Festival Review: Robbie Williams – BST Hyde Park, London, 06/07/2024
The 65,000 people gathered in London’s Hyde Park for pop legend Robbie Williams’ British Summer Time headline are focused on one thing, and one thing only: the football.
Admittedly, England’s nail-biting quarter final match against Switzerland does wrap up before the former Take That star sets foot on stage, but you get the sense that the atmosphere would’ve been seriously deflated had the Three Lions lost. “Thank fuck we won”, grins Robbie midway through his set, aware that England’s victory puts him in good stead to deliver the triumphant, hit-packed spectacle he’s been planning.
Before that, though, there’s an entire day’s worth of quality entertainment, with everyone from Kate Nash to Shaun Ryder sounding especially good in the warm summer sun. The best supporting act, however, are also the most unlikely. When punk duo SOFT PLAY appear on the smaller Rainbow stage - steaming straight into ‘Punk’s Dead’, their witty, riffy response to those who took issue when they changed their name from Slaves - there’s only a few people here specifically to see them. The crowd soon grows, though, the crackling energy of drumming frontman Isaac Holman and guitarist Laurie Vincent impossible to resist.
While their shouty, bone-crunching bangers are a million miles away from one of Robbie’s signature ballads, the three men share a similar sense of humour, their tongue-in-cheek laddishness lovable, and on-stage banter unquestionably charismatic. Isaac, in particular, is commanding and amusing in equal measure, and when he gets deep into the crowd to deliver lengthy introductions to both ‘Fuck the Hi-Hat' and ‘Girl Fight’, they positively lap it up. Stunning new song ‘Everything and Nothing’ is given an emotionally charged outing, complete with Laurie’s REM-esque mandolin, before the brutal one-two of ‘Beauty Quest’ and ‘The Hunter’ close proceedings in typically chaotic fashion. For those who were already aware of SOFT PLAY, it’s an exhilarating extra treat on a day stuffed with goodies, and for those who weren’t – well, the Tunbridge Wells twosome have surely earned some unsuspecting new fans.
Back on the Great Oak stage, the good times continue with the decidedly smoother sounds of Seal, who deploys classic anthems including ‘Kiss From a Rose’ and ‘Crazy’ to an audibly enthusiastic response from punters, whose spirits are lifted even further when England make it through to the semi-finals on penalties moments later. The scene is well set for Williams to make his grand entrance, and grand it is. The screens on stage blink into life, and there he is, backstage with his feet up, reading a newspaper which bears the headline: “Is Robbie Williams the greatest living entertainer?”. It’s a bold question, but as he swaggers through the backstage area - affectionately patting a tiny cardboard cut-out of Noel Gallagher, naturally – you get the sense that he might well be one of them.
Appearing from a trapdoor beneath the stage to huge cheers, he’s dressed in a slick white suit and instantly begins working the crowd, making bombastic opening number ‘Let Me Entertain You’ not just a song, but a mission statement. He makes good his promise, winking that “I’ remember you love, and you, and you…”. “Actually, I think I met all of you in the 90s”, he jokes suggestively, prompting screams from the plethora of middle-aged women who adored him then and still do now, before launching into a feel-good cover of Chris Kenner classic ‘Land of 1000 Dances”.
With the audience well and truly warmed up after just two songs, he then takes things down a notch without sacrificing his love of a good quip, introducing the Gallagher-coded ‘Strong’ by declaring: “I will only know if I can be vulnerable with you if you can sing along a capella to one of my lesser-known hits”. The crowd are happy to oblige, belting out the song’s anthemic chorus with aplomb, before the full band join in and the track starts proper, ending with a Robbie-orchestrated burst of Oasis’ ‘All Around The World’. If you’re thinking Robbie Williams is slightly obsessed with Oasis, yes, he is. And more than slightly. Following a rousing ‘Come Undone’ and nostalgic ‘Could It Be Magic’, he tells us all about his semi-mythical weekend at Glastonbury in 1995, during which he hung out with the Gallagher brothers and returned a changed man, no longer keen on being Gary Barlow’s backing singer. This, apparently, is as good a reason as any to cover ‘Don’t Look Back In Anger’, and although some of the pop-purists seem indifferent at best, those who are fond of Britpop are having a great time.
By this point Robbie has put on a sparkly version of the iconic adidas tracksuit he wore at said Glasto, and the red sports clobber goes a long way towards recapturing the lad culture of the time. The tribute to Cool Britannia doesn’t stop here, however. Williams invites one of today’s many supporting acts, Supergrass frontman Gaz Coombes, on for a bright and breezy cover of his band’s big hit ‘Alright’, before bringing on a marching band and - in a moment of delightful absurdity- EastEnders legend Danny Dyer. “Let’s ave it Hyde Park”, growls Dyer in a voice the nation has come to know and love over the last two decades, and one which lends itself well to Phil Daniels’ speaking verses in Blur’s ‘Parklife’, which the two men proceed to cover in an utterly surreal, and joyously rowdy, rendition. Or, as Robbie puts it: “the double act you didn’t know you needed in your life”. Quite.
The next part of Robbie’s life story is his reunion with Take That in 2010, which is (somewhat) fittingly acknowledged by a magical ‘Back for Good’ (he would leave again in 2011, albeit on much better terms), instigating a huge singalong in what must’ve been an especially emotional moment for the original Take That fans in the park. From here on in we’re treated to a selection of solo hits, with the melodramatic but warm-hearted ballad ‘Love My Life’ dedicated to his wife Ayda and their four children, and the bouncy bop of ‘Candy’ prefaced by the question: “Who fancies a dance?”. The whole of Hyde Park, as it happens, and their enthusiasm is only heightened by Williams running around throwing free t-shirts into the crowd, doing his best Del Boy impression as he grins “Any more for any more?”.
The energy doesn’t dip as he delivers hit after hit, from ‘Supreme’ and ‘Millennium’ (which sample the strings from Gloria Gaynor’s ‘I Will Survive’ and Nancy Sinatra’s ‘You Only Live Twice’ respectively) to the catchy melancholy of ‘Feel’ and the party-ready Kylie collaboration ‘Kids’. Only the more downbeat ‘Advertising Space’ feels understated, though projections of fallen music icons such as Prince, Amy Winehouse and Elvis elicit cheers from the crowd as Williams pays tribute to such heroes through the song, which includes the lyric “Everybody loves your life but you”- a sentiment which applies not just to the troubled stars on screen, but also to Williams himself, when he was in his professional imperial phase, but personal hell. The mood is lifted significantly by the cheeky groove of ‘Rock DJ’, which makes for a fun, freewheeling main set closer, getting everyone singing and dancing again before the imminent balladry of the encore.
Indeed, the audience decide the best way to get Robbie to return is to tackle the ginormous chorus of ‘Angels’ themselves, and it works. Before long, Williams is back on stage performing the dark and atmospheric ‘No Regrets’, complete with Bond-like staccato breaks and timed fireworks. It’s the next song, World Party cover ‘She’s The One’ (who knew?), though, which really sets the encore alight. Heading down to the barrier to personally serenade an adoring fan, his presence brings tears to her eyes, and it's genuinely beautiful to watch. Not wanting too much time to pass without humour, Williams expertly breaks the moment as the song ends by declaring all the other women he couldn’t meet have “been very brave”. It switches the tone up nicely, making everyone laugh before things take a decidedly more serious turn.
Sat in a single spotlight, Williams looks out at the dark sky as he speaks candidly to the crowd. “At 50, I’m still here, and I’m extremely grateful”, he proclaims, going on to explain how his family has helped him overcome the drink and drug issues – plus the depression and self-doubt that they stemmed from- which plagued him for years. “Tonight I was the happiest and most chilled I have ever been coming on stage [..] thank you for helping me remain on the planet. I love you guys”. It feels real and heartfelt, an unfiltered glimpse into the man behind the music. There could be no better song to follow this with than ‘Angels’, surely one of the greatest pop ballads of all time. More than just a good track, ‘Angels’ has transcended time to become a modern hymn, and live it’s an almost religious experience. Needless to say, Hyde Park is transformed into a 65,000 strong choir as every phone lights up the night sky. Arms are slung round each other, tears are shed, and Robbie Williams, joined onstage by his eldest daughter Teddy and wife Ayda, appears to have finally found contentment.
Whether he really is the world’s greatest living entertainer is almost beside the point. He’s here. He’s happy. And he might just provide the most entertaining two hours that money can buy. In fact, this spectacular, hit-laden set wouldn’t feel out of place on the Pyramid Stage.
Emily Eavis, you know what to do…
Words by Ben Left
Photography provided by Outside Organisation
