On a rainy Saturday at London’s beautiful Hyde Park the atmosphere was buzzing with excitement, because the ultimate rock DJ Robbie Williams was in town headlining The Great Oak Stage at BST Hyde Park! But whilst Williams was the headliner on the most prestigious stage of the three on offer today, he was not the only artist on the bill who was pulling a crowd, because there was a stellar line-up for the soggy but jubilant crowd to look forward to!! Whilst there were a few great bands on the other stages, with a few delays on the main stage thanks to the weather and a few sound issues, trudging through the sea of gig goers and getting back in time for the main stage bands wasn’t really achievable.
Robbie Williams @ BST Hyde Park 2024
First to the main stage was Harrow-hailing singer-songwriter Kate Nash. Nash took to the stage in a flourish of pink with silver boots, full of sass and attitude, she strutted down the runway delivering a triumphant performance. Her first track, Mouthwash went down an absolute storm with the bedraggled audience. The 37-year-old was a bubble of excited energy as she danced and jumped around and the crowd absolutely loved her. A true professional, she might have had only a short set, but she made the most of every track. But the track which the crowd loved the most was one of Nash’s biggest hits, Foundations, which had the crowd singing along from the outset.
Supergrass frontman Gaz Coombes was next on the bill, and whilst he remained on the rather high main stage and didn’t take to the runway like Nash before him, he sounded better than ever during his no-frills performance. His first track, Supergrass’s massive 1999 hit Moving, was absolutely blinding and had the audience singing along from the off, ’90s Britpop at its best! Debut 1993 tune Caught By The Fuzz was fast paced and energetic, bursting with springy melodies and enormously good fun. Whilst Coombes signature sideburns were gone, he was still the same cheeky chappy that he’s always been and if you closed your eyes, it was like being back in the ’90s in the heyday of Britpop!
Shaun Ryder’s Black Grape were the next band to grace the stage and undoubtedly the weakest performance of the day. Ryder seemed very much like he was going through the motions and barely moved a muscle of stage. It was a shame considering that he had a strong band behind him. In The Name Of The Father, the first track of their six-song set was distinctively lacklustre although he warmed up a little by the time they got to the sixth and final track of their set, Kelly’s Heroes.
The next performance of the night was the charismatic Seal. The singer delivered a beautiful performance of many of his most loved hits to a thrilled audience. The ultimate performer, within moments of taking to the stage he walked down the end of the runway much to the joy of the elated crowd. His voice was absolutely breathtaking and crystal clear, and the crowd were captivated from the off. Massive hits Kiss From A Rose, Crazy and massive 1990 Adamski hit Killer were absolutely stunning. Surely there are many more performances on the way if this is anything to go by?!
By the time Robbie Williams took to the stage, the audience were at fever pitch. The stage was flanked by huge screens that showed Williams walking to the stage looking like he was about to walk into a boxing ring. When he erupted onto the stage to debut solo LP Life Thru A Lens tune Let Me Entertain You, the audience went into a state of total hysteria, the screaming within the crowd was so loud, you could barely hear Robbie and his band. But as the screaming subsided and the dancing began, Robbie announced, “Let me reintroduce myself, I am Robbie fucking Williams, this is my arse and I am phenomenal” and just like that, the stage was a mass of dancers, Beefeaters and trombone players. Like the craziest Hollywood party you’ve always dreamed of going too, a chaotic hedonistic musical masterpiece. Williams wearing a diamond necklace, white vest and slacks, then addressed the crowd, telling them, “tonight we’re going on a journey, a 34-year odyssey, the sex, the scandal, the paparazzi!” He then went on to say, “In the ’90s, I tried to love you all individually and I nearly managed it too”, before cheekily asking a very excited fan, “is that your husband?” and thanking another for flashing her breasts, adding that she’d “made an old man very happy.” Then without delay, he seamlessly launched into 1999 hit Strong. And as he sang about life being a mess, it was clear to see that he is anything but, because Williams is a showman through to his bones, a musical maverick who sings to his own tune and the audience absolutely loved him.
As the hits came thick and fast, there were more pinch yourself moments than you could shake a stick at. Whether it was when Williams talked about his time in Take That and how he decided to break every rule before launching int that group’s hit rendition of Barry Manilow’s It Could Be Magic to the ecstatic crowd or when he changed into a stunning red sequinned jacket before taking on the Oasis track Don’t Look Back in Anger, during which the sound of audience singing was so loud that you could barely hear Williams’s vocals.
Then there was the moment where he brought onto the stage his mate, Danny Dyer, for a banging rendition of the Blur anthem Park Life and the moment where the 50-year-old Stoke-on-Trent man and his friend Gaz Coombes sang the Supergrass hit Alright. And then, of course, the final song of the night Angels, where his wife Ayda Field and their children joined him on stage and were serenaded by the audience. So, after an electrifying performance, it was clear to see that it might be 33 years since Robbie Williams first roared onto the music scene with boyband Take That, but tonight he proved that he is still a man clearly at the top of his game and the ultimate performer.
Live review & photography of BST Hyde Park 2024 featuring Robbie Williams at Hyde Park, London on 6th July 2024 by Louise Phillips
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