Noah Kahan and Gracie Abrams Shine at BST Hyde Park in a Dream Double Bill
- Desh Kapur
- 2 hours ago
- 4 min read
BST Hyde Park, London, 4th July 2025
IMAGES / WORDS DAVID BROOME
I don’t know who dreamt up the concept of British Summer Time (BST) Hyde Park, but they deserve a medal. Cherry-pick the best of all the other UK festivals and you have BST Hyde Park. I went to my first one in July 2022 when Pearl Jam where the headliners. Ever since, I have been a staunch advocate and encouraged anyone and everyone to attend. So, what’s so good about it? Firstly, it’s just the right size. You can get from top to bottom without the need of a respirator. Second, its clean and tidy. Third, the food choices are amazing. Fourth, the overall vibe is lovely. I’ve only been when its sunny, but everyone is friendly and out to have a good time. Fifth, the toilets, there’s lots of them and they are clean. Sixth, the music is always great with popular headliners mixed with quality up and coming acts.
Which brings us to who is the musical offering today? I think this is almost a shared headliner situation. Noah Kahan (who is the billed headliner) and Gracie Abrams who has had such a phenomenal year that surely, she is as much a draw as Noah Kahan.
Late Afternoon I take the twenty minute walk down to the Rainbow stage to see the much talked about out Asha Banks. She first found fame through acting, appearing in the tv drama A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder. But is rapidly finding a following as a singer songwriter. If the crowd reaction is anything to go by, she’s made a good choice. A relatively short set delivers a solid collection of folk-pop tunes. All original material steadily being released as E.P’s. She has a great voice, the band sound amazing and she has a fantastic stage presence. She regularly declares “this is incredible” and you get the feeling she’s slightly overwhelmed with the size and reaction of the crowd.
I wouldn’t be surprised to see the name Asha Banks on the line-up for the main stage a few years down the line.
6:40pm rolls around and Gracie Abrams doesn’t walk on stage, she floats. She is dressed in a beautiful blue bohemian style dress. She appears confident and yet graceful. She addresses the crowd and launches into the opening song, Risk.
The set is packed with tracks from both albums. From the latest, The secret of Us, we were treated to Blowing Smoke, I love You I’m Sorry, Let it Happen, Free Now and from Good Riddance there was Where Do we Go Now.
Even though the rise to superstardom has been meteoric, we are witnessing a very accomplished artist here. Someone who is confident on a large stage, in front of a huge crowd. Gracie is currently on tour and it’s self-evident that she’s been honing her craft. It must help that there’s a significant chunk of the audience here to see her. You can easily identify her legion of fans, they dress like her, sing every word along with her and hang on her every word.
Taking some time off his day job with indie rock band, The National, Abrams brings out co-writer and producer of many of her songs, Aaron Dessner. He plays three songs with her including a new song called Crazy Girl.
She ends with the instant earworms that are That’s So True and Close To You. They are both pop perfection. Tuneful, honest (brutal in places), emotional and have melodies that any songwriter would be proud of.
After Gracie there’s the usual time for stage switcheroo but before too long, Noah Kahan, the American Singer songwriter, joins his band on stage. He has been around for longer than you may think. Stick Season was his global commercial breakthrough, but the self-titled album is his third studio album. So, there’s a lot of strong material to choose from. Kahan has a distinctive sound to his voice, which definitely has an American twang. He’s not unusual there but there is something different about his overall sound. Its big and in places and its anthemic, is this what stadium-country sounds like?
He opens with All My Love, which has such a great chorus and instantly gets the crowd on side (not that they needed much encouragement). Third song in and we have a guest and its Gracie Abrams, who has been off-stage less than an hour. They sing Everywhere, Everything which they recorded together.
The set continues strong and with tracks that everyone can sing along to. Soon enough he heads off to a B stage, where he plays Pain is Colder, Maine and the fan requested Strawberry Wine.
Cue the encore and there’s a final guest and it is a special one. He’s wearing a Rangers top and has only recently got back into performing live. It’s Lewis Capaldi. He takes up vocal duties on Northern Attitude which is a majestic song anyway but this has been lifted into something special.
“Lets get sticky” Kahan says. Stick Season is the big hit of course and it’s the one that excites the crowd the most. It’s a great song, along with the radio-friendly melody there are some heartfelt lyrics. It ends the encore and finishes the set. Fireworks ping over the back of the stage and everyone can start to make their way home. One Hit Wonder .. no chance, this guy has a hat full of fantastic songs and was every bit the worthy headliner.
Set List – Gracie Abrams:
Risk
Blowing smoke
21
4. I told you things
5. Crazy girl with AD
6. I love you I’m sorry with AD
7. Where do we go now with AD
8. Let it happen
9. Death wish
10. I miss you I’m sorry
11. Free now
12. That’s so true
13. Close to you
Set List – Noah Kahan
1. All My Love
2. New Perspective
3. Everywhere, Everything (with Gracie Abrams)
4. She Calls Me Back
5. False Confidence
6. Orange Juice
7. Deny Deny Deny
8. Homesick
9. Pain Is Cold Water
10. Maine
11. Strawberry Wine
12. Dial Drunk
13. The Great Divide
14. You're Gonna Go Far
15. Call Your Mom
16. The View Between Villages
17. Forever
18. Northern Attitude (with Lewis Capaldi)
19. Stick Season
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