Noah Kahan and friends surprised and created an electrifying evening
There were no complaints for this anticipated set as the American played to his biggest crowd yet at BST Hyde Park.
Photo: Sophia Carey
Just like any other BST Hyde Park event, this one started off with scoping out the merch stands before filling up my water bottle and getting food, all the while being serenaded by Maya Lane on the Birdcage Stage, offering dazzling folk indie vocals and starting the day off perfectly.
The talent across the three stages was my highlight of the event and one of the benefits of going to this festival. Before Noah Kahan graced the Great Oak Stage – named due to the massive oak tree, which can partially ruin the view, so take that into account (as well as the low-hanging speakers) – rising Australian singer Hazlett warmed up the stage with his introspective indie folk blend winning the hearts of the crowd with Blame The Moon.
Gigi Perez, gaining quick and well-deserved success from Sailor Song, arrived on the main stage, captivating the audience with her powerful vocals and raw emotion, and is one I will definitely be getting a ticket to see when she tours around the UK.
Photo: Isha Shah
FINNEAS continued this sense of magic as the night went on, with his natural stage presence and surprise guest and co-band member (of The Favors) Ashe being brought out, they sang a few songs, one being the recent The Little Mess You Made. His set was the perfect segue into Gracie Abrams’ and her catchy melodies and memorable lyrics. Being the last support act, Gracie got everyone dancing and swaying as she switched between playing her guitar and dancing along with us.
When looking at the crowd, it was obvious everyone was excited for both Noah and Gracie, as cowboy boots, hats, bows, and bandanas were in abundance. Then came the dreaded hour wait until the headliner — I would recommend going to the bathroom and refilling your water bottle as the queues get ridiculously long.
It wasn’t long before the London crowd were treated to a wild night full of surprises as Noah and his band launched straight into All My Love, and the fans were quickly on it when calling out the ‘Where?’ adlib during the chorus. This was a brilliant opener, with the crowd all singing along loudly, leading to the headliner grinning with joy and basking in the love.
Being his biggest headlining show to date, Noah was heavily grateful for the London audience and became a natural comedian throughout his set: in the leadup to performing unreleased songs, he stated, “If you need to take a shit or a piss, now’s the time” and my favourite being, “it’s like the eras tour, but the era is the depression era” before stripping it back with intimate acoustic renditions of Maine, Strawberry Wine, and Pain is Cold Water.
Photo: Sophia Carey
Alongside his humour, he tugged many heart strings when bringing back out Gracie Abrams for Everywhere, Everything, cementing his claims for the most amazing night ever, as well as bringing out Gigi Perez towards the end for a rendition of Call Your Mom, dedicated to his mother who was in attendance and for all the mothers out there.
There was never a dull moment in this set, with Kahan encouraging everyone to sing their hearts out to False Confidence, a song off his debut album, after an incredibly loud performance of She Calls Me Back – threatening security would kick those out who failed to know the lyrics.
My personal favourite, Dial Drunk, was received with so much delight as the recognisable banjo melody and drum beat kicked in, ending the song with “London, I would die for you”, which added the cherry on top. An additional moment that made me chuckle during this set was just how expressive he was with his eyes and how wide they were becoming with each chorus and bridge.
As the finale drew near, The View Between Villages, allowed for some much-needed euphoric singalong (or shoutalong, as Noah encourages) in the chorus, creating the ideal song before the thrilling encore. The only boos of the evening didn’t come from him departing the stage, rather it was on his return as he swapped his blue jacket for a Chelsea Football Club shirt. The boos were quickly replaced with cheers as he breaks into Forever on acoustic guitar before the biggest surprise of the evening.
The crowd and I had already been guessing if there would be a surprise: would Hozier be coming out for Northern Attitude? Well, the time had arrived, and the reveal shocked us all, as it was none other than Lewis Capaldi who strolled out and effortlessly took over on vocals. It appears Lewis Capaldi is making his return to music, causing much delight from the audience.
Riding this wave of enjoyment, Stick Season rings out with everyone singing their hearts out as fireworks fill the sky and create a spectacular sight. It became the perfect end to an extra special setlist and overall performance – I, for one, am grateful I got to witness and be a part of this incredible day of music.
