman Kemp before singing alongside Clean Bandit during their joint hit, Solo.
Charlie Puth was greeted by wild screams from the crowd when he took took to the stage, and he showed off his unique talents by playing the keyboard and singing during some of his songs. He also managed to battle through a sudden rainstorm during his set, although fortunately the wet weather didn’t dampen the enthusiasm of his fans.
80,000 fans were on their feed for Craig David
DJ Jonas Blue brought out a whole host of fabulous guest singers including Raye while Rudimental performed alongside singer Ella Eyre and James Arthur, among others. Jamaican singer Sean Paul offered one of the most popular performances of the night, breathlessly ripping through his greatest hits backed up by dancers dressed up like New York taxis while Craig David was the recipient of wild applause when he performed some of his best-known songs, including Seven Days.
