Day Two at American Express presents BST Hyde Park with headliner Kings Of Leon + a stellar lineup of special guests:
Paolo Nutini
The Vaccines
Gary Clark Jr. Cannons
Somebody’s Child
Red Rum Club
KEO
The Meffs
Daydreamers
Nieve Ella
Day two of American Express presents BST Hyde Park went off with the same ferocity and style as yesterday when SZA topped the bill in fine style. Today, it was the turn of Tennessee rockers Kings of Leon to headline the Great Oak Stage – with the BRIT and Grammy-winning band putting on a 29-song strong set of their biggest and their 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 an England football shirt, a nod to the team’s win against Slovakia in the Euros. “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 quietened 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. “It’s such a joy to be here,” said Caleb, 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 Parl; his last appearance here was 12 years ago 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), Paolo 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 five UK albums, 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 more than a decade ago.
The Austin, Texas-based rock/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 a large crowd. The Californian trio, composed of childhood friends, Ryan Clapham and Paul Davis, and lead vocalist Michelle Joy.
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 # eight in the UK chart earlier this year. The six-strong band played an eclectic set, getting the audience in the mood, declaring, “It’s nearly five 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. Essex punk duo The Meffs, Daydreamers and Shropshire-born singer Nieve Ella completed another brilliant day of music.
Photo credits:
Cannons: Dave Hogan
Kings Of Leon x 1: Dave Hogan
Kings Of Leon x 2 [crowd and stage shots]: Ellie Koepke
Paolo Nutini x 4: HP van Velthoven
The Vaccines: Dave Hogan
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