BST Hyde Park REVIEW 4TH JULY 2024

Helen PocockReviews2 Comments

BY ORLA GULLA

It was definitely an Independence Day party at Hyde Park last Thursday, 4th July. This was a major day in country music history, as it was the first time ever that BST presented an all – country music line – up at Hyde Park, and my, were we glad to be a part of it! The line-up was as follows: 

–       Morgan Wallen 

–       Riley Green

–       Ernest 

–       Alana Springsteen 

–       Alexandra Kay

–       Ella Langley 

–       Zandi Hollup 

–       Evan Bartels 

–       Halfway Kid

–       Abbie Mac 

–       The Cuban Brothers 

(All line – ups and timings for the week can be found on the BST Hyde Park app.)

I must admit, I would be lying if I said this wasn’t one of the best line – ups I’ve seen as a country music fan. Not only was the line – up country, but the whole setting was too. It felt like we had been transported to Nashville for the day. There was Nashville – themed bars, good alcohol and a wide range of food stalls too. I attended with my best friend Liv, and our day wouldn’t have been possible without Caz and Mike (big shout out!).

The first act we went to see was Zandi Hollup, who played the Rainbow Stage. She is a Nashville – based artist who has gained quite the following for someone so young. I must admit, her set was not for me. As lovely as she is, I just found her music a bit too melancholy on a day when country music was meant to be celebrated. However, despite this she proved herself to be a spectacular songwriter as her lyrics engrossed me, especially during her song: ‘Runs in the Family’ as the lyrics to this for me, were meaningful and relatable. However, it would have been more enjoyable if it were slightly more upbeat. Zandi took the time to interact with the audience and talk about her roots which I appreciated, as I always like to follow an artist that has a genuine relationship with their fans, and we could tell she cared through her music and constant dialogue. My favourite part of her set was when she sang ‘Dirty Wings’ as I felt as humans, we all have imperfections and she isn’t afraid to sing about the good, the bad, and the distressing situations we face in life. She is currently working on her debut album, and I look forward to seeing what the future has in store for her. 

After Zandi’s set, we made our way to the Great Oak Stage where we witnessed an energetic outburst from the lovely Ella Langley, being the first act of the night to play on the Great Oak Stage, and she did an awesome job of getting the party started. Ella performed hits such as ‘Paint the Town Blue’, ‘Nicotine’ and ‘Country Boy’s Dream Girl’, with ‘Nicotine’ being my favourite of her set. It was a beautiful and thought – out performance that had the crowd singing along. After seeing Ella for the first time live, I would say she is more rock – country than just full country and I found this really cool. I liked her ability to fluctuate between more sombre songs to upbeat, feel-good tunes, such as ‘Paint the Town Blue’, which was welcomed by the audience upon her entry to the stage. Personally, I don’t think I would rush back to see Ella soon, as even though her voice was evident of her mood and well accepted by the crowd, I’m just not sure she was for me completely. However, I am still exploring and discovering new artists all the time and finding who I like and others not so much, and that’s why country music days at Hyde Park are integral for the growth of the genre as the artists are constantly being discovered and gaining more and more new fans. Ella definitely brought her rock – chick attitude all the way from Nashville and set the mood for the night ahead. 

Amidst a buzzing atmosphere, thousands poured in to see Alexandra Kay sparkle like the star she is. This was my first-time seeing Alexandra in the UK and I was pleasantly surprised. I had heard her name in the industry and heard a few of her songs, however after her performance last Thursday, I can say I am completely converted! Everything about her performance and stage presence was magical. From her fan interaction, bubbly personality to her superb vocals – I don’t think I can find one bad thing to say. I would love to see Alexandra back in the UK for a tour by herself one day, and I’m looking forward to seeing her develop and grow as an artist. She was well welcomed, so I’m sure we haven’t seen the last of her. 

Admittedly, Liv and I did not see Ernest, as we had the opportunity to be front row for one of our favourites, Alana Springsteen. However, we could hear his performance on the Great Oak Stage and his voice definitely kept the night on charge.

Alana. Springsteen. One of the best up and coming artists in country music history! At only twenty – one years of age, Alana has already released a debut album and signed with a record label. At just fourteen years old she relocated to Nashville, the home of country music from Virginia Beach where she would soon emerge to be the new coming star that she is. Me and my best friend Liv saw Alana back in March this year at C2C festival, where she headlined the Saturday night after party. We were more than impressed with her then and so when we found out she was coming over to London again for the second time this year you could imagine how exited we were. Having been a fan of Alana’s for a long time, the opportunity to be front row was something incredible. I normally don’t like to be right at the front at gigs as I get slightly claustrophobic. However, we were with some lovely people who mirrored our energy and turned into new friends – another reason why I love country music gigs like this – there is always a chance to meet new people and make new friends.

As soon as Alana came out on stage, her fiery, energetic, and loveable energy was clear. The intro to ‘If you Love me Now’ soon transgressed over her excitable tone and the whole crowd was singing along. Being right at the front was amazing because we couldn’t tell how many people were behind us until looking at later photos! (And we made it onto Alana’s Instagram!) However, we could hear the incredible reception Alana received. She made sure to give credit to her band, and I particularly enjoyed how she let her guitarist do a little solo! It was a feel – good set, with performances of upbeat hits such as ‘You Don’t Deserve a Country Song’ and ‘Twenty Something.’ However, there were also slower, meaningful additions to the set such as the heart – warming ‘Amen’ (one of my favourites) being all about self – growth which is evident seeing the self – assured artist Alana has turned out to be. Her knowledge and appreciation of music is appreciated, and this I love about her – she is an inspiring woman in the country music scene, breaking out in her performance to verses from Whitney Houston’s ‘I Wanna Dance with Somebody’ and Taylor Swift’s ‘Style.’ Her presence inspires so many fans to chase their dreams. After the set we got lucky enough to meet and chat to Alana, and she was ever so lovely to us. I look forward to seeing Alana emerge into the next big star! 

Riley Green stole our hearts! I loved every single second of Riley’s set, and that’s because it was superbly engrossing. Riley’s stage presence, fan interaction and powerful vocals made time stop in the night of country music we were experiencing. I think his set has to be one of the best I have ever seen, and I for one want him back in the UK touring very soon! A favourite moment of mine during his performance was when he sang ‘Half of Me’ which he sings with Thomas Rhett (who is another one of my favourite artists). The vibes of the song transported me to a safe place, one where I was with my best friend, enjoying the live music. To hear this song performed live was incredible as it is such a feel – good tune, and I have to say, I was dancing away unashamedly! Riley’s vocals delivered the song on point, and through his joyous stage presence it was evident he was having the time of his life.

About halfway through his set, Riley brought Ella Langley back out to perform ‘You Look Like You Love Me’ which was both poignant and beautiful. The pair delivered a powerful duet in which the whole crowd knew the words and were singing along. What was great about the performance too was that it was evident the pair get along well. They harmonised perfectly and won our hearts! However, I think my favourite moment in Riley’s set was when he sang: ‘I Wish Grandpas Never Died.’ I was sure to well up from the moment he started singing as not only is it a moving song, but a relatable one too. As someone that has a very close family and strong relationship with their grandfather, it made me appreciate the beauty of grandparents and all that they do for me throughout life. It is such a thought – provoking tune, and Riley’s guitar really helped to tell his story. Every chord and strum of the guitar told a story of a grandad who was loved so much. 

Well, we learnt on Thursday night that there’s just no party like a Morgan Wallen party! Spectacular! Despite recent media coverage, Morgan brought the party TO Hyde Park, and did an amazing job. From hits, to crowd interaction, to fireworks – there’s nothing that Morgan Wallen can’t do. Just like that, with a bang, he appeared in all his glory, singing his hit, ‘Ain’t That Some.’ From this moment on, I knew I was right in being completely in love with his voice, as it sounded spot on. We were greeted, and made to feel like we were in the heart of Morgan’s hometown as we celebrated Independence Day with him here in the UK, something he said on the night he never thought would happen!

Performing hits such as ‘You Proof’, ‘7 Summers’ and a Jason Isbell cover of ‘Cover Me Up’ had the crowd fixated from the moment he came on to the moment he left. We were graced with a beautiful, tear – jerking performance of one of my favourites, ‘Thought You Should Know’ in which Morgan and his guitar had transported us back to his hometown through every caring note. Halfway through his set, ERNEST re – emerged to duet ‘Cowgirls’ with Morgan and the pair delivered an on – point energetic number which had the whole crowd singing.

The new ground-breaking record ‘I Had Some Help’ made an appearance in the set list, along with the smash hit ‘Whiskey Glasses’ which was quite overwhelming as 50,000 people knew all the words off by heart in one place! That was a very surreal experience and one I am so grateful I got to experience – a real once – in a lifetime opportunity.

For the encore, Morgan performed ‘Thinkin’ Bout Me’, ‘Last Night’ and my favourite, ‘The Way I Talk’ this was a fantastic tune to end on as it celebrated Morgan’s pride on Independence Day and his ability to belt out the notes like there’s no tomorrow, making country music history in the UK. The firework ending celebrated the amazing day of country music and American Independence and marked the incredible time that was had by all. I was really impressed by the day overall, and as Morgan said, he will see us next year… so let’s hope for a 2025 tour!

2 Comments on “BST Hyde Park REVIEW 4TH JULY 2024”

  1. What a fantastic review. Honest so descriptive I feel as if I was there. Your knowledge and ability to write so passionately about the event is amazing. You know and love Country music. Well done you reviewed it in technicolour.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *