As the first weekend of a line of triumphant performances came to a close, with headliners such as global superstars Olivia Rodrigo and Zach Bryan, BST Festival welcomed a diverse range of music fans of all ages and backgrounds.
Before the site in Hyde Park was what it is this weekend, Noctis had the chance to witness the intricate construction and hard work that a festival ground entails. Wearing high-visibility vests, the team awaited us with a complimentary brunch ahead of the acoustic performance by the phenomenal Caity Baser.
Stripped-back and up, close and personal, Caity Baser blew the whole group of journalists away with her effortless demeanor and charming witt. With the exclusive performance of then-unreleased new single, ‘The Story Of Her,’ Baser hinted at a new chapter of more vulnerable lyricism.
Roaming through the American Express VIP Secret Garden, as it’s being built from scratch, Caity Baser stood back at the Seat Unique VIP Terrace as she reflected ahead of her BST performance supporting Olivia Rodrigo. For Noctis, Baser opened up about her outlook on songwriting, with new single ‘The Story Of Her’ as a follow-up on previous singles, ‘Running From MySelf,’ and ‘Watch That Girl (She’s Gonna Say It).’
“My songs are always about breakups and boys, and they’ve always been genuine and vulnerable. But I think I conceal it with swear words and jokes. That’s always what I used to do. But now, because I’m in love, I don’t wanna write about nasty boys because I have a lovely boy. So now it’s time to dive deep into my soul, and what am I actually really upset about? And let’s try not to swear about it, Caitlyn; let’s try to deal with it like adults,” Caity Baser explained, with the Great Oak Stage majestically resting behind her.
‘The Story Of Her’ touches upon Baser’s estranged relationship with her mother, “it was really therapeutic. I think it made me feel understanding towards her for the first time ever,” she added.
In the age of algorithms, AI, and the constantly evolving TikTok trends, it’s always intriguing to hear songwriters’ opinions and what keeps them afloat. Caity Baser did not hold back: “It’s so hard, and it’s really depressing and soul destroying and terrifying,” she sighed, “but I think it’s important to have good people around you to just gas you up.”
The next day, when the London scorching temperatures returned, close to the North Entrance, Caity Baser made her way to take over the Rainbow Stage. And that’s precisely what she did. Dressed in a blue colorway, a cropped polo shirt, and a long flowy skirt, her stage presence was of an absolute professional. Humoring the audience with anecdotes, she opened with ‘X & Y’ and continued with ‘2020s,’ among others, including the new single, ‘The Story Of Her.’ The standout moment was the reveal of Baser’s unreleased track, ‘As I Am,’ intriguingly vulnerable and captivating.
Moving along the day’s lineup, the crowds migrated towards the Great Oak Stage for the indie-rock band The Last Dinner Party, whose members are Abigail Morris, Lizzie Mayland, Emily Roberts, Georgia Davies, and Aurora Nishevci. Finding a spot in the dried-up grass, from start to finish, the band created a set that can only be described as a musical, religious experience: femininely sensual yet angsty and protestant.
BST Festival holds a unique place for the Last Dinner Party, as it was their eleventh show when they debuted at the festival, supporting the Rolling Stones back in 2022. Amongst the obvious hits like ‘Sinner,’ ‘Caesar on a TV Screen,’ and the always-ready-for-a-march, ‘Nothing Matters,’ the gripping, musically-executed was the unreleased, fan-favorite, ‘Second Best.’
After long queues and a welcomed temperature drop, all the purple-sequence-wearing Olvia Rodrigo stans, including a much younger crowd than expected, gathered for the banging opener, ‘bad idea right?.’ Going into this headline show, there was no doubt about Rodrigo’s singing abilities, but her rockstar-like stage presence exceeded all expectations.
Delivering each track with stellar vocals, her constant moving and jumping around deserved a medal on its own. At the age of only 22, Rodrigo swiftly convinced the sold-out festival of her deserved spot as this year’s Glastonbury headliner. Despite preparing for the tear-jerkers such as ‘happier,’ ‘favorite crime’ and ‘driver’s license’ to steal the show, it was the high-energy, fury-laced songs like ‘jealousy jealousy’, and the encore tracks, ‘brutal,’ ‘all-american bitch’ and ‘get him back’ that illustrated Rodrigo’s future as the next generation’s rock princess.
The favorite game of bingo, who will the headline act bring out on stage? Olivia Rodrigo did not leave anyone disappointed with a surprise appearance by the one and only Ed Sheeran and the performance of everyone’s beloved ‘The A Team,’ a duet nobody knew we needed.
As the kids not older than ten years old scream the heart-wrenching lyrics at the top of their lungs, with genuine tears streaming down their faces, my friend asked, “Do you think Olivia Rodrigo is this generation’s Miley Cyrus?.” Although it was apparent from this sole performance how Rodrigo has raised and is still raising the future generation of festivalgoers and rock music fans; she may be playing in her own league. Olivia Rodrigo is a young legend in the making, and BST performance only confirmed it.
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Hitting a complete 180 on the crowd and genre, the country superstar Zach Bryan took over Saturday and Sunday. Entering Hyde Park on the second day of Bryan’s headline festivities, the crowd was full of cowboy hats and testosterone-heavy, rowdy chants. Throughout the entirety of the two-hour set, Bryan ensured to show his gratitude after each song, contributing to all of our core memories.
With a hit-packed setlist like Bryan was able to put together, it is pretty challenging to choose the standout moments, as each one holds a special memory for all of us standing in the audience. His voice sounded better than on a recording, but it was the energy that took the performance to a new level. It was inenarrable.
The super-charged ‘Oklahoma Smokeshow,’ ‘Blue Jean Baby, ‘Motorcycle Drive By,’ ‘Nine Ball,’ and ‘Dawns,’ would turn anyone into a dedicated country fan. The accompanying band created an unforgettable instrumental experience; with Bryan’s poetic day-to-day observations, the crowd eagerly shouted.
For one of the mellow, soul-hugging tracks, Bryan brought out Noeline Hofmann to perform their duet, ‘Purple Gas.‘ Other ballads that made the time stop were ’28,’ ‘Something In The Orange,’ ‘I Remember Everything,’ and ‘Pink Skies.’ For a personal favorite, Bryan invited Dermot Kennedy back on stage to help him out with ‘Hey Driver‘ at a point of the show when cowboy hats started flying off, and the beer got the best out of the more indulgent.
The highly anticipated closing track and the weekend’s finale was the anthemic, ‘Revival.’ With a chorus of that magnitude, it was a privilege getting to sing it time after time, to introduce every single member of the Zach Bryan ensemble, including the talented electric guitarist Noah Legros, who left the female part of the crowd weak in their knees. With the last chorus, the Great Oak Stage brightened up with an astonishing firework display as the extra bit of climax of the set.
The first weekend of BST 2025 was a superb success. This year’s lineup is, simply put, undefeatable. On top of that, the festival site felt like a momentary teleportation to a music-celebrating city, as well as a well-oiled machine, a heartfelt kudos to the organizers and everyone working behind the scenes.
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Words: Karolina Kramplova
Photographer: Sophie Vaughan, Sophia Carey, Isha Shah