Review
Review
Kylie Minogue at BST Hyde Park, 13/07/24
Kylie adds another jewel to her pop crown with a celebration of over 30 years worth of immaculate pop anthems
With a decade’s long commitment to delivering pristine dance-pop, it’s no wonder Kylie Minogue is one of only a handful of icons (including The Rolling Stones and Stevie Wonder) to headline BST Hyde Park more than once.
Before she does, Hyde Park is treated to the whimsy pop of MARINA and the twerk-heavy spectacle of Brazilian singer Anitta – the latter of whom’s baile funk-reggaeton medley feels a miss for a mostly blanket-sitting, rosé-sipping older crowd. Thankfully the atmosphere ignites when Australia’s leading lady of pop takes the stage in a red vinyl jumpsuit, kicking her mammoth set off with a triumphant string of dancefloor gems in the form of ‘Tension’, ‘Come into My World’ and ‘Get Outta My Way’.
“I want to bottle this feeling. Any artist would,” she tells a roaring audience with tears in her eyes after a performance of ‘Better the Devil You Know’. The sheer breadth, consistency and intergenerational appeal of Kylie’s catalogue really hits home tonight. Standout performances of ‘Slow’, ‘Spinning Around’ and ‘Confide in Me’ chronicle the many highs of her illustrious career. Her alluring stage presence is at an all-time high, and she’s rarely seen without her infectious smile as she marches across the stage with her army of back-up dancers.
She even threw some curveballs on the setlist, too: 2003’s steamy ‘Red Blooded Woman’ received its first performance in nearly a decade, and there were a surprising number of songs from 2023’s Tension, although it felt like a few of them should’ve been swapped out with tracks from X or Disco (which was sadly ignored). Although it was nice to see Tove Lo and Bebe Rexha for a debut performance of their new collaboration ‘My Oh My’, it’s hard not to wonder how euphoric an appearance from her sister or fellow BST-headliner Robbie Williams would’ve been.
Despite this though, like her music, Kylie’s unmissable return to BST Hyde Park is everything you’d expect it to be: effervescent, joyful, glamorous, and most importantly, a true testament to the magnificent career of everyone’s favourite pop icon.
