‘A CAREER-DEFINING SET’ – Noah Kahan Headlines BST Hyde Park

Photo Credit: Sophia Carey

Following Olivia Rodrigo’s and Zach Bryan’s headline sets at Hyde Park earlier in the BST concert series, it was finally Noah Kahan’s turn to take the spotlight – and he did with spectacular intimacy and scale in equal measure.

Playing to a sold-out crowd of 65,000, Kahan himself shared that this was his biggest performance to date, a fact that felt astonishing but deeply earned over the course of a near two-hour set.

BST Hyde Park this year has been packed with talent across multiple dates, and this Friday showcased music across three vibrant stages.

I arrived just after Hazlett’s set on the Great Oak Stage, in time to catch the haunting beauty of Gigi Perez.

Perez’s set opened with Please Be Rude, one of my personal favourites, and from the first note she delivered a raw, emotionally charged performance. Her lyrics, often grappling with grief, desire, and queer identity, resonated deeply. During Sailor Song, a track that catapulted her into the spotlight this year, Perez paused to take in the enormous crowd. She appeared speechless, and it was such a moment of vulnerable awe that set the tone for the day.

We then made our way to the Birdcage Stage to watch Illinois-born folk singer Kevin Atwater.

Atwater, whose lyricism is quietly devastating, balanced the weight of his songs with genuine humour on stage. For me, his stand-out song was the cage from his debut album, Achilles, which released earlier this year.

Back at the Great Oak Stage, FINNEAS delivered a dynamic set that took an unexpected turn. Midway through, fans were surprised as the backdrop changed from FINNEAS to The Favors – the name of his new band and collaboration with musical friend Ashe, who joined him onstage.

Together they performed The Little Mess You Made, their debut as a group, and teased new music to be released soon. The band’s album, The Dream, will debut on the 19^th of September.

Over on the Rainbow Stage, Paris Paloma brought her own atmospheric set, rich with lyrical drama and ethereal vocals. I unfortunately didn’t get a chance to see Jo Hill, but she’s firmly on my radar for the future.

With the sun still shining, we grabbed a cheeky ice cream and settled in for Gracie Abrams. The sheer number of Gracie fans was striking – it felt like the crowd was split evenly between her and Kahan’s core fanbases. Abrams’ performance included the debut of a new song Crazy Girl, written with Aaron Dessner, which had never been played live before. She also played fan-favourites including That’s So True and Close to You, the latter of which had thousands of fans jumping, dancing, and screaming along.

After a short wait, Noah Kahan took the stage to deafening cheers. He expressed heartfelt adoration for his UK fans, recalling the time he once played to just 77 people in London – a far cry from the sea of thousands that now stood before him.

From the very beginning, he had the crowd in the palm of his hand, joking that anyone who didn’t know the lyrics to his older songs would be kicked out by security.

Midway through the set, Kahan moved to a smaller B-stage nestled closer to General Admission and just behind the Golden Circle. The move was met with loud approval from fans, especially those who now had unexpectedly close views. From this stage, he performed Strawberry Wine, as a fan request. Kahan later debuted two unreleased tracks: Deny Deny Deny and The Great Divide, both expected on his next album. Before he performed them, Kahan playfully warned the crowd: “If you need to take a shit or piss, now’s the time.”

Throughout the set, Kahan was joined by a string of incredible guests. Gracie Abrams returned to the stage for Everywhere, Everything, while Gigi Perez joined for a powerful rendition of Call Your Mom. The moment turned emotional again as Kahan acknowledged his mother in the crowd, who waved back at him.

Then came one of the evening’s most talked-about surprises: Lewis Capaldi’s appearance for Northern Attitude, where he hilariously and impressively replicated Hozier’s iconic yell. Both he and Kahan donned Chelsea FC shirts, a bold move that prompted a couple of boos when Kahan reappeared for the encore but quickly turned into cheers.

He ended the night with his explosive anthem Stick Season, cheekily introduced with: ‘Let’s get sticky!’

As fireworks lit up the sky behind him and the final chords rang out into the night, there was no doubt: Noah Kahan had not only arrived at BST Hyde Park – he had made it his own.

Unless otherwise stated, Photography & Text Copyright 2025 © Lauren Meaney/ADRENALINE Magazine.