Festival Review: Olivia Rodrigo - BST Hyde Park, London 27/06/2025
The pop-punk superstar lights up British Summer Time with ballads and bangers alike, cementing her status as an icon of both Gen Z and Alpha.
British Summer Time is not just the name of Hyde Park’s annual run of mini-festivals, but also a phrase deployed to sarcastically describe the rainy washouts which, more often than not, characterise Britain. Not today.
The weather has got the memo, soaking London’s Hyde Park in glorious sunshine, which is just as well, as there’s an extensive supporting lineup to enjoy. Southampton-raised Caity Baser brings a fizzing energy to proceedings, her witty, anecdotal style reminiscent of Kate Nash and supremely enjoyable, while London art-rockers The Last Dinner Party build on last year’s breakthrough with a slick set which plays like a full-band update of Kate Bush, culminating in the endlessly singable ‘Nothing Matters’.
Though not officially listed on the bill, The Cuban Brothers have to be commended for keeping spirits high with their infectious party vibes, bridging the gap before everyone heads to The Great Oak Stage in anticipation, which is only heightened as The Go Go’s ‘We Got The Beat’ plays over the speakers, signalling the imminent arrival of Rodrigo. Sure enough, after some on-screen visuals tying the tour to sophomore album ‘GUTS’, she appears, clad in a sparkly silver two-piece and full of verve, launching straight into the raucous, rocky ‘bad idea right?’, igniting a sea of hands and phones as the first of many, many singalongs commences. Following it up with the equally punchy ‘ballad of a homeschooled girl’, Rodrigo bounces around the stage like her life depends on it, her relentless energy reciprocated by the crowd.
Already, the atmosphere is truly ecstatic, despite being only two songs in, and this allows Rodrigo to tone things down early without it feeling unnatural. ‘vampire’ is all moody chord progressions and impassioned vocals, Rodrigo taking her place at the piano to deliver a scathing takedown of a manipulative ex-lover. “Every girl I ever talked to told me you were bad news/ You called them crazy god I hate the way I called them crazy too”, she sings with a mournful sense of awakening . “Went for me and not her/ Cos girls your age know better”. It’s a powerful rejection of emotionally predatory men, and one which sees the audience sing along to every word at the top of their lungs.
This extends to the next song ‘driver’s license’, the monster hit which put Rodrigo on the map back in 2021. Somehow, it manages to step the singalong levels up even further, particularly in the melodic, cathartic bridge. Strikingly, many of those singing their hearts out are young girls who can’t relate to the song’s subject matter - namely a devastating breakup - but there’s something in Rodrigo’s words and delivery which clearly speaks to them. She possesses an innate relatability which appeals to the kids on their parents' shoulders, the teenage best friends, and yes, many of their mothers, too.
The universality of her reach is really quite remarkable, and it’s on full display again during ‘traitor’, another anthemic ballad from her debut album ‘Sour’. “It took you two weeks to go off and date her/ Guess you didn’t cheat, but you’re still a traitor”, she sings, backed by what is essentially a 65,000 strong choir. It’s magical stuff, and though the following selection of songs are lesser known in comparison, the dedication of her fanbase makes it almost impossible to tell.
‘obsessed’ marks a gear shift back towards the upbeat pop-punk which opened the show, with ‘love is embarrassing’ continuing in the same vein before an acoustic rendition of the heartbreakingly honest ‘pretty isn’t pretty’, which sees Rodrigo admit that “You can win the battle, but you’ll never win the war/ You fix the things you hated, and you’d still feel so insecure”. It’s this willingness to be vulnerable that has made Rodrigo an idol in the eyes of many, and it’s wholesome to think that the childhood hero for a whole generation of girls is someone who has no qualms dispelling the myth of unrealistic beauty standards.
You get the feeling that these kids will return to Rodrigo’s words when they grow up and face the struggles she sings about, and there’s something quite beautiful about that. ‘happier’ continues down the road of refreshing honesty, Rodrigo’s conflicted confession to an ex-lover striking a chord with the crowd. “I hope you’re happy/ But not like how you were with me”, she sings over a brooding piano progression. “So find someone great, but not someone better/ I hope you’re happy, but don’t be happier”. It’s the ultimate double-edged encouragement, and judging by the crowd's passionate reception, one we’re all guilty of, whether we’re willing to admit it or not.
And therein lies the brilliance of Rodrigo’s lyrics: she’s not afraid to lay all her cards on the table, which makes her easy to relate to, and subsequently root for. The next two songs - the melancholic ‘enough for you’ and peppy ‘so american’ - aren’t the strongest, but they’re prefaced by some enjoyable crowd interaction, Rodrigo revealing that the former is her favourite song she’s written, and the latter inspired by her newfound love for all things English - from “boiled eggs and soldiers for breakfast” to a “British boy”!
Next up is ‘jealousy jealousy’, which finds Rodrigo comparing herself to other girls on social media, well aware that doing so is a fool's errand. Underpinned by a hypnotic bassline, the song is all swaggering insecurity and self-aware frustration, marking a return to top form as punters bob along to its pulsating beat. The understated ‘favourite crime’ follows, before Rodrigo teases that “one of the best British songwriters of all time” is about to join her. Now, depending who you ask, Ed Sheeran may not pose much of a threat to the likes of Macca, but Hyde Park erupts into a cacophony of screams when he appears onstage, dressed in a typically casual t-shirt and jeans.
Indeed, while Glastonbury guest Robert Smith seemed to impress rock lovers but leave Rodrigo’s core audience mildly baffled, Sheeran is much more in step with them. There’s a genuine buzz in the air as he performs an acoustic rendition of his debut single ‘The A Team’, with Rodrigo taking the second verse before they duet on the chorus, a sea of phones lighting up the darkening sky as two titans of pop join forces. It’s a truly memorable moment, compounded by main set closer ‘deja vu’, a cathartic ballad of massive proportions, rounding out the main set in anthemic, emotional style.
It’s not long before Rodrigo returns for the encore, and clearly, she’s saved the best for last. Backed by fiery prosthetics and her awesome, all-female band, she ploughs into the rock stomp of ‘brutal’ with aplomb, perfectly capturing how it feels to be an anxious, angsty teenager over a crunchy riff inspired by the Elvis Costello classic ‘Pump It Up’. “They say these are the golden years, but I wish I could disappear/ Ego crush is so severe, God it’s brutal out here”, she scoffs, much to the delight of the hyped-up, headbanging audience.
Following this, there is but a brief let up in energy, with the deceptively gentle opening verse of ‘all-american bitch’ quickly giving way to the riotous, Avril Lavigne-esque chorus. “I don’t get angry when I’m pissed/ I’m the eternal optimist”, Rodrigo sneers over high-octane power chords, taking aim at the contradictory expectations society places upon women, before conducting a huge scream-along which feels as healing as it is hell raising.
The next track is introduced not with words, but with its instantly recognisable bassline, which is played on loop as Rodrigo urges everyone to “help me sing this song”. This doesn’t prove to be much of a challenge, as the song in question is 2021 chart-topper ‘good 4 u’. Unsurprisingly, the crowd belt out every word of the heartbreak banger as Rodrigo struts round the stage, sauntering down the walkway into the front pit for an extended version of the standout bridge. It’s a punch-the-air crescendo which could easily have closed the show, but Rodrigo has one more treat in store.
Clutching a striking red megaphone, she climbs to the top of some set infrastructure and proceeds to completely command the audience, one last time. “I met a guy in the summer, and I left him in the spring/ He argued with me about everything”, she begins. “He had an ego and a temper and a wandering eye/ He said he’s six-foot-two, and I’m like ‘dude, nice try!’, she winks, joined by the best backing vocalist she could ever ask for - if you count the whole of Hyde Park as a backing vocalist, that is. The smart wordplay of the chorus - the titular phrase “get him back” lends itself perfectly to double meaning - keeps things as clever as they are catchy, before a similarly ingenious bridge sees Rodrigo snigger that she wants to “kiss his face, with an uppercut”, a sentiment echoed by each and every punter.
As if this weren't enough, a surprise confetti explosion adds extra joy to the final chorus, leaving everyone on an indisputable high, not least Rodrigo herself. “Thank you so much London”, she beams. “I love you so, so much”. London loves her, too. At just 22, Rodrigo’s widespread appeal is particularly impressive, with multiple generations responding to her sound and stage presence, something which can’t be said of every pop star.
Rodrigo may have changed into a t-shirt which reads ‘visit your town like a tourist’, but Hyde Park clearly doesn’t view her as one. No, for tonight at least, America’s reigning pop-punk queen is very much one of our own.
Words by Ben Left
Photo Credit: @jrcmccord + @sophiajcarey
