BST Hyde Park — We gon' be alright

We gon' be alright

Over the years, British Summer Time festival has been headlined by such luminaries as The Rolling Stones, Lionel Richie and Blur leaving lofty standards to live up to, standards which were clearly maintained when Florence + the Machine, Kendrick Lamar and Stevie Wonder were listed amongst the headline acts.

As we walked through the festival site we were greeted by the familiar sights of fairground rides and food stalls, including a food truck selling McDonald’s McFlurry’s! The crowd buzzed with excitement anticipating the performances to come and unlike some festivals, there was an incredibly diverse mix of ages and demographics, reflecting London’s eclectic soul.

The sun broke out as Jamie XX took to the stage, but it wouldn’t be “British Summer Time” without an impromptu bout of rain and predictably the heavens opened up drenching us all. However, instead of running for cover, the crowd seemed to become more determined to have a good time, as the cocktail of cold rain combined with Jamie XX’s mesmerising set energised and invigorated the crowd as if it were an energy drink.

The skies cleared and the umbrellas were stowed away just in time for US rap phenomenon Kendrick Lamar to make his first, and only, UK appearance of the year. The Grammy award winner strolled out to huge fanfare as his live band performed a rendition of Earth, Wind and Fire’s “Can’t Hide Love” before breaking into the opening tracks of his latest album ‘To Pimp a Butterfly’.

Kendrick certainly lived up to the excitement that was evident in the build up to his appearance, as he whipped the crowd into a frenzy with hits such as, ‘These Walls’, ‘Swimming Pools’ and ‘King Kunta’. For any musical performance the final song is a key component, as it is the last memory a the audience are left with, and Kendrick did not disappoint as he chose the uplifting ‘Alright’ to close the show - leaving a satisfied crowd that most certainly rated his performance as far better than just “alright”.

So the stage was set for London’s own Florence and the Machine whose lead singer, Florence Welch, wafted onto the stage in almost angelic fashion. In contrast to their fellow headliner, whose delivery was powerful but unflashy, Florence and the Machine brought a sense of dynamism and incredible energy to proceedings complete with a dance routine.

The crowd audibly sang along to the group’s biggest hits, not least during a rousing performance of “You’ve Got the Love”, as the bands incredible passion transmitted to those in attendance who, at Florence’s behest, even began to take their tops off and wave them in the air – a fun climax to a great performance!

British Summer Time festival wasn’t without its faults though - there were issues with sound levels at times, however, this is an issue that has blighted shows at Hyde Park for years and is not exclusive to BST. Despite this small gripe BST has to be considered a great success and a festival that, whilst still a work in progress, has fantastic potential.

By Arlun Grant

Photo credit: Jordan Curtis Hughes (top right, middle left) Tom Hancock (bottom right)