After a spectacular SZA-style launch, day two of American Express presents BST Hyde Park went off with the same ferocity and style as yesterday. Today, it was the turn of Tennessee rockers, Kings of Leon, to headline the Great Oak Stage – with the BRIT and Grammy award-winning band putting on a 29 song strong set of their biggest and most underrated tracks.
“How you all doing tonight? You look amazing out there. This is fantastic!” announced Caleb Followill to the sold-out crowd, soon after hitting the stage. A vibrant backdrop of waterfalls and volcanoes brought an earthy dimension to the band’s 105-minute setlist, which began with “Ballerina Radio” and “On Call” before “The Bucket,” “Taper,” “Manhattan,” “Revelry,” “Nothing to Do” and “My Party” roared from the stage. Nathan, taking his position on the drums wore a England football shirt, a nod to the team’s win against Slovakia tonight. “I was hoping we’d have fun tonight,” added Caleb. “…Didn’t have any idea we’d have this much fun.”
Then came the ferocious Sex on Fire; the music quieted to allow the audience to belt out every lyric, before the Followill vocals chimed back in. “Don’t Stop The Bleeding” and “Comeback Story” followed, allowing for the ideal subdued juxtaposition. “It’s such a joy to be here,” said Caleb thoughtfully, clearly overcome by the atmosphere. “We haven’t been here for seven years. It’s one of my favourite places to be and be a part of.”
As the likes of “Pyro,” “Mustang,” “Molly’s Chambers,” “Milk,” “Fans,” “Black Down South,” “Nowhere to Run,” “King of the Rodeo,” “Wait For Me,” “Split Screen,” “Bandit,” “Find Me,” “Closer” and “Seen” filled the air, brothers Caleb, Nathan, Jared and cousin Matthew continued to delve into their rich back catalogue, eventually bringing this evening of epic entertainment to a close with a star-filled backdrop encore of “Rainbow Ball,” “Waste A Moment” and “Cold Desert,” before ending with a soaring rendition of “Use Somebody,” with BST Hyde Park joining the band en masse.
Earlier on in the evening, Paisley’s finest singer-songwriter Paolo Nutini took to the stage at Hyde Park after 12 years; his last appearance here being at the opening ceremony concert of the London 2012 Olympic Games. Showcasing the best of four chart-topping albums – including five-times platinum, These Streets (2006) and gold-acclaimed Last Night in the Bittersweet (2022) – Nutini showed the bulging crowd just how his extraordinary vocals have stood the test of time. Casually sipping on a beer, he commented on the vast audience singing along, which included several big-name musicians such as Mae Muller and George Ezra. Highlights from the set included Iron Sky, New Shoes and Shine A Light.
Celebrating their sixth studio album, Pick-up Full of Pink Carnations, The Vaccines made the Great Oak Stage one of the most important stops on their European Tour, to showcase their newer ‘West Coast’ sound rooted in the new record. The London rock outfit, who plan to be on the road until the end of the year, put on an unstoppable set packed with favourites from their six Top 5 UK LPs, with the crowd belting out the lyrics to “I Can’t Quit” and “If You Wanna.”
Grammy-winner, Gary Clark Jr., warmed up the audience with a string of rock and blues tracks from his 30-year career, including the plucky “Bright Lights” – which propelled him into the Billboard Charts over a decade ago. The Austin, Texas-based rock and blues singer and guitarist has been playing gigs since he was just 12 years old. For those watching, his mastery was particularly evident in his show-stopping performance of the soulful “Habits.”
US indie-pop sensation, Cannons, was first on the main stage and drew in a large crowd. The Californian trio, composed of childhood friends, Ryan Clapham and Paul Davis, and lead vocalist Michelle Joy, recently told Culted how, so far, their first UK tour has been “incredible”, with Clapham adding: “It’s nice to get our music across the pond and play in front of people who appreciate what we’re doing.” The band added that they have made the most of their stay in London in the run up to American Express presents BST Hyde Park by going for a curry near Piccadilly Circus.
Headlining The Rainbow Stage, Dublin-born Cian Godfrey and his band, aka Somebody’s Child, welcomed the crowd with raucous Irish energy. The rising-star Dubliners may have only broken through into the Irish music scene with their self-titled debut album last year, but Godfrey has been singing about life growing up in the Irish capital since he was five years old. “That’s a good crowd,” he announced, as the music began.
Meanwhile, Merseyside rockers, Red Rum Club, showcased the best of their latest album, Western Approaches, which peaked at No.8 in the UK Charts earlier this year. The six-strong band played an eclectic set, getting the audience in the mood, declaring, “It’s nearly 5 O’Clock… so it’s okay to dance”.
Kicking off the day was London four-piece, KEO, who credit the likes of Sound Garden, Pearl Jam and Nirvana for inspiring their love for music. Lead singer-songwriter Finn Keogh, previously revealed: “I want to write songs that stand up on their own, be it with a full on rock band, or just a guy on an acoustic guitar, that’s really important to me.”
Essex punk duo The Meffs, TikTok’s Call Me Up sensation Daydreamers, and Shropshire-born singer Nieve Ella completed another brilliant day of music.
BST Hyde Park continues with Open House from Monday 1 July – Wednesday 5 July, then on Thursday 4 July with Morgan Wallan, Riley Green, Ernest, Ella Langley, Alana Springsteen, Alexandra Kay, Zandi Holup, Abbie Mac, The Halfway Kid, and Evan Bartels.
