It was yet another warm, sunny London day, the start of the country’s next heatwave, as thousands descended on Hyde Park for the final day of the second BST Hyde Park weekend of 2026. There was another event looming over the evening too: England’s World Cup Round of 16 clash with Mexico, kicking off at the decidedly unsociable hour of 1am. Football could wait though. Sunday belonged to disco legends, glam-pop icons and one of Britain’s most enduring bands as Duran Duran headlined a day that effortlessly balanced nostalgia with timeless musicianship.
Duran Duran @ BST Hyde Park 2026
Early festival-goers were rewarded by Californian and Kansas-raised electro-pop artist Sophie Grey., whose glittery purple two-piece perfectly matched the shimmering afternoon sunshine. Accompanied by a keytar throughout her set, Grey showcased tracks from her recent EP Just Another Sonic Monday, with Maybe, Baby and On Hold proving particular highlights as she impressed with her futuristic electro-pop sound.
There could be few better ways to kick-start an afternoon in Hyde Park than Groove Armada. Tom Findlay and Andy Cato took to the decks for a seamless DJ set that quickly transformed the Great Oak arena into an open-air dancefloor, filling the Royal Park within minutes. Celebrating his 53rd birthday, Findlay looked delighted to spend it soundtracking a sun-soaked London afternoon, while the pair’s trademark blend of house, funk and electronica proved the perfect warm-up for the day ahead.
A later appearance on the Rainbow Stage was made by Melanie C, who kept the party going with a hugely enjoyable DJ set. Celebrating 30 years since the release of SPICE, the former Spice Girl treated fans to Who Do You Think You Are? amongst an infectious selection of pop classics before closing with a crowd singalong to 2 Become 1. It wouldn’t be her only appearance of the day.
Melanie C with Scissor Sisters @ BST Hyde Park 2026
Nile Rodgers & CHIC turn BST Hyde Park into the world’s biggest disco, sweeping across The Great Oak Stage with the effortless confidence of a band that knows it owns half the nation’s party soundtrack. From the opening groove of Le Freak to the irresistible pull of Everybody Dance and I Want Your Love, Rodgers conducts proceedings with a grin, a Stratocaster and what appears to be a direct hotline to everyone’s dancing feet. Even those claiming they’re “just watching” get caught bouncing around by the second chorus.
Nile Rodgers & CHIC @ BST Hyde Park 2026
The hits arrive so quickly they barely have time to take a bow. Rodgers’ extraordinary songwriting catalogue stretches well beyond CHIC, taking in Diana Ross’ I’m Coming Out, Sister Sledge’s We Are Family, Madonna’s Like A Virgin and Material Girl, before Daft Punk’s Get Lucky reminds everyone that his influence and massive body of work remains as relevant as ever.
We Are Family unites the crowd (I can see what appears to be two strangers booty bumping in time to the music), while Get Lucky and closing number Good Times provide a masterclass in feel-good funk, with Duran Duran’s John Taylor joining Rodgers for the finale. Rodgers remains a charming ringmaster throughout, proving that at 73, he still has the energy to power the show and his million-watt smile. The result is a punchy, joyous set that leaves the crowd smiling, sweating and quietly wondering whether disco might actually be the answer to everything.
With a giant inflatable pair of scissors towering over the stage, Scissor Sisters waste no time reminding everyone exactly why they’ve been so sorely missed.
The show opens with I Don’t Feel Like Dancin’, led by the charismatic and expressive “Eternal Twink” Jake Shears (who I, and many others, last saw being erm, “enjoyed” in last year’s BDSM rom-com Pillion). Shears is an exceptional presence, and his high-quality falsetto voice and infectious energy never needed the draggy, flamboyant trappings, but it sure makes life more fun. “Now we’re cooking. Now we’re cooking with grease,” Shears beams after Laura, and from there the band barely pause for breath.
Missing from the stage is Ana Matronic, who is sitting out the current schedule of performances to focus on historical research and her successful history podcast, Good Time Sallies. How do you replace a larger-than-life character like former co-founding frontwoman Ana Matronic? With two larger-than-life frontwomen. Amber Martin and Bridget Barkan look like they’ve been kidnapped from the final night at Studio 54. They have a special brand of glamour; raunchy, sleazy and exquisite. Amber Martin cries out to the crowd, “Everyone, get your tits out!” Given the average age of this Gen X audience, the same joke titters across the crowd about us needing to peel up the hem of our dresses.
Scissor Sisters @ BST Hyde Park 2026
Crowd-pleaser Filthy/Gorgeous activates the audience, the people jumping in time with the chorus holding their wobbles in place just as a pair of comically giant inflatable cockeyed breasts arrive on stage, bouncing independently of each other. Yup, apropos Scissor Sisters, thanks for representing.
For an extra shot of pop sparkle, former Spice Girl Melanie C makes an appearance ahead of her Rainbow Stage DJ set. Performing with trademark athletic energy, she slips seamlessly into the band’s chaos for a rockin’ mash-up of Take Your Mama and George Michael’s Freedom with Jake Shears. As their time on stage comes to an end, Shears reminds Hyde Park that London has always been Scissor Sisters’ spiritual home, dedicating Only The Horses to the city before thanking fans for their years of support.
Just as I began to reminisce about their long-ago Brit Awards performance with a farmyard of Muppets, to wrap up their set is Music Is The Victim; the band are joined by a demented-looking version of a Mr Snuffleupagus-esque two-person puppet. As the heat cranks up a few notches, I feel terrible for the person in the rear of that costume. For all the campy frivolity, they comfortably navigate across genres. Their finale proves their solid rock credentials as they bust out powerhouse rock and rhythm & blues. Scissor Sisters are epic performers with bags of (albeit adult-orientated) added value.
With an expansive career that has never ceased, Duran Duran have an incredible repertoire to draw from. Opening with Is There Something I Should Know?—a song which is likely not the first Duran hit to jump to mind—it’s easy to forget that it entered the UK charts at number one upon release in 1983. Core members and guests fill out the eight-piece band and, seconds in, we can hear how tight they still are. They all look “refreshed”, whether by procedures or style updates; it is effective. Roger Taylor beams from behind the drum kit, Nick Rhodes is resplendent in an ‘eyeball suit’ designed by Joshua Workman, John Taylor sports bright newly-bleached hair and Simon Le Bon wears casual but chic summer whites.
“Hi London… do you reckon it’s time for Bond?” Le Bon grins before the unmistakable opening of A View To A Kill, swiftly followed by Hungry Like The Wolf. The crowd barely have time to catch their breath. Le Bon charms Hyde Park with effortless star power. During A View To A Kill he proves he still has the pipes, singing without any perceptible adjustment for the deepening of his voice and comfortably hitting the notes.
Duran Duran @ BST Hyde Park 2026
With England due to face Mexico in the World Cup later that night, Le Bon abandons his usual dedication for Ordinary World to “those less fortunate”, instead offering it to the England football team. “I believe they can overcome the cauldron that is the Azteca,” he tells Hyde Park to huge cheers.
What I am interested in, though, is Le Bon’s vocal delivery, which is holding up beautifully. Ordinary World is a complex song requiring range, power and steady breath control. Where he starts to waver, he drops his voice down into the music and the guitar solo picks up an intricate, richly melodic fill. It’s always a joy when a band who stick together continue to develop and play in such a unified way.
The visuals take a leaf from the Roxy Music playbook, with highly stylised conceptual sequences of glossy magazine-quality female models doing sexy things in time to Come Undone, a version of New Moon On Monday with a stripped-back intro, and The Chauffeur. The Chauffeur is a song that rarely makes it into a Duran set; it is a treat at twilight, the perfect setting. Le Bon tops his head with a driver’s cap for kinky effect, as dancers undress each other in a choreographed sapphic roleplay magnified on the big screens. Le Bon then busts out the trademark ocarina, which rounds out the number. He plays a mean ocarina—who knew?
Taking a moment to introduce Nile Rodgers, who has returned to the stage after performing earlier in the day with CHIC, Le Bon harks back to a song they wrote together in the 1980s, remarking, “It makes us seem so old, but not really, because music keeps you young,” before treating the crowd to Notorious. Ahead of Free To Love, Simon Le Bon performs the role of Bruce Dern from the 1966 movie The Wild Angels (more familiarly known as the speech from Primal Scream’s Loaded). Well timed to continue the Pride weekend celebrations.
The cooling temperature wakes the park up just in time for a high-energy and ear-shatteringly loud White Lines—a quick reminder to those attending British Summer Time gigs: bring or buy ear protection. The setlist is a fantastic mash-up of classics like Girls On Film, more recent tracks like Invisible from 2021’s Future Past, and unexpected covers and mash-ups including Psycho Killer, Evil Woman and Super Lonely Freak. I begin to wonder if these adventurous set choices are in preparation for their newly announced Halloween spectacular at London’s O2 Arena later this year.
Ahead of the inevitable encore choices, Save A Prayer is slotted in. The band request audience participation with the creation of a dreamy mobile phone galaxy just as darkness falls, while Le Bon picks up a guitar for the perfect softening of the sound.
There is still one final burst of energy left. London Calling and The Wild Boys send Hyde Park into one last frenzy before the unmistakable opening of Rio brings the evening to its inevitable, euphoric conclusion. As Roger Taylor’s final drum roll rings out across the park, thousands roar their approval after two hours of timeless hits. On a day where disco ruled the afternoon, camp reigned supreme and one of Britain’s greatest bands reminded everyone exactly why they’ve endured for nearly five decades, BST Hyde Park once again proved itself one of the capital’s defining summer events.
Live review of Duran Duran @ BST Hyde Park 2026 by Sarah Sievers on 5th July 2026. Photography by Simon Reed. Additional photography of Duran Duran by Sienna Lorraine Gray and Bethan Miller-Carey.
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