'Are you holding a laptop?': Meet the group who went viral during Role Model set at Leeds Festival 2026

If you were anywhere near the main stage during Role Model’s set at Leeds Festival on Friday, you might have caught the American indie-pop star completely stopping mid-song to address a bizarre sight in the crowd.

Hovering above the pit on her friend's shoulders was a fan holding a fully open Apple MacBook, complete with a sticker reading "I'm just a (fan) girl".

Spotting her from the stage, Tucker Pillsbury (aka Role Model) famously halted to ask: "Are you holding a f*****g laptop?"

Speaking to the Yorkshire Evening Post at Bramham Park yesterday, the team behind the music platform Friends Not Fans explained how their laptop ended up in the middle of a festival crowd.

"We had to bring it for work!" explained co-founder Sophie, who was holding the laptop while on Stef’s shoulders throughout Role Model’s set.

Stef added: "Me and Fede were at All Points East last weekend for the Lorde show. We did our work and were behind the barricade, and the fans were incredible. Photographers never get their own picture taken, so we were like, 'Oh, we should take a photo of a picture!'

“We turned around and fans just started screaming at us, so we held up the laptop and did an in-camera recording. It went viral, so here we are at Leeds Fest, back with the laptop!"

Originally launched in 2022 as a podcast designed to bridge the gap between music fans and artists, Friends Not Fans has since expanded into visual media, photography, and an upcoming production company.

When Role Model took the stage on Friday, the crew decided to recreate their laptop stunt - leading to an unforgettable interaction with the singer himself.

"Yesterday was crazy!" Stef said. "Role Model was on stage singing, [Sophie] was on my shoulders, and he had to stop midway because he was like, 'What the...!'

Stef said: “I don't think there are many laptops in the pit!"

She added: "We were genuinely just having fun, and we had the Mac because we knew Role Model fans were going to go crazy. Got on the shoulders, he started laughing, we started laughing, and then the viral moment happened! It was insane, really, really funny.

“Everyone started screaming when I held up the screen!"

Since the moment was broadcast across the huge arena screens flanking the stage, the team have found themselves recognized constantly around the Bramham Park site.

Stef said: "It's been a day where people have been stopping us, being like, 'Oh my God, the laptop girl!' And I'm like, 'Yeah, there we go!'"

Follow Friends Not Fans on Instagram and catch up with their previous podcasts.