BST Hyde Park 2023 round-up: Frank Turner, The Chicks and more – Entertainment Focus

The weather never felt more apt for a festival with the name British Summer Time on Thursday 6th July as the mighty Bruce Springsteen was set to take the headline slot with The Chicks and Frank Turner as main support. 

At 1pm sharp, the gates opened and stewards were having to tell the rushing crowd to slow down as they ran through the park to get their barrier row positions for the show. Springsteen had attracted a wide range of ages amongst the music fans that he would later perform his six decades of his careers music to. 

To begin proceedings on the Great Oak stage (main), the Hampshire born and now Essex residing punk rocker Frank Turner took to the stage. Thursday’s show was 2,788 for Turner and the Sleeping Souls yet he made light of how much of a deal it was for him to be there still.

“Welcome to show 2,788 for us – which is a pretty big number. I’m a bit nervous about this show, arguably we’ve done 2,788 warm up shows just for this gig in sunny London this afternoon.”

He also told the audience of how big of a fan he was of Springsteen and what an honour it was to open the stage before teasing them with mentions of his Springsteen related tattoo which I would later find out in an interview that it’s the song title ‘Born To Run’ across his stomach. He would go on to showcase an array of tracks from his nine studio albums, including ‘The Next Storm’, ‘Recovery’ and the “country folk-rock dance number”, ‘Photosynthesis’. Backstage, Turner described the day as an emotional rollercoaster but he certainly gained some new fans by the end of his set. 

Country superstars The Chicks followed bringing their Texas roots to the British stage. Playing instantly recognisable numbers such as ‘Wide Open Spaces’, ‘Gaslighter’ and ‘Goodbye Earl’, they also treated the crowd to a Fleetwood Mac cover of ‘Landslide’. Natalie Maines and sisters Martie Maguire and Emily Strayer impressed with their hits in what they called “an attempt at some pre-show entertainment” before Springsteen. The highlight of their set was perhaps ‘March March’ off their most recent album ‘Gaslighter’ with a strong emphasis on the Black Lives Matter movement in their video backdrop. 

On the Rainbow stage newcomers Picture Parlour were the first act to take the stage, just seven months after their first live gig in front of 150 people. The Manchester based band performed their debut single ‘Norwegian Wood’ to an appreciative crowd before Liverpool based STONE followed up with a heavier set. Irish superstars The Coronas headlined the Rainbow stage performing hits from their 26 year career which included ‘All The Others’, ‘Addicted To Progress’ and ‘Listen Dear’. Daniel O’ Reilly, Graham Knox and Conor Egan enjoyed the show as much as their fans. 

At the Birdcage, Attawalpa, Theo Lawrence and new UK country act First Time Flyers also warmed up crowds throughout the day before the iconic Bruce Springsteen graced the crowd with his presence. Over the course of three hours, he would perform a very high energy set with the help of the E Street Band.

The 18-strong band, which included guitarist Steven Van Zandt and saxophone player Jake Clemons – son of original member Clarence Clemons contributed stellar cover performances of The Commodores’ ‘Nightshift’ and a song written with Patti Smith, ‘Because The Night’.

With three days of more brilliant live musicians to come, this show raised the standard higher than ever before and BST at Hyde Park continues to bring great success and joy to the British crowds.