BBC Radio 2 – Live in Hyde Park review: Pet Shop Boys still light years ahead of their peers

The sold-out audience at BBC Radio 2’s Festival in a Day were surprised yesterday as an Indian summer unexpectedly descended, basking Hyde Park in glorious sunshine.

Simply Red’s Mick Hucknall came more prepared than most during his opening set of the day, clad in a short-sleeved shirt and shades and armed with a host of summer-tinged hits.

The joy progressed with Bananarama whose mix of breathless Eighties disco and warm humour brought buckets of fun to the afternoon. Orchestral electro-pop outfit Clean Bandit continued the party; despite some members wearing boiler suits — “we weren’t prepared for this extreme heat!” — they sailed coolly through songs combining both classical and contemporary.

Francis Rossi remembered late bandmate Rick Parfitt with a lone mic stand as he romped through Status Quo’s hits. Westlife followed, the jump from dad rock to pop balladry feeling marked in a strange lead-up to pop pioneer headliners Pet Shop Boys, who stole the day as the sun died down.

“Here we are in the middle of London and here is a song about London,” Neil Tennant declared, the throbbing chords to West End Girls thrilling against strobes and art-pop stage theatrics.

Years & Years frontman Olly Alexander appeared for a duet on latest single Dreamland and Beverley Knight assumed the late Dusty Springfield’s vocals on What Have I Done to Deserve This?.

Where many acts yesterday felt nostalgic, Pet Shop Boys were still light years ahead of their peers.