Audi A5 S Line at Henley Festival 2026: Black Tie, Britpop Classical & Alex James on the Floating Stage

Arrival: The Audi A5 S Line and the Finest Fifty Yards in Black Tie

We drove the Audi A5 S Line over the bridge into Henley and swept into the Relais Henley, quite simply the most perfectly positioned hotel for the Henley Festival, directly across the river from the action and close enough to hear the orchestra tuning up. This mattered rather more than usual, because it was 35 degrees in the sun and we were about to change into black tie. Anyone who has attempted a dinner jacket in a heatwave will understand why a walk of fifty yards rather than five hundred felt like the height of civilisation. The A5, cool and composed in a way I was about to stop being, settled into its parking space with the quiet smugness of a car that knows it has the best address in town.

Once changed, Emily emerged in a magnificent purple dress that hugged her figure more closely than a car wrap and left approximately as little to the imagination. I mention this not merely out of husbandly admiration but because, as you'll discover, that dress went on to open doors all evening, quite literally. Suitably assembled, we headed out into Henley, two overdressed penguins in paradise.

The Angel on the Bridge: Warm-Up Pints and a Parliament of Penguins

The Angel pub opposite the hotel was heaving with chaps in black tie, getting a few warm-up pints in before the festival: a very British form of pre-theatre training. Nowhere else on Earth do you find men in full evening dress standing outside a riverside pub in tropical heat, pint in hand, discussing the cricket as though dinner jackets were entirely normal beachwear. It is one of the great sights of the English summer, and long may it continue.

Through the Gates: The Audi Glam Cam and an F1 Show Car Worth Twirling For

The greeting at Henley Festival is always warm and friendly, with none of that velvet-rope froideur you get elsewhere, and once past the gate we made our way straight to the Audi Glam Cam, stationed beside the Audi Revolut F1® Show Car celebrating the brand's debut on the Formula 1® grid. There is something rather wonderful about seeing Audi's four rings preparing to go racing at the very top. The show car sat there gleaming with intent, a promise of Sundays to come.

The Glam Cam, for the uninitiated, involves a camera operator swinging a boom into your face while you perform your best slow-motion Hollywood moment. Emily and I twirled for our little lives and flipped sunglasses with all the choreographed nonchalance we could muster as the camera swept around us, slow-motion effects on full. The atmosphere was one of gloriously shared embarrassment as we all took turns, dukes, dames and dinner-jacketed dads alike, each convinced they looked like a Bond title sequence, each looking marginally more like an ostrich attempting ballet. C'est la vie. It was tremendous fun.

The Wrong Lounge, the Right Dress: A Study in Wristband Diplomacy

We then ambled towards the Champagne reception in the Audi Lounge, though not before confidently picking the wrong lounge entirely, whereupon we were ushered in immediately and handed fresh wristbands despite not being on any list whatsoever. The dress, you see, was that amazing. No questions asked, no clipboard consulted; the door simply opened. We collected quite a few wristbands by the end of the evening, a small anthology of places we technically weren't invited to. I have decided this counts as market research.

The Audi Lounge: Moët Like Crystal Streams and Michelin Stars by Rohit Ghai

The Audi Lounge was, without doubt, the best lounge at the festival. Moët & Chandon flowed like the crystal streams in heaven (a phrase I stand by entirely, having conducted extensive fieldwork) and the light supper by celebrated Michelin-starred chef Rohit Ghai was exquisite, each nibble unique and unusual, tiny jewels of spice and invention that made one wish "light buffet” went on longer. Ghai has that rare gift of making three bites more memorable than most chefs manage in three courses.

Presiding over proceedings was the new Audi RS 5, on show and looking utterly magnificent: the sort of car that makes grown men in black tie loiter with intent, champagne in hand, mentally rearranging their finances. Several of us did precisely that. I made no promises I intend to keep to my accountant.

Famous Faces and New Friends: From Emilia Fox to Monica Galetti

One of Henley's great pleasures is the company, and the Audi Lounge assembled a splendid cast. It was lovely to catch up with old friends and make so many new ones: the actress Emilia Fox, radiant as ever; Matt Dawson, sports pundit and presenter, on typically mischievous form; singers Grace Carter and Kara Marni; Caspar Lee, influencer and entrepreneur; the man of the evening's menu, chef Rohit Ghai; and Monica Galetti, chef and TV presenter, who is every bit as warm in person as she is terrifying to nervous contestants on television.

Then came the private performances. First was Adjua, winner of the Audi Presents RISE Music Award, with a voice that silenced a room full of champagne-fuelled conversation in about four bars, which at Henley is roughly the equivalent of parting the Red Sea. She was followed by Grace Carter, singer-songwriter and Audi UK ambassador, who confirmed everything the first performance had promised. Both were superb; the kind of intimate sets that make you feel briefly, gloriously smug about your evening.

Alex James' Britpop Classical: The Pièce de Résistance on the Floating Stage

And then, the pièce de résistance: Alex James' Britpop Classical on Henley's iconic floating stage. We wandered over with friends, whereupon security relieved us of our champagne glasses (glass and grandstands being natural enemies) and replaced them with dinky little bottles of Moët with drinking cups perched on top, a swap I considered entirely acceptable. Security then escorted us, as VIPs, to the best seats in the grandstand directly opposite the floating stage. There are worse ways to be frogmarched anywhere.

I should declare an interest: I've actually met Alex James before. He showed off his amazing cheeses at a pub in the Cotswolds, a very nice chap indeed, and tells some genuinely eye-popping stories of his wilder years when Blur were at their height in the '90s and he enjoyed life, shall we say, to the absolute full. A man who has gone from headlining Glastonbury to award-winning fromage has lived a life of admirable range, and joie de vivre positively radiates off him.

The Floating Stage line-up brought together an elite collective of 1990s indie icons alongside a powerhouse backing ensemble to breathe new life into the era's biggest hits. Anchored and hosted by Blur bassist James himself, the performers were backed by the thunderous wall of sound of a full, world-class symphony orchestra and a dedicated rock rhythm section: Britpop in white tie, if you like. Taking turns at the microphone to deliver the decade's definitive vocal tracks were Phil Daniels, the legendary actor and original voice of Blur's "Parklife"; Saffron, the high-energy frontwoman of electronic-rock band Republica; and Gary Stringer, the powerhouse lead vocalist of Reef.

Parklife, Ready to Go and the Great Blur v Oasis Rematch

Even if you weren't around in the '90s, it was an awesome concert. If you were, it summoned the golden age of Britpop wholesale, complete with a knowingly ironic video montage of the supposed conflict between Oasis and Blur, that magnificently manufactured feud which created a halo marketing effect and saw them top the charts one after the other, to the enormous benefit of both. Nothing sells records like a rivalry, especially one conducted with such theatrical relish.

They played the iconic anthems: Blur's "Parklife" with Phil Daniels doing what only Phil Daniels can do; Republica's "Ready to Go" with Saffron detonating across the stage; Reef's "Place Your Hands" with Gary Stringer at full roar; alongside massive symphonic reworkings of hits by Oasis, Pulp, Radiohead and The Verve. Judging by the crowd, it was a colossal success, with everyone dancing and leaping together in black tie and ball gowns, several thousand people simultaneously discovering that "Parklife" is impossible to perform sedately. It became genuinely hard to keep track of the little Moët bottles, which I choose to interpret as a sign of a very good evening. And the weather at Henley Festival has never been better: not a cloud in the sky, the river turning gold as the sun dropped behind the stage.

Encore, Desserts and a Quarter Final with the Chefs

As the sun set over the floating stage we bellowed for an encore and duly got one, then shuffled contentedly back to the Audi Lounge for desserts, the football, and Doug the DJ, a trinity of pleasures I heartily endorse. Though I confess I ended up watching the last part of the game with the chefs from the Relais Henley, who turned out to be a great bunch and excellent company for a nail-biting finish. I owe them a few beers next time, a debt I fully intend to honour with interest.

The Morning After: Letting the A5 S Line Loose in the Surrey Hills

The next day, in continuing and frankly suspicious sunshine, we took the Audi A5 S Line for a cruise over the Surrey Hills to let it loose a bit. It stretched its legs along those rolling lanes with evident pleasure, and I felt rather like a man walking a very expensive, very well-behaved greyhound. Audis need to be let out every so often, and you must look after them properly. They are, after all, not just for Christmas.

Hard to Get Better Days Than This

Tot it all up: the Audi A5 S Line, the Henley Festival, the Relais Henley, Chef Rohit Ghai's cooking, Moët & Chandon in industrial yet elegant quantities, Adjua, Grace Carter, Alex James' Britpop Classical on the floating stage, and England winning the quarter final for good measure. Quel week-end. It is genuinely hard to get better days than this, and I have made it my life's work to check.

Audi: https://www.audi.co.uk/en/

The Relais Henley Hotel: https://therelaishenley.com/

Henley Festival: https://henley-festival.co.uk/