Festival Review: Sabrina Carpenter - BST Hyde Park, London 05/07/2025
A glittering pop storm in the rain: Sabrina Carpenter headlines BST Hyde Park.
Historic London festival BST Hyde Park resumed its reign under overcast skies this weekend, as a lineup of rising pop stars brought warmth to a damp Saturday. Despite typical British showers, fans in Hyde Park embodied the festival’s spirit and showed that the wet weather couldn’t dampen the day’s excitement. With Beabadoobee, Clairo, and Sabrina Carpenter on deck, the Great Oak Stage was set for something truly memorable.
Beabadoobee kicked things off with raw energy, launching into “Take a Bite” with fuzzed‑out guitars cutting cleanly through the drizzle. Her performance of “Beaches” felt deeply intimate, as her vocals and tone carried a breath of melancholy that captivated the audience. Though occasional distortion crept in, it only enhanced the authentic garage‑rock charm she brings to each live show.
Next up was Clairo, who offered a softer mix of smooth modern jazz‑influenced pop. A gentle cover of “After Laughter (Comes Tears)” opened her set before she shifted into “Second Nature,” visibly moved by the size of her largest crowd yet. When she said this, it shocked the audience, as Clairo has been at the forefront of the bedroom-pop girl scene for the best part of the last decade.
Her set moved steadily through her 2024 album Charm, with “Add Up My Love” and “Juna” being the obvious standouts from this section. Fan favourites “Bags” and “Sofia” closed out the set, with the former bringing the singer to tears. All in all, Clairo’s performance was a refreshing breeze of calm that balanced the energy of the day. Next up was the headline event.
By the time Sabrina Carpenter took the stage, the festival’s mood had swelled. A fifteen‑minute delay only intensified anticipation, and when she appeared in a sparkling red dress, the audience erupted. Her tongue‑in‑cheek news‑style introduction to London set a playful tone before she dove headfirst into journeying through her Short n’ Sweet selections. “Busy Woman” and the smash hit “Taste” started her set, as she acknowledged the overwhelming crowd size, estimated at around 65,000, before launching into deeper cuts from the album with “Good Graces” and “Slim Pickins”.
The best performance of the night came during her new single “Manchild.” Carpenter delivered an emphatic, vocally impressive version that stood apart as the evening’s most awe-inspiring moment. She then guided the crowd through an upbeat “Ooh Nah Nah Nah,” turning the audience into willing co‑collaborators for “Coincidence.” She slowed things down with an acoustic cover of “Sharpest Tool,” followed by a poignant performance of “because i liked a boy.” However, the energy was shifting again. Fireworks flared overhead as her voice soared, blending the grand with the intimate in a powerful pop‑rock crescendo.
Spontaneity took over as Carpenter flirted with improvisation, playfully arresting a fan named Abby for being “too beautiful.” A dance‑off between the backup dancers moments later also lightened the tempo. Sabrina disappeared momentarily to switch into a black dress and darker tones with “Couldn’t Make It Any Harder,” an emotionally devastating rendition of one of the deep cuts from her recent record.
The set closed with soaring and heartfelt moments: the cheeky “Bed Chem” was followed by the anthemic “Please Please Please.” Carpenter hovered over the crowd to serenade them with a touching performance of “Don’t Cry.” She capped off the evening with “Espresso,” a hit that dominated radio, topped UK charts, and earned her multiple Grammys. As the final fireworks lit up Hyde Park, the pressurised energy of the day transformed into a glittering pop spectacle; a testament to the talent and enthusiasm of today’s pop scene.
Words by Alexander Peters
Photo Credit: Jordan Hughes and Alfredo Flores
