Noah Kahan & Friends Bring Folk and Sweater Weather Energy to Hyde Park - BST Hyde Park 2025 - Review
- Sonic Hub
- Jul 7
- 5 min read
Cowboy boots, hair bows, bandanas, camera, action — these were the essentials for Noah Kahan’s BST Hyde Park’s sold-out headlining show. With a lineup spanning country, folk, indie, and all the in-betweens, the sunny day delivered a multi-genre bash.
Starting the fun at the Birdcage Stage, singer-songwriter Jo Hill got the audience warmed up for the day ahead with ‘Girlhood’, her newly released album, which the singer described as the record she wished she had gotten from her mum growing up. The set was a powerful and fun nudge to sorority and friendship, with Hill coming down to dance with the crowd as a joyful highlight.
Massachusetts-native Lily Fitts also topped the bill on the same stage, debuting her new album, ‘Getting By’. With a real, characteristically folk tone to her voice, Fitts is a masterful musician, and it was a delight to see her surrounded by a sizable and engaged crowd.
Later in the day, South Floridian Gigi Perez took to the Great Oak Stage. With her recently released and highly acclaimed debut EP ‘At the Beach, in Every Life’, Perez’s raspy vocals filled the park. Visually minimalistic, Perez’ set didn’t require much more than her skilled band and her vulnerable lyricism, which expertly (and honestly) touches upon topics such as grief, loss, and queer desire. ‘Fable’, the multi-layered track dedicated to the singer’s late sister, was a poignant example of this, with the crowd leaning into an organic moment of introspection. Mentioning that this was the largest audience she had ever played to, Perez expressed deep gratitude for her listeners and the community music creates, whilst her UK number-one hit ‘Sailor Song’ jolted the audience into action — further demonstrating that there is an appetite, and an ever-growing musical palate, for a wide range of genres to reach the spotlight in the UK music scene and beyond.
On the nearby Rainbow Stage, actor and singer-songwriter Asha Banks performed her debut EP ‘Untie My Tongue’. Banks, who has steadily consolidated herself as a vivid songwriter, and has already amassed a loyal following, showcased great command of the stage and a softness to her voice that felt quite special.
Back on the Great Oak Stage, Finneas thanked everyone for braving the scorching heat to attend his set and, once again, showcased that not only is he a great producer, but also a skilled performer, with his set spanning his solo work from ‘I Lost a Friend’ to ‘For Cryin’ Out Loud’. Halfway through it, the stage’s backdrop changed to ‘The Favours’, Finneas’s new project with long-term friend and collaborator Ashe, who joined him on stage in a nod to ‘70s music. With their debut album, ‘The Dream’, coming out on July 11th, the set was a great taster of what’s to come as the duo previewed a new song, ‘The Hudson’, as well as the recently released single, ‘The Little Mess You Made’.
Fresh off the heels of her recent Glastonbury set, Gracie Abrams brought the same energy to London, with a legion of dedicated fans excitedly awaiting her set as the sun beamed down. Abrams has long professed her love for London and UK fans, and this was no exception on the day. As a treat, she debuted a brand-new song never played live before — ‘Crazy Girl’ — alongside collaborator and long-term friend Aaron Dessner, who also helped play the fan-favourite ‘I Love You, I’m Sorry’. A wave of hair bows dotted around the park jumped up and down to each song, truly showcasing the love and community the singer has brought together with her music. ‘Free Now’, with its cathartic and geographically aligned line, “I was brave when I kissed you in London”, was sung so loudly it travelled across the site. Hit singles ‘That’s So True’ and ‘Close To You’ were also particular centrepieces, undeniably underscoring the current upward trajectory in Abrams’s career.
“You’re going to leave here unhappy tonight, and that is the goal, baby,” said Noah Kahan as he entered the Great Oak Stage to headline the day. With orange and yellow-hued visuals mimicking a perfect New England autumn, Kahan worked his crowd-work magic with genuine ‘Northern Attitude’ throughout the 2-hour set, bringing the 65k audience along on an intimate, memorable journey, as his authenticity shone through. Kahan is no stranger to London, but this was his biggest UK headlining show to date. In a candid moment, he recounted how he had once played to just 77 people in the city, and how memorable that show had been. “There are way more people today,” he joked, foreshadowing that this would certainly be one of the best nights of his life. With a set spanning his entire discography and a dedicated audience who sang along to every lyric, Kahan demonstrated why listeners connect with his music so deeply.
As he had hinted earlier in the week on social media, the show was packed with surprise guests: Gracie Abrams joined him for ‘Everywhere, Everything’; Gigi Perez shared a beautiful moment with ‘Call Your Mom’, dedicated to mothers everywhere (including a special acknowledgment to Kahan’s mother who happened to be in the audience); and Lewis Capaldi, who made a surprise appearance for ‘Northern Attitude’. The latter collaboration was particularly funny, as both singers arrived in Chelsea FC gear, to the playful booing of pockets of the crowd. Making his way to the B-stage to be closer to the audience, which he playfully described as “the Eras Tour, but the only era is depression,” Kahan took suggestions from the crowd, landing on ‘Strawberry Wine’. He also previewed two unreleased songs: ‘Deny Deny Deny’ and ‘The Great Divide’. The set ended euphorically, with a firework display lighting up the evening’s sky as the crowd roared to the opening chords of ‘Stick Season’.
Albeit we’re not in stick season, and despite the heat, Kahan and the wider lineup still managed to bring a cosy blanket to wrap up the audience in, which worked wonders, if we do say so ourselves.
BST Hyde Park continues throughout the summer, with upcoming headliners including Neil Young and The Crazy Horse, Stevie Wonder, and Jeff Lynne’s ELO set to grace the stage. For more information and FAQs, please visit BST Hyde Park’s website.
WORDS BEA VASQUES
PHOTOS ALL CREDIT TO THE PHOTOGRAPHERS ABOVE MENTIONED
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