BST Hyde Park 2023: Guns N' Roses

BST Hyde Park:

BST Hyde Park has become a staple of the British festival calendar, constantly putting on stellar events showcasing some of the world's biggest artists alongside the stars of tomorrow. Past headliners have included mega-stars Elton John and Green Day, with today being headlined by rock mammoths Guns N' Roses. The rest of the card was filled with rock royalty in the shape of Pretenders and The Darkness, alongside a host of bands on the cusp of becoming world beaters like The Foxies and Larkin Poe, to name a few. 

Walking into the BST grounds on Hyde Park you are instantly transported to a hidden village of musical brilliance, vibrant buildings and enough food to feed the 5,000 (and another 60,000 comfortably!). This review will give a glimpse of what the day was like, introduce you to the bands performing and give our thoughts on their sets.

Guns N' Roses:

A lot has been said in recent times about whether Guns N' Roses are the band they used to be... The fact they showed up early for their set proves they clearly have changed as a band, however musically, they are as epic sounding as ever. The band played a mammoth 3 hour set packed full of hits, covers and newer songs, steered by the brilliant vocals and expert stagemanship of Axl Rose, blown into the stratosphere by the mind-blowing guitar work of Slash.

Opening song 'It's So Easy' rang out across the park with the most perfect balance of vocals to backing music (something that sets from other festivals has been infamously criticised for), and it was obvious from the look on every band members face they were fully up for it tonight. Even a fail during second song 'Bad Obsession' couldn't dampen Axl Rose's spirits, with the singer stylishly rolling out of the fall before carrying on the song without missing a beat. 'Chinese Democracy', 'Mr. Brownstone' and a cover of Velvet Revolver's 'Slither' had the crowd really heating up, but once Slash transitioned from Link Wray's 'Rumble' riff into the opening riff to 'Welcome to the Jungle' Hyde Park really exploded into a frenzy of rock-loving energy that did not quieten again until the very end of the night.

Bops like 'Double Talkin' Jive' and 'Pretty Tied Up' provided the perfect backing to the dad dancing now taking over Hyde Park, spearheaded by Mr. Rose himself, however by the time most recent songs 'Hard Skool' and 'ABSUЯD' were performed all of this grooving and dancing had turned into moshing and head banging.

The bands cover of Wings' classic 'Live and Let Die' has a fair argument for being the greatest cover of all time, and seeing it live only reinforces that argument. An absolute epic of a song that shows Guns N' Roses at their very best, the combination of heavy rock mixed with ballads to create a concoction of brilliance. Further covers of the UK Subs classic 'Down on the Farm' and The Stooges anthem 'T.V. Eye' had all the crowd moving, with the latter being sung by bassist Duff McKagan. Duff often unfairly falls under the radar when compared to Slash and Axl Rose, but this song gave him the opportunity to show he has the musical pedigree to hang with the very best.

'Civil War' was one of the most impressive songs of the set for me. An already massive sounding song was played to perfection, being taken to a whole new level of emotion and poignancy through a tribute to Ukraine and the suffering the country has undergone over the past years. As the crowd took a brief moment of reflection at the emotional masterpiece we had just witnessed, Slash began one of his signature guitar solos, this one the longest of the set. Slash is rightly regarded as one of the all-time greats, but it isn't until you see him play live you fully appreciate why. This solo led seamlessly into the intro of 'Sweet Child o Mine' which again caused an eruption of noise across Hyde Park and began what could be the best 40 minutes section of any setlist I will ever witness. As one legendary song ended another started. 

With a small downpour of rain taking place over Hyde Park, not enough to ruin the moment but just enough to create a goosebump  inducing atmosphere, Axl Rose sat down at his piano and began the introduction to November Rain and what followed was the most perfect 10 minutes of live music. The ending of Guns N' Roses' set really was hit after hit, with the crowd singalongs of 'Patience' and 'Knockin' on Heaven's Door', before looks of awe and admiration took over the face of all those in attendance when listening to 'Nightrain' and Don't Cry'.

A set as epic and hit filled as this needs the perfect finish, and last songs don't come much bigger than 'Paradise City'. A 65,000-person singalong ended a night that will go down in history.

The Pretenders:

You will do well to find a festival lineup this year that does not have The Pretenders on it. Having already appeared at Glastonbury, The Great Escape, Black Deer and Kite festival, it is so obvious to see the joy that the legendary band still get from plating live music.

Spearheaded by the timeless Chrissie Hynde, The Pretenders took to the stage and smashed out a brilliant hour set full of hits, rarities and new music, that refused to conform to musical norms. Opening with unreleased song 'Losing My Sense of Taste' would normally be a risky game, but when you have the talent and experience of The Pretenders it was light work and met with rapturous applause from the already capacity crowd. If Pretenders' new album is full of songs as good as this, then we will be in for an absolute treat come September 1st.

The more recent music continued with 2020's 'Turf Accountant Daddy' being the next song, before we took a trip back to the band's earlier music with 1979's single 'Kid' being followed by Learning to Crawl deep- cut 'Time the Avenger'. The playing of deep- cuts and newer music really seems to bring out creative freedom in a band who will have played a number of their hits hundreds of times over, but that didn't stop the big hitters like top-10 single 'Talk of the Town' being played with the brilliant enthusiasm as if it was released last week.

As the introduction to one of the group's biggest songs Back on the Chain Gang' began Hyde Park seemed to become a wave, with thousands of people jumping and dancing to the iconic guitar riff, before singing along in fine voice. This song turned 40 last year and yet the singalong was being performed by people of all ages showing just how timeless the music of The Pretenders is, and exactly why they are such an adored band.

Their next song 'Thumbelina' was jokingly dedicated to Slash, showing off the good-natured relationship that has developed between The Pretenders and Guns N' Roses over the years, undoubtedly reinforced by the recent string of support dates.

The set ended with a number of Pretenders' big-hitters sandwiching more deep-cuts. The big-hitters started with 'Don't Get Me Wrong', an absolute classic song that is so instantly recognisable it got a huge reaction from the very first note. Deep-cuts 'Cuban Slide' and Tattooed Love Boys' were then played, the latter sounded so incredible live it is shocking it was never released a single.

The penultimate song of The Pretenders' set was arguably their most recognisable song 'I'Il Stand by You', which was sung back to Chrissie in enormous voice from all those in attendance, creating a real special scene. 'Mystery Achievement' closed the set giving one final indication that even in their 45th year as a band, The Pretenders are still an unstoppable force.

The Darkness:

The Darkness have made a name for themselves as being one of the most extravagant bands the UK has produced, so when lead singer Justin Hawkins walked on stage in a black jacket and top there was a slight confusion amongst the crowd as to whether we were going to get the timeless music of The Darkness without the thrills?

Within two songs Justin had gone fully topless which was received by one of the loudest cheers of that day, and all was right with the world. This, combined with all the bands dad-dancing, ass-shaking brilliance made this a set to remember. Opening with 'Growing on Me' the band immediately radiated the charisma we've expected from The Darkness over the years, and after brilliant renditions of 'Motorheart' and 'Heart Explodes` sounding near identical to their studio-recording counterparts with an added live edge, it was obvious this is a band performing at the absolute top of their game.

'Solid Gold' provided one of the most entertaining crowd sing-alongs youll hear, with 50,000 strong unanimously chanting "We're never gonna stop, shitting out solid gold". This was followed by the best cheerleading performance you'll ever witness with Justin shouting "Give me a D, Give me an Arkness" receiving a mix of callbacks and laughter before a pitch perfect rendition of 'Love is Only Feeling'. 'Japanese Prisoner of Love' provided the band a real chance to flex their musical ability to the extreme, with heavy riffs being backed by the brilliant drumming of Rufus Taylor. This epic was followed by 'Get Your Hands Off my Woman' a song which ended in Justin seizing the opportunity for some Stand-Up-like front row targeting. Crowd member Ethan (who Justin earlier referred to as Emu) had made himself noticed earlier in the set by asking for a plectrum, however he got much more than that with Justin the throw him a spare microphone and drawing him into a high-pitched duet to finish the song

The free and fun-loving nature of The Darkness continued to be on show when an audience member shouted "Do the Christmas one" which was met by a tongue-in-cheek lecture from Justin Hawkins about that not being its real name. Growing peer pressure from an audience desperate to celebrate Christmas in June meant he eventually obliged, performing a shortened stripped-back version of 'Christmas Time (Don't Let The Bells End)' with brother and guitarist Dan Hawkins.

By this point the set was near its end, but there was still time for one more moment of laughter, with Justin jokingly promising the crowd that he would break their faces "one by one" if they didn't bounce along to this next song. This led into the most incredible performance of 'I Believe in a Thing Called Love' which capped off a set epitomising exactly what the Darkness are about, insanely impressive music combined with high energy and humour
 

Larkin Poe:

Roots Rock band Larkin Poe opened the Great Oak Stage, bringing the blues-inspired brilliance that has become synonymous with the Lovell sister's band. Most of the band's current fanbase are located across the pond but having seen the way Hyde Park responded to the Nashville natives, there is no doubt this is on the cusp of changing. A crowd excited for the day ahead gathered ready for Larkin Poe's set, and as Lap Steel guitarist Megan Lovell guided the band into their first song 'Strike Gold it was clear those in attendance would need to wait no longer for top-draw entertainment

Lead singer Rebecca Lovell promised to bring the Blues-Rock that Nashvillians love so much to Hyde Park and kept true to that promise with a rousing performance of 'Kick the Blues. This was followed by 'Summertime Sunset, a brilliant song which did evoke a sense of irony due to the grey clouds circling Hyde Park. Despite the weather worsening the Lovell sisters, backed with the musical brilliance of Tarka Layman (Bassist) and Ben Satterlee (Drummer), managed to keep Hyde Park on their side. The crowd lapped up every word of their Son House cover 'Preachin' Blues", where the band told us about their choir origins and how that has inspired them musically.

The set continued with a fantastic rendition of 'Bad Spell' before playing the best song of the set 'Wanted Woman AC/DC', which would have easily converted any attendees who were somehow still not on board. This led the band perfectly into a huge rendition of final song 'Bolt Cutters & The Family Name', receiving mass adoration from the crowd who were now fully warmed up for the day ahead, and definitely now fans of Larkin Poe

Dirty Honey:

Dirty Honey feel like a band that stepped into a time machine back in the 1980's and dropped off in 2023 to bring 'hair-rock' back into fashion. They have the look, and they certainly have the sound. Being on the Rainbow Stage as the final band of day before the headliner should have been a difficult slot, yet lead singer Marc LaBelle guided Dirty Honey through an epic set like it was the easiest thing he'd ever had to do, drawing a huge crowd in the process

Their set included some absolute belters including 'The Wire, ' Heartbreaker and 'When I'm Gone' which had some of the filthiest guitar licks you will ever hear at the hands of John Notto. Closing song 'Rolling 7s' allowed LaBelle to really show his vocal prowess, backed flawlessly by the rest of the band, ending a truly powerful set, and showing Dirty Honey have everything it takes to become rock mainstays

The Foxies:

After hearing so many positive things about the Nashville upcomers I was extremely excited to witness The Foxies set and boy did they still somehow blow my mind. Lead singer Julia burst onto the stage with all the energy in the world ready for opening song 'Screws' and immediately had the Birdcage crowd in the palm of her hands.

After encouraging everyone to move for ward to create a really intimate feel meaning all those in attendance received and replicated the bands energy. A set filled with incredible titles like 'Timothée Chalamet' and huge choruses like ' Good Try' went down an absolute treat to warm the crowd up for the day ahead

The highlight for me was The Foxies performance of 'Deep Sea Diver'. This song feels tailor made for festival stages, with Julia's stellar vocals and bandmates Jake and Rob incredible instrumentals, it made for a mega performance

Grade 2:

Grade 2 are fast making a name for themselves in the rock scene with support slots for rock giants Rancid and Generation Sex in the pipeline, and a place on bill headlined by Guns N' Roses just shows how promising a future this band really have. The Isle of Wight natives burst onto the stage in the most incredible way and what followed was 30 minutes of punk-inspired rock played to perfection. The live vocals of Jack Chatfield and Sid Ryan fitted so perfectly with the thrashing of their guitar/bass respectively. All of this was backed up by the incredible drum-work of Jacob Hall, creating an incredible sound for three people

The set featured fan favourites like 'Brassic' and 'Graveyard Island' and managed to pull so many people away from the main stages in order to see a band at the top of the game...this felt a real 'I was there set.

Bad Nerves:

Bad Nerves stormed onto the Birdcage stage with all the swagger and confidence of a self-assured band doing this for years, and that can only hold them in good stead for the future. Lead singer Bobby is a proper throwback frontman, giving it his absolute all from start to finish, with the brash charisma of a true rockstar and yet the modesty and appreciation of a person whose position in music means the world to them. Bad Nerves are so much more than a one man show though, with the rest of the five-piece bringing the most incredible sound to the table creating an authentic vibe that manifests throughout their live shows.

Incredible performances of songs like 'Mad Mind' and 'Don't Stop' had the crowd bouncing and dancing like crazy, and if this is the response Bad Nerves are getting on a smaller stage, just wait until they're headlining!