It’s a long-held music industry adage that old rockers never die, they just fade away.
But now it seems that they are simply being replaced onstage by their offspring.
This weekend, the children of some of the biggest names in rock are performing at the Reading and Leeds Festivals. The big surnames include Gallagher, Grohl and Martin, and a Beckham – even if he’s not strictly the scion of a rock star.
Gene Gallagher, Moses Martin, Violet Grohl and Cruz Beckham will all be taking to the stage as they follow in the footsteps of their parents.
Cruz Beckham is performing with his band, The Breakers – Jeff Moore/PA
Liam Gallagher’s 25-year-old son, Gene, played with his band Villanelle at Reading on Friday and again at Leeds on Saturday. The band, which has been performing since 2024, released its debut single, Hinge, last year, with Gene as lead singer and guitarist.
Moses Martin, the 20-year-old son of Coldplay frontman Chris Martin and his actress ex-wife Gwyneth Paltrow, was playing at both sites with his band, People I’ve Met. The trio released their debut single, Promise, in December 2025.
Moses Martin is playing at both sites with his band, People I’ve Met – Cristina Massei/Alamy
Dave Grohl‘s daughter, Violet, who has followed her Foo Fighters frontman father into the music industry, released her debut album, Be Sweet To Me, in May and was also due to perform at both festivals.
Violet Grohl performs during the 2026 Leeds Festival – Matthew Baker/Getty
Cruz Beckham, the son of Spice Girl Lady Victoria and former England football captain Sir David, was performing at Reading with his band, The Breakers, and then at Leeds.
Gene Gallagher has previously spoken about the “nepo baby” label, telling The Sunday Times: “People say to me, ‘Ooh it must be so easy for you to get a band together.’ It’s not. We’re earning our stripes.”
His uncle, Noel Gallagher, has previously said it’s “not healthy” to give children a leg-up – unless they actually have some talent.
Musician Dave Grohl and daughter Violet in 2011 – Christopher Polk/Getty
Speaking to the Radio X Evening Show at the time that his daughter, Anais, was starting out as a model and photographer, the Oasis co-founder said: “The whole nepotism thing, I mean it’s human nature to help your children out.
“She’s good at what she does, her photographs are really, really good, and if she was terrible, I wouldn’t be doing it for the sake of it, because I think if you’re knowingly just giving your kids something to do and they’re not really good at it, I don’t think that’s very healthy.”
Gene Gallagher says: ‘We’re earning our stripes’ – Jeff Moore/PA
While the families of nepo rockers say their offspring deserve their place on the bill on merit, others within the music industry have questioned whether they have what it takes.
Nick Grimshaw, the BBC Radio 6 Music presenter, said: “Nepotism goes a long way. You can still make good music.
“But can you make great music? Can you have the same hunger for it?”
