Former England international Joleon Lescott carved out a steady career in football, holding his own as a dependable ball-playing defender for the likes of Wolverhampton Wanderers, Everton, and Manchester City. It was with the latter that he played a key role in two Premier League title-winning sides.
Life after football, now at 43, seemed to point towards following the same natural progression of many of his former teammates - coaching or punditry. Lescott did briefly test the waters, first as part of Lee Carsley’s England under-21 coaching staff, and later during a short interim spell, bridging the gap between Gareth Southgate and Thomas Tuchel. But instead of pursuing the dugout full-time, he has since turned his attention to a pastime nobody would have expected.
Lescott - who is made instantly recognisable by his facial scars that tell a heartbreaking story from his past - still enjoys performing in front of large crowds, only now away from the pitch. This weekend, he is preparing for an entirely new stage with his festival debut at Reading Festival.
Joleon Lescott Set For DJ Set At Reading Festival
lescott
To the surprise of just about everyone, Lescott has been announced as one of the DJs set to perform at Reading Festival this weekend. The 26-cap former England defender will take to the Jagermeister Stage at 6pm BST on Sunday, August 24, with his name listed under House music.
He doesn’t appear on the main lineup poster for the iconic festival, but once digging a little deeper into the official website, he can be found, sharing the billing - albeit on a smaller stage - with heavy hitters like Travis Scott, Chappell Roan and Hozier headlining Richfield Avenue in one of the final weekends of the British festival season.
Speaking to Gary Lineker on The Rest is Football podcast last September, Lescott opened up about his passion for music and the new path he is pursuing behind the decks.
"I had some gigs in the summer but when you get this call from a friend who says ‘do you want to be part of the England set-up?’ I kind of had to park it. But, yeah, I still train. It’s the closest thing I have to playing, in terms of the feeling it gives me."
In an earlier interview with the Express and Star, he also revealed how DJing had been in his blood from the start. His dad was a DJ, and young Joleon would haul vinyl records to gigs and take charge of the music in the dressing room, long before he ever had the intention of being a footballer.
This weekend will mark his first festival slot, which simultaneously gives rise to his next chapter away from the beautiful game. If it earns even half the acclaim John Barnes received for his rap in New Order’s 'World in Motion' - the only World Cup song ever to top the UK charts, holding the summit for two weeks - Lescott will no doubt be off to a flyer as the love triangle between England, football, and music, welcomes its latest crossover.