Sabrina Carpenter brought pintsized pop and Duran Duran to BST Hyde Park

The 'Espresso' singer brought 80s pop royalty, raunchy stage props and line dancing to BST Hyde Park for her second headline show

“I just wanted to see if I could get you guys to howl!” Sabrina Carpenter tells the audience after prompting us to make wolf howl noises, which all served as a set-up to introduce her guest performers, Duran Duran. Together, the trio perform a rendition of the 1982 hit ‘Hungry Like the Wolf’, much to the joy of the multi-generational crowd at BST Hyde Park on 6 July.

Audience members across all ages and backgrounds are clad in Sabrina Carpenter merch – some exclusive to BST, some from her Short ‘n’ Sweet tour – while others opted for embodying the pop princess’ sugary-sweet aesthetic with satin hairbows in pastel colours, ruffly miniskirts, baby blue babydoll dresses, lots of gingham, recreations of Sabrina Carpenter tour costumes, glitter, Short n’ Sweet kiss marks made out of rhinestones, and the patented Sabrina Carpenter three-step lip combo. There’s a real “girls’ bathroom” camaraderie in the air – accentuated by opening act Olivia Dean‘s performance of ‘Ladies Room’. “This song is about what happens the girls’ bathroom. If you know you know.”

This crowd does know – after being caught in the torrential thunderstorm during Amber Mark’s set earlier in the afternoon, many BST goers banded together under umbrellas, makeshift tents and big trees, helping one another through muddy puddles and taking turns using the hand-dryers to dry each other’s clothes. But by the time Sabrina Carpenter came out for her headline slot, the sun was out, the lipgloss and rhinestones had been reapplied, and everyone gathered at the Great Oak main stage to see the ‘Manchild’ singer in a white leather bodysuit (equipped with its own pink rhinestone embellishments spelling out “Sabrina” across her chest like Superman). Opening with ‘Busy Woman’, Sabrina gives the crowd an immediate lesson in what it takes to be a pop it-girl, dancing full-out choreography in sky-high platform boots and making use of her shiny multi-level stage alongside a full team of backup dancers.

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While Carpenter is a 21st century pop girlie, her music veers into retro spaces, drawing inspiration from Dolly Parton-esque country pop with ‘Please, Please, Please’, and ‘Manchild’ where she teaches the audience a line dance, to the 80s synthpop across ‘Feather’, ‘Juno’, and ‘Bed Chem’. So much so that Duran Duran’s guest performance felt right at home in the middle of her set. There are fun vintage-inspired visual interludes between songs that serve as little hints for what song is coming next, while allowing Carpenter’s cheeky humour to shine. One of the best was the introductory skit before ‘Busy Woman’, where Sabrina – dressed as an 80s newscaster – reimagines the Do you know where your children are? PSA by going “It’s 10PM. Do you know where your girlfriend is?”

Another fan-favourite interlude is the ‘Juno’ arrest, who were none other than The Bear‘s Ayo Edibiri and fellow BST Hyde Park performer Clairo. The two of them comically did the Charli XCX ‘Apple’ dance, before Sabrina reminded them that it wasn’t that kind of show. But a show it still was, with an interpolation of Ginuwine’s ‘Pony’ as the dance break on an on-stage bed during ‘Bed Chem’ – complete with an alluded simulated threesome between Sabrina Carpenter and two of her dancers. Plus, a costume change into a glittery pink mini dress and matching heels, and an intimate serenade to audience members during ‘Don’t Smile’.

And finally, “I know you guys like tea. But is it okay if we drink something a little different?” she says, and everyone cheers for the undisputed song of 2024, ‘Espresso’. There are fireworks going above the stage, there’s a full band, and even fuller choreo, and there’s an audience who will never forget spending a summer Sunday evening with one of the world’s biggest popstars.