BST’s Hyde Park headliner continues on Friday with a rock and roll line-up featuring the legendary Guns ‘N’ Roses, with support from The Pretenders, The Dark, Larkin Poe and more. Throughout the month of July, Take That, BLACKPINK, Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band, Billy Joel and Lana Del Ray are all set to take the main stage and make it another fantastic summer of music in the capital.
The atmosphere was even more packed on Friday as a 60,000 strong crowd rushed through the gates to get front row spots for the legendary Guns ‘N’ Roses. Others went to the various food and drink stalls around the campus, offering a variety of fare to keep them fed and hydrated throughout the day, and headed to the merch stalls to buy new clothes. Although most of the band t-shirts on display at the venue looked Guns N’ Roses related, the selection of other artists on stage today did not disappoint in the build-up.
Opening the main stage were American sisters Rebecca and Megan Lovell of Larkin Poe. Roots rockers, kicked off the day with a gritty set that wowed the British crowd. Now living in Music City, Nashville, Tennessee, the duo has been busy over the past five years releasing albums and maintaining their status. of An up and coming band to pay attention to. Their voices complimented each other so well and their stage presence was infectious with every number. Older sister Megan played slide guitar with gusto and younger sister Rebecca strummed the Stratocaster throughout their set. Great songs included ‘Bad Spell’ and Son House’s cover of ‘Sermon’ Blues’.
British favorites The Darkness followed and it’s impossible not to love Justin Hawkins as a live artist. His ability to make the crowd look like a fool at the same time with his musicianship is amazing. He performed songs from the now 20-year-old ‘Licence for Land’ (when did that happen?) as well as recent records with brother Dan Hawkins, Frankie Poulin and Rufus Taylor. They treated the audience to a little rendition of ‘Don’t Let The Bell End’… did I mention the show is on June 30th? But it wasn’t by choice when asked out loud by the audience. But the pure joy and happiness he brought to the crowd was a real highlight.
The impersonators brought out the oldies for the afternoon with Chrissy Hynde showing that she’s still got it in the seventies, playing hits like ‘Back On The Chain Gang’, ‘Don’t Get Me Wrong’ and ‘I’ll Stand’. Meanwhile, the newest rock band on the scene, Dirty Honey, lured the audience to the Rainbow Stage with their mix of classic rock, blues and Californian style. Having seen them on their previous UK tour, it would be silly to think they wouldn’t go down well and their performance was well received by a loyal audience.
Guns N’ Roses wrapped up the day of music with an impressive three-hour set (read more about that here). Axl Rose, Slash, Duff McKagan, Richard Fortus, Frank Ferrer and Melissa Reese’s band have had successful careers over the past decade at the top of the rock leagues with fan favorites ‘Let’s Live’, ‘Welcome to the Jungle’, ‘Rocket Queen’ and ‘Paradise City’ ‘.
Although the weather at BST wasn’t as bright as the previous Sunday, it certainly didn’t dampen the spirits of any festival-goers. With strong support slots this year, if you’re going to advance dates, get in early and catch all the action early.
For more information about BST Hyde Park and tickets, please visit https://www.bst-hydepark.com.
