BST Hyde Park 2025: Noah Kahan

Noah Kahan’s headline performance at BST, which he acknowledged as his biggest ever show, felt less like a performance and more like a communal, folk-pop celebration. 

I arrived just in time to hear Gigi Perez’s final few songs and, as expected, TikTok smash hit ‘Sailor Song’ triggered a huge crowd moment. It was so loud, it almost drowned her out, but it really set the tone for the day.

FINNEAS was up next with a confident, easy set; his voice really is as good live as it is on record and it’s very clear that he’s a seasoned touring artist who is incredibly comfortable being onstage. That said, the crowd energy didn’t quite match his effort (perhaps because everyone was still distracted by queues and settling in) but he never seemed fazed. A few songs in, the backdrop switched to show The Favors, his recently-debuted band with Ashe. At this point, she came out to perform their first official single ‘The Little Mess You Made’. Someone behind me, very excitedly, asked if it was Sabrina Carpenter (to be fair, her hair wasn’t dissimilar…) at which point his whole group laughed at him. After another new The Favors song, FINNEAS and Ashe performed their duet ‘Till Forever Falls Apart’, after which he played two more songs and then he vanished without a word, leaving the crowd wondering if he’d just Irish-exited his own set.

Gracie Abrams, up next, drew a noticeably more excited crowd. Girls in bandanas were flocking to the stage, and as soon as she started singing there was a clear increase in the crowd’s energy. To me, she sounded far better than when she opened for Taylor Swift, with stronger breath control and more confidence overall, and I was genuinely impressed with both the songs and the singing. People were really up for it, and the volume when she sang “I was brave when I kissed you in London” was a fun sign of things to come. The National’s Aaron Dessner - perhaps better known to Gracie’s crowd as a long-time Taylor Swift collaborator - joined her for a new track that wasn’t especially groundbreaking, but still landed as quietly emotional in the moment. ‘That’s So True’ was a standout, and followed by closer ‘Close to You’ really ended the set on a high. She was soft-spoken, but charming, with a lot of sweet crowd interaction as she waved and pointed at fans in the audience, and by the time she closed, it felt like people were properly warmed up.

At this point, there was an hour to wait before Noah Kahan, which felt a little long. Luckily, the Cuban Brothers were here to entertain with a very fun, slightly unhinged appearance on a tiny stage towards the back.

Noah opened with ‘All My Love’ to a sea of screaming fans, and immediately I found him endearing and fully warmed to him. He seemed genuinely stunned by the size of the crowd, saying it was the biggest crowd he’d ever played to. He reflected on playing to just 77 people in London years ago, then turned to the now-screaming crowd of 65,000, saying “There’s a few more than that here tonight”. You could really feel how grateful he was to be there. 

The crowd adored him. Fans shouted every word of ‘Homesick’ and ‘She Calls Me Back’ with such volume, it was hard to hear him at all. He also brought out Gracie Abrams to sing ‘Everywhere, Everything’ which was a very sweet moment, and I especially enjoyed how she looked like she was just popping out to walk the dog in a tracksuit. 

The screen setup wasn’t ideal - it showed both him and the visuals behind him at the same time, which was a bit messy - but no one seemed to mind much. He played a new song mid-set and encouraged people to go to the toilet during it. Taking him at his word, fans literally ran out and back again just in time for the next big singalong.

The B-stage section, where he played ‘Pain Is Cold Water’, ‘Maine’, and ‘Strawberry Wine’, created intimacy despite the huge audience. It was a welcome shift; stripped back, all attention on the richness of his voice, which was just as gorgeous live as on record.

The vibes stayed high throughout, with plenty of crowd interaction (introducing Stick Season with “Let’s get sticky”), moments of self-deprecating humour (“It’s like the Eras Tour but the only era is the depression era”), and an overwhelming sense that everyone felt part of something special. He’s sweetly funny, and his sense of humour fits perfectly with a British audience. 

Just when it felt like the night had peaked, Noah returned for the encore in a Chelsea shirt (to a fair few boos) and brought out Lewis Capaldi, also in Chelsea blue, to deafening screams. They sang ‘Northern Attitude’ together, which was a tender way to end the night because honestly, what Brit doesn’t think Lewis Capaldi deserves the world? It was funny, tender, and the perfect chaotic finale to a night that already felt like a hug in musical form.