More about: Sum 41

A beautiful day is unfolding as Jamie XX, Kendrick Lamar and Florence and the Machine make British Summer Time their own, with an unerringly timed mix of bliss, highly-charged politics and vulnerable emotion.

As protests take place over the Brexit vote a mere stone’s throw away, London’s Hyde Park is finally enjoying a skyline and temperatures resembling summer – making the sizzled vibes of Jamie XX’s afternoon set feel very, very welcome indeed.

In tribute to the sun, ‘I Know There’s Gonna Be (Good Times)’, rings out through the park - one of many cuts from 2015’s critically-acclaimed “In Colour”. Never has its promises of a better future felt more appropriate than in this climate of uncertainty. And this positivity flows throughout the set, with the crowd losing itself in a boozy, united blur. The hazy ‘Loud Places’, a bitter-sweet concoction of love-lust melancholy, featuring the vocals of Romy - Jamie’s partner when performing as minimalist indie darlings The XX - given a deeper kick of bass and spun into Kyla’s upbeat, two-step-tinged ‘Spend the Night’ to keep the vibe going.

Even when the weather turns and torrential rain falls, ‘Gosh’ and ‘Seesaw’ proves just the tonic to distract dedicated ravers from the elements, even when Jamie wryly plays Joy Division classic ‘Atmosphere’ in humorous despair.

But the sun reappears with a vengeance as the XX remix of Florence and the Machine’s ‘You’ve Got The Love’ proves the most overriding statement.

Yet, if 2016 has proved anything, it’s that the world cannot cocoon itself in insularity (no matter how much some may wish otherwise). And nothing quite focuses the mind to the realities of life as Kendrick Lamar, who batted away dream world fantasies of escapism with his unrivalled, unapologetically brutal take on life in America; not only as a black man, but as a bystander of a brutally capitalist culture. Four albums in and the man from Compton takes the stage armed with a broad selection of beats and diverse lyricism. Live, he uses both to good effect, sometimes removing some of the political focus to engage with the crowd.

“It’s been two years,” states Lamar to deafening cheers, now an almost religious figure akin to Tupac; before delving into the chorus driven accessible numbers from “Good Kid,  m.A.A.d city” and “To Pimp A Butterfly”. It is a move the makes sense, ‘m.A.A.d city’ and ‘Swimming Pools (Drank)’ offering beats that get feet jumping without the need to understand complexities.

But a message is still delivered in unflinchingly determined fashion, ‘Wesley’s Theory’ and ‘King Kunta’ elevating rap to its most self-aware, self-critical for decades. Lamar is angry at America, determined to expose the prostituting underbelly of the record industry, and wider societal inequalities. Just like the protesting crowds throughout London, he will use his voice, whether in front of, or as a part of, thousands.

“Alls my life I’ve had to fight” screams Lamar on the set-closing ‘Alright’, a track about having the faith and confidence to resist the temptation of ‘Lucy’, the temptress of Lucifer, while halting the abuse of power, and find a wider purpose for the many not the few. It is a bravery and humanism that political figures who have disfigured this country for personal ambition over recent months can never understand.

If the battle lines in contemporary life have been drawn through the music, closing headliner Florence and the Machine does an outstanding job of drawing the crowd together. Performing the final show in almost two years of touring her most recent album “How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful”, Welch delivers a tour-de-force of earth-shattering vocals and emotional vulnerability that is simply impossible not to applaud.

Arriving on stage in a blue dress, the fiery red-haired wonder appears on the edge, the purity of her calls for unity, love and sense of connection at its most urgent but most endangered. ‘What The Water Gave Me’ opens proceedings, followed by ‘Ship To Wreck’ and early “Lungs” favourite ‘Rabbit Hole (raise me up)’. Whatever the song, Welch’s vocals are perfection, making her an almost celestial being as she strides into the middle of the crowd during ‘Shake It Out’, clasping hands.

“It’s weird, I just looked down and saw my mum right there” beams Welch, “this is our biggest ever London show, so thank you”. The first, she recalls, was in a pub in New Cross – “not that I remember it, I was so drunk”. Unlike Adele, this interaction is not loud and brash, but honest and naive. It typifies the genuine authenticity that makes Welch such a British favourite.

Welch embodies the music, it sustains her. At one point, she reveals regret at the digital world, asking earnestly if the crowd can put phones away for ‘Cosmic Love’ so she can fully connect. Her wish is granted, and she appears to banish demons of relationships past when singing the song that she admits to not originally wanting on the record because it felt too painful.

Arms frequently outstretched and flying around the stage, Welch is a true performer. Vocal ranges swoop and engulf, leading to a final half-hour that is relentless. The encore sees her re-appear in a red-dress doused in a pride flag to perform a poignant rendition of ‘You’ve Got The Love’ in light of the Orlando shootings.

‘Dog Days Are Over’ follows, with Welch instructing the crowd to embrace and remove an item of clothing. Hippy-ish as it may be, but the entirety of the crowd obliges, Barclays corporates included. “I’ve been feeling quite down at the world recently”, Welch professes. “Love one another, together, that what we need more of”. 

More about: Sum 41