The sun is shining as I arrive in Hyde Park, and I can hear Gigi Perez’s mesmerising “Sailor Song” over the bustle of the crowd. I’m caught in a sea of flowy skirts and excited chatter as I make my way over to the Rainbow Stage to see the wonderful Asha Banks.
As I approach, I can already see that the growing crowd is rife with supporters and friends, wielding their signs saying how proud they are. Banks takes to the stage, bringing with her a plant, which she places on the keyboard, before opening with her debut single ‘So Green’, her ethereal vocals pulling people towards the stage. “I just had an existential crisis in that moment”, Banks says with a laugh, after giving the crowd goosebumps with ‘Silverlines’, the penultimate track on her debut EP Untie My Tongue. She shares some unreleased tracks, the crowd never faltering in their support, before closing her set with ‘Feel The Rush’.
I can hear the start of Finneas’ ‘Lotus Eater’, as I meander across to the Great Oak Stage. He begins with a series of songs from his latest album, For Cryin’ Out Loud!, before dipping back into some of his older discography, with ‘Break My Heart Again’ and ‘I Lost a Friend’. The crowd starts buzzing as the tell-tale introduction to ‘The Little Mess You Made’ begins, anticipation building as Finneas makes his way through the first verse and chorus. Suddenly, the crowd erupts with cheers, and Finneas’s smile grows, and he is joined on stage by Ashe, and the screen behind them changes from Finneas to The Favours, the name for their band, who just last month announced that their debut album would be out in September.
Playing their upcoming single ‘The Hudson’, their Fleetwood Mac influences shine through, and it’s clear that the pair are going to be an undeniable force, unlike anything the music industry has seen in quite some time. “Okay, let’s play them something they know,” Ashe says with a smile, as Finneas returns to their piano for ‘Till Forever Falls Apart’. They share a hug before Ashe leaves the stage, and Finneas concludes his set with two more songs, joking about how grateful he is to be part of the “Noah Kahan Cinematic Universe”.
With such a packed line-up of magnificent artists, it’s impossible to catch every incredible moment, but I try my best to get across the park fast enough to quickly hear the gently foreboding tones of Paris Paloma, before darting back across to the Birdcage Stage just in time to catch Jo Hill getting the crowd waving their arms in time to ‘BIG BOYS CRY TOO’, her optimistic country-folk esque anthem about men’s mental health and toxic masculinity.
I know exactly when Gracie Abrams arrives as I’m walking back to the Great Oak Stage, the energy suddenly ramping up around me like a tidal wave of love and support. A few songs into her set, as Abrams sings ‘I Told You Things’, I properly notice for the first time the BSL interpreters who are also on the screens, putting their all into the song, which is hypnotic and inspiring to watch, elevating the anguish behind the lyrics even more. “Please, be as loud as you can, for Aaron Dessner, of The National, and of my heart,” Abrams says, bringing out the iconic producer and owner of the infamous Long Pond Studio. They begin with an unreleased song titled ‘Crazy Girl’ before returning to some familiar favourites that get the crowd singing along.
Reading signs in the crowd and commenting on the volume of familiar faces, Abrams asks a crew member to pass her guitar pick to a girl in the crowd in exchange for a friendship bracelet, demonstrating how, even while performing to over 60,000 people, she manages to make the show feel immensely intimate. She continues her emotional journey with the crowd, before wrapping up her set with two of her most popular songs, ‘That’s So True’ and ‘Close To You’, which bring the energy back up and get everybody dancing. As she leaves the stage, electric anticipation once again floods the park, people frantically rushing to find friends or food before Noah Kahan takes to the stage.
After waiting for what feels like a lifetime, the stage goes dark, and a green light begins to grow across it like moss. As Noah walks onto the stage, a grin spreads across his face, brighter than any of the stage lights. He and the band waste no time, diving straight into ‘All My Love’ as 65,000 voices begin to sing and wave their hands in the air. “I’m Noah Kahan, and this is the biggest show I’ve played in my life!” he shouts joyfully, back to the cheering crowd, “In 2017 I came to London and played a show for 77 people and it was the best day of my life, but there’s a lot more of you here right now,” he explains in awe before beginning to play ‘New Perspective’. Gracie Abrams returns to the stage, joining Kahan for ‘Everywhere, Everything’, a song which he candidly describes as a song about “sex and worms”.
“If you know this next song, you’re a true fan,” Kahan states seriously, before adding “and if you don’t, then we’ve organised security to escort you out.” He laughs, continuing, “Seriously though, I have the greatest fans in the fucking world, and you’re seeing that here tonight. I’m here as long as you guys will have me – I love you, London, I love you for real… I don’t mean that in like a jesus christ youth pastor way, I mean that like thank you so much… right imma shut the f**k up, this is ‘False Confidence’.” He says as the crowd screams, dispersing any doubt that the crowd is filled with his biggest supporters. Everybody is clapping and singing along to the opening track of Kahan’s debut album, Busyhead, which he released in 2019.
Kahan teases the audience with an unreleased song called ‘Deny Deny Deny’, a catchy track with an upbeat and addictive chorus that the crowd picks up in no time. He follows this with a familiar favourite, fully engaging the crowd before building the suspense and blacking out the stage just before the climax of ‘Homesick’, coming back with even more energy than before.
He suddenly disappears from the stage, before announcing “And we’re here now” as he appears on a small b-stage between the golden circle and general admission. “What an epic show, we have two stages… okay, Eras Tour,” he says gleefully, “it’s like the Eras Tour, but the only era is the depression era”, he continues, giggling to himself. “I never thought I’d have a point in my life where I’d play shows so big, I’d have to make a separate stage to get closer to people, but I’m tryna get as close as I can to y’all”, he explains, wielding his acoustic guitar, looking out across the crowd. He remains on the B stage for three songs, returning to the main stage after taking a fan’s request for ‘Strawberry Wine’.
When he reappears on the main stage for ‘Dial Drunk’, he introduces us to his incredibly talented band, made up of Alex Bachari (bass), Noah Levine (guitar), Nina de Vitry (multi-instrumental), Dylan Jones (keys), and Marcos Valles (drums), Kahan’s face a picture of unrestrained joy and wonderment. After commenting on how sweaty he feels, Kahan plays another unreleased tune called ‘The Great Divide’, before dedicating ‘You’re Gonna Go Far’ to a young girl he met earlier in the day on the viewing deck.
“To help us sing this next song, I want to bring out an incredibly talented songwriter and vocalist, someone I absolutely love, and who I’m rooting for, and you guys will adore.” Kahan explains, before Gigi Perez returns to the stage for a particularly emotional rendition of ‘Call Your Mom’, which elicits more than a few tears across the crowd. He follows this with ‘The View Between Villages’ before abruptly saying goodnight and running off stage.
The crowd knowingly await his return, excitement building until he materializes back on stage, now wearing a Chelsea Football Club T-shirt, which is met with a cacophony of cheers and boos across the audience. After singing ‘Forever’, he looks back out, thanking the sea of people once again for their support, before launching into ‘Northern Attitude’, the iconic opening track on his latest album Stick Season.
The crowd are already having the time of their lives, but as Lewis Capaldi joins Noah on stage, it somehow gets impossibly louder, excited tears springing to people’s eyes as the pair share the stage for the remainder of the song, the emotional excitement of the audience reflected on their faces. “Lewis is one of the greatest singers, and I’m so happy he’s back,” Kahan says, referring to Capaldi’s surprise return to the spotlight at Glastonbury last week following his two-year hiatus.
“Alright, London, let’s get sticky!” Kahan shouts before launching into the final song of the night, ‘Stick Season’. The band steps and sways in time behind Kahan, continuing to blow everyone away with their talent. Nina de Vitry’s fiddle is a highlight of the track, as she plays stunningly along with the fireworks above the stage. As the song concludes, the group lines up and takes a bow before leaving Noah on the stage, waving to his fans. The sun may have set for the day, but the air is still warm with excitement and appreciation for what we just experienced. This incredible evening of music has been a stellar example of how music can unite a crowd and make the rest of the world fade away.
After a series of unbelievable performances from so many phenomenal musicians, the crowd leaves Hyde Park with smiles on their faces.
