Is Elton John music's biggest tastemaker? Checking in with the future of pop at BST Hyde Park

You’d be hard-pushed to find anyone arguing against the fact that Elton John is a living legend. But for good measure, his Friday night headline set at BST Hyde Park underlined his status several times over. From the hammering open of ‘Benny And The Jets’ through the soaring emotional heights of ‘Tiny Dancer’ and ‘Candle In The Wind’ to the rowdy ‘Saturday’s Night’s Alright For Fighting’, his two-hour set was a rousing rock & roll riot.

The show may have been part of his final tour, Farewell Yellow Brick Road, but the festival was so much more than a trip down memory lane, thanks to the stellar lineup of supports. Rather than a celebration of the past, the day felt like a passing of the proverbial pop torch.

Taking to the Rainbow Stage, Let’s Eat Grandma continue their evolution into absolute superstars, without losing their fiery sense of individuality. Opener Happy New Year is a giddy triumph of camaraderie while both ‘Levitation’ and ‘Hall Of Mirrors’ pull LEG’s playful spirit into a fierce focus. Their instrument-swapping, hand-clapping, dancing performance has a joyful anarchy to it while ‘Hot Pink’ and set closer ‘Donnie Darko’ craft euphoria from fury.

Over on the Birdcage stage, Thomas Headon’s having just as much fun with his shiny indie-pop. Immensely likeable and quick to say whatever comes into his head, Headon’s a comfortable performer that owns the stage and works the crowd with a snarling confidence. That swagger bleeds into the woozy ‘Strawberry Kisses’, the energetic ‘How Do I Know?” and the wonky ‘UrbanAngel1999’ which are all undeniable festival bangers.

And it would be impossible to talk about the future of pop without mentioning Rina Sawayama. Her debut album may have been released in 2020 but the alt-rock thunder of ‘Dynasty’ and the polished pop might of ‘Comme des garçons (Like the Boys)’ still sit at the cutting edge, challenging, provocative and brilliant. Elsewhere during her set, the soaring self-reflection of ‘Bad Friend’ provides a moment of touching relatability before her determined ambition comes back into play for the snarling ‘XS’, the sleek ‘Love Me 4 Me’ and her party-starting take on Lady Gaga’s ‘Free Woman’.

Then there’s ‘This Hell’, our first taste of Sawayama’s second album ‘Hold The Girl’. Taking expected pop sensibilities and bending them to her will, the comeback track is a fizzing banger that celebrates defiance and live, it somehow goes harder. Full of rebellion, fury, a gorgeous guitar solo and a determination to succeed, Sawayama might pay her respects to Elton throughout her set but tonight saw her live up to every genre-redefining promise, with plenty of thrills along the way. The era of Sawyama has only just begun.

Elton John may be heading down the Yellow Brick Road to retirement but tonight proved the future of disobedient pop wonder is in very safe hands.