BBC RADIO 1'S BIG WEEKEND 2024 - SUNDAY // STOCKWOOD PARK, LUTON
Radio 1’s 3-day sundae was topped by a cherry of some of the biggest names in music. With the quality of the acts that had already visited Stockwell Park in Luton, it was a daunting standard to match let alone surpass.
★★★★★ (5/5)
COLDPLAY HEADLINE SUNDAY AT BBC RADIO 1’S BIG WEEKEND 2024
PHOTOCREDIT: BBC IMAGES
The day started with glorious sunshine and a smattering of future stars on the BBC introducing stage. Acts such as JW Paris and Shehxna warmed up early attendees.
Irish singer-songwriter CMAT brought a sound that blended folk with defiant synth-pop to the buoyant audience on the new music stage.
Indie-tinged guitar rock from Decklan McKenna turned up the gain as modern classics ‘Brazil’ and ‘British Bombs’ blared out to the masses. McKenna deftly manoeuvred between bright jangly pop and a crunching glam rock stomp.
Art rockers Everything Everything brought their usual eclectic mix of genres to the new music tent. Moving between a spectrum of different sounds during the set, the band gave one of the most intriguing performances of the weekend.
Beth McCarthy lit il the stage as she rocked through a run of enjoyable indie rock, including the anthemic “I don’t know how to talk to girls”.
A shot of sun-kissed American pop was set to be delivered by ‘Espresso’ superstar Sabrina Carpenter. However, the Luton sunshine changed to a downpour as she debuted on the stage. Despite the difficult conditions, Carpenter breezed through a set that amply delivered to the packed main stage audience. As with many of the acts over the weekend, it will no doubt be soon that she is catapulted to the top of the bill at future festivals. ‘Espresso’ has now spent a full month at the top of the charts, and Carpenter seemed keen to show the rest of her strong catalogue as well as her chart-topping hit.
Fresh from the Eurovision Song Contest, Ollie Alexander brought a mature pop sound. Weaving tracks from a back catalogue that covered the band years and years as well as the Eurovision hit and solo songs.
Teddy Swims played a soulful rocky sound which beckoned back the sunlight to the festival crowd.
Effortless cool from Olivia Dean proved another massive highlight of the weekend. Captivating the assembled crowd with intimate glimpses into her life, with her vocal prowess adding heaps of emotion throughout.
Rockers Vampire Weekend filled the main stage with their distinctive indie stylings through a show-stopping set which touched across their many varied albums. Moving from jangling indie sounds to driven guitars and synth-pop was done in a cohesive performance which showed why Vampire Weekend are still a massive draw almost 2 decades after their debut.
A chorus of dream pop vocals and distorted guitars ensued in the set of indie darling Beabadoobee. A mixture of songs from her previous releases as well as the soon-to-be-released “This is How Tomorrow Moves” (released August 16th) delighted those in attendance. Despite suffering from a bout of illness, Bea didn’t let it slow her down one beat as she showed how guitar-driven music can still appeal to the modern music scene.
To close out the final day of this mammoth festival required a huge performance, luckily waiting in the wings was an act more than ready for the challenge. Coldplay is a band that needs no introductions, having shown countless times their ability to headline the largest stages in the world.
Frontman Chris Martin brings a captivating presence to the stage. Enthralling the thousands of concertgoers with a set list that covers the nearly three decades the band has been releasing megahits.
Songs such as ‘Paradise’ and ‘Viva La Vida’ were bellowed by the assembled thousands as fans of all ages were wowed by these cultural icons. Not ones to only rely on the tried and tested songs, Coldplay also performed tracks from 2021’s ‘Music of the Spheres’. The synth-driven soundscape of these tracks contrasted well with the strings and keys of the older songs.
A stunning performance of ‘Magic’ alongside Sabrina Carpenter proved to be a highlight of the night. Showing how comfortable Carpenter is alongside titans of the music industry.
As the set ended, singalongs to ‘Yellow’ and ‘A Sky Full of Stars’ echoed up into the setting sun. With one more surprise, Coldplay finished their stellar performance with the song ‘Orange’, a touching tribute to Luton itself and the colour of the uniforms their local football club wears.
The Big Weekend is always a dizzying experience, the sheer scale of the event and the quality of the performers means that there is always a potential new favourite song just a few steps away. The past 3 days have been no exception, and have shown the value the event brings with large musical performances otherwise not possible in parts of the UK.
If you ask the thousands in attendance for a favourite moment, you’ll receive just as many different answers. Be it a performer, a song or the friends made in the musical wonderland that is the Big Weekend.
Catch all the action from Radio 1’s Big Weekend in Luton across BBC TV, radio and online.