BST Hyde Park 2026: Duran Duran

Under a baking London sun and sandwiched between the celebrations of London Pride and the excitement of an imminent England kickoff in the World Cup, the vibes were already in check the moment the gates opened. All we needed now was some music, and legendary pop titans Duran Duran were the ones to deliver it.

But ahead of their anticipated headline set, fans who braved the hot weather were treated to a brilliantly programmed lineup that made the early trip to Hyde Park more than worthwhile.

First up on the Great Oak Stage were dance legends Groove Armada, who opened proceedings with a DJ set packed with upbeat tunes to really get the party started. It was a shame the field had yet to fill up, but with temperatures hitting 30 degrees, the thousands yet to descend on the park could be forgiven.

Later that afternoon, Nile Rodgers & Chic also delivered a reliably brilliant performance. With a setlist as stacked as you could possibly imagine, Nile and co took us on a journey through musical history, revisiting many of their funk and disco classics in between Nile’s usual enthusiastic storytelling. If you weren’t on your feet dancing by the time they played ‘Good Times’, I can only assume you were probably seeking shade from the afternoon heat.

On the weekend of London Pride, it was fitting for the Scissor Sisters to carry on the celebrations with a set that felt like the afterparty from the night before in all its beautiful chaos and energy. Off the back of a successful reunion tour last year and a well-received recent headline set at Mighty Hoopla this summer, the band are clearly still having the time of their lives and feel more at home than ever on stage. They jumped from one smash hit to the next —  ‘Laura’ and ‘Take Your Mama’ were notable highlights, the latter featuring very special guest Mel C, who seemed to be in her absolute element sharing vocal duties with Jake Shears just minutes before her own set.

Despite a couple of technical hiccups, the band never lost the attention of the crowd and were soon back on track, performing a raucous version of ‘Let’s Have A Kiki’ before closing the set with ‘Music is the Victim’, featuring dancers dressed as giant monsters and a backdrop of animated dancing animals.

After a quick dash over to the Rainbow Stage, we were able to catch the end of Mel C’s set. As the air began to cool, the setting was perfect for a dance to an upbeat DJ set of dance classics and, of course, a few Spice Girls numbers mixed in. One nice moment was ‘2 Become 1’ playing out as Mel came to the front of the stage to soak up the adoration of the crowd, she clearly enjoyed giving the people exactly what they wanted.

By now it was time to make our way back to the Great Oak Stage for tonight’s headliners. After nearly half a century of releasing music and performing to millions across the world, you would think that ’80s synth-pop legends Duran Duran have little left to prove. Yet, the band clearly still have something to say, and their statement of intent was clear: play the hits and give the crowd a memorable show. And they certainly didn’t fail as they zipped through their lengthy list of hits. Experiencing their live set for the first time makes you realise that not only do they possess one of the most iconic back catalogues in pop history, but they also remain one of the tightest live outfits from that era. From the very outset, John Taylor’s iconic basslines were bouncing and Simon Le Bon was commanding the stage.

I was particularly taken by just how well Simon’s voice has held up after all these years. It takes a truly seasoned vocalist to belt out the chorus to ‘A View to a Kill’ as effortlessly as Simon did, hitting those soaring notes with the same power that defined the original.

’Hungry Like The Wolf’ was another early crowd-pleaser that got the crowd up dancing and singing along. The two hour set rarely slowed after this point, with personal highlight ‘New Moon On Monday’ proving that, even today, these iconic tracks pack an absolute punch live.

In a fitting moment for Pride weekend, Simon made a short, personal speech dedicated to the LGBTQ+ community, a reminder of the band’s longstanding advocacy for queer people’s rights.

If the day hadn’t already been hot enough for some, the encore was perfectly preceded by a fire-eating spectacle from the band’s dancers before they launched into a final run of Duran Duran classics: ‘Wild Boys’, synth-ladened anthem ‘Save A Prayer’, and ultimate set closer ‘Rio’, which sent much of the 65,000-strong crowd into a frenzy.

It was the perfect way to draw the weekend to a close and a great display of a band still performing at the absolute peak of their powers.