BST Hyde Park 2023: From ‘unworkable’ site to one of UK’s most successful festivals

It was another start-studded affair at this year’s BST (British Summer Time) Hyde Park concert series, with the likes of Bruce Springsteen, Take That, P!NK, Billy Joel, Guns N’ Roses, and Lana Del Rey making for a suitably eclectic edition of the annual festival. And it’s come a long way over the past decade, having initially been deemed ‘unworkable’ with regard to its proximity to residential areas, through to becoming one of the most revered gigs on account of its audio production values. Headliner headed to Hyde Park for two very different yet equally impressive shows and caught up with some of the team responsible for delivering its much-acclaimed sound…

Approximately halfway through Bruce Springsteen’s BST Hyde Park set on Thursday, July 6 – the first of two nights he’ll play as part of this year’s BST festival – the power of The Boss live becomes palpably apparent. Notorious for his mammoth three-hour sets, there are plenty of moments that tug at virtually every emotion it’s possible to feel at a gig. There are rushes of euphoria (Thunder Road, Dancing In The Dark, Born To Run), jolts of nostalgia (Glory Days), and swells of fist-pumping unison (Born In The USA) amongst the 50,000 strong crowd. There are also moments of heart-warming connection between Bruce and his most devoted fans as he hops down to the barriers for selfies with those in the most gleaming of golden circle positions. Yet it is during a heart-wrenching acoustic rendition of Last Man Standing – preceded by a moving tribute to old school friend and former bandmate George Theiss – that one truly understands the power he continues to wield as a live force.

In Headliner’s immediate vicinity, Springsteen veterans and first timers alike can be seen wiping tears from their eyes and biting hard on quivering lips. Multiple friends and acquaintances also report similar sights of grown men falling into one another’s arms and sharing stories about the role Bruce and his music have played in their lives. It’s profound stuff, serving as a beautiful reminder of the power of live music at its best.

Fast forward to Sunday, July 9 and Headliner is back in Hyde Park to see Lana Del Rey bring the 2023 BST festival to a close. It’s a very different demographic and a very different performance. In stark contrast the gusto that Springsteen brings to each and every performance, often sharing stories between songs, Del Rey cuts an almost spectral figure, as she glides across the stage in slow motion, as though walking through water. The strength of her voice lies in its fragility, with the crowd hanging on every delicately delivered syllable. Indeed, there is minimal interaction with the audience, save for a moment where she too floats down to the barriers to hug and take selfies with a handful of weeping fans.

While she may have only performed for 90 minutes in comparison with Springsteen’s three hours, the impact of her set is no less powerful. From the moment she sets foot on stage, Hyde Park, which resembles an ocean of mini-Del Reys, all white dresses and flowers in their hair, erupts in screams of excitement. Many are in tears before she has even sung a note; it’s an atmosphere that doesn’t relent and culminates with the closing Video Games prompting one of the most impassioned singalongs in the event’s history.

Two very different gigs though they may have been, each showcased not only the might of two very different artists at the top of their game, but also the quality of the sound system that has become the bedrock of this concert series on account of its versatility. Furthermore, they also served to highlight the incredible transformation of the site’s reputation as being unworkable for such events, to becoming one of the most acclaimed fixtures on the summer calendar.

“It’s easy to forget that it was as recent as 2012 that Hyde Park concerts were dogged by offsite noise pollution leading to neighbourhood complaints and the need to reduce sound levels on site — meaning that the audience struggled to hear performances and made for less impactful shows,” Dom Harter, managing director of UK-based pro audio specialist and loudspeaker manufacturer Martin Audio tells Headliner. “Coincidentally, 2012 was also the year that headliner Bruce Springsteen was controversially ‘switched off’ during his set, in order to comply with a strict curfew.

“However, in 2013, when new promoter and production AEG/Loud Sound came to the party, with the newly named British Summer Time festival (BST), they adopted Martin Audio’s Multi-Cellular Loudspeaker Array (MLA) system to help solve the noise pollution problem.

“Having conducted specialised tests with competing products, it was deemed that MLA in conjunction with DISPLAY optimisation software was the scientifically proven system capable of maintaining an offsite level beneath the stipulated 75dB(A) threshold, while also able to raise the levels up for the first time at the site above 100dB(A).”

System engineering this year was handled by Toby Donovan, who has worked every BST apart from last year. Other than slightly raising the main stage side hang to avoid it obscuring the screen, Solotech UK account manager, Martin Connolly, confirmed that “everything else was exactly the same as last year.”

Fellow BST veteran Jason Baird was once again called upon for propagation checks, particularly with regard to the 11 delays positions, which comprised many of Martin Audio’s larger format WPL systems. Working with acoustic consultants Vanguardia, he delivered data to Donovan to ensure the delay levels were set correctly, and that Martin Audio’s DISPLAY optimisation and predictive software was accurate and ready for showtime.

“As a result,” said Baird, “all headliners enjoyed good gigs, and were able to achieve their levels. There were many compliments from visiting engineers, but the main thing was a reduction in complaints.” This despite offsite levels being set at a challenging 75dB (LAeq5).

“It is the ability for DISPLAY software to manipulate and optimise 6 dedicated Class D amplifier channels per MLA enclosure for DSP control of individual cells that delivers unsurpassed accuracy in coverage and consistency,” Harter elaborated. “This includes the patented process of multiple goal setting that allows the user to tailor the optimisation process to meet various objectives simultaneously, enabling multiple goals to be achieved to address specific challenges in a given application. In the case of Hyde Park, this is about delivering the SPL profile control for the audience combined with a smooth and consistent distribution of sound while ensuring ultimate leakage control outside of the audience.”

Away from the main stage (Great Oak Stage), Solotech UK account manager, David Preston supervised three other stages around the site that carried Martin Audio: Rainbow Stage (MLA Compact, eight boxes per side with 12 SX218 subs and five MLA Compact front fill); Birdcage Stage (WPS, six per side, driven in 1-box resolution with six SX218 and XD12 front fills); and Cuban Garage Stage (WPS, six per side, driven in 2-box resolution, with four SX218 subs).

Commenting on the deployment, he said: “MLA Compact on Stage 2 worked well, covering an area of around 35m deep by 30m wide. We really needed to contain audio to that space only as we were right on the edge of the site, and we achieved this really successfully thanks to the use of ‘Hard Avoid’ [in the DISPLAY software] towards the rear of the audience area.” The other stages saw DJs and new acts play through ground stack systems. “But even in two-box resolution the WPS is very impressive with its SPL output, and its optimisation and coverage.”

Venue director and co-CEO of management company LS Events, Dave Grindle, praised the efforts of BST's technical production director Mark Ward (Proper Productions) and the teams at Solotech [who also provided video and lighting] and Martin Audio

“The considerable amount of work they put in previously redesigning the stage PA hangs really paid off, with the result that no further redesigns were required this year,” he said.

“I personally walk the site—particularly when the headline act comes on stage—to satisfy myself that we are achieving the best sound coverage possible, and I have no doubt that we delivered an amazing audio experience for our audiences.

“Given that we're working in an urban environment which is surrounded by densely populated residential areas, the numbers of complaints have been remarkably low since AEG first won the contract for the BST series 10 years ago. That said the tech teams and Vanguardia work hard to achieve a balance of an incredible experience for the fans while remaining within the licence conditions and minimising the impact on our neighbours.

“LS Events and AEG will always strive to ensure we're working with the absolute best technology available for this festival. The MLA system together with tech teams from Martin Audio, Solotech and Proper Productions continue to deliver that for us.”

For Harter, one of the most crucial aspects of the BST series has been the ability of Martin Audio to cater for such an eclectic range of artists, some of which arrive with very specific requirements.

“Our success has not come by simply copying and pasting the system design, year to year,” he says. “We look at ways to eek out every level of performance. This has come about over the years through a collaborative effort between rental production partner Solotech UK (previously as Capital Sound), Martin Audio and Loud Sound, with improvements to DISPLAY optimisation software and VU-NET control software; enhancements of system designs for main stage and delay towers; and new products coming on stream such as TORUS constant curvatures for side-fills or Wavefront Precision line arrays for greater flexibility on delay systems.

“There have even been times when a headline act has necessitated a unique sound system design such as for the Roger Waters show, in 2018, when an additional 12 hangs of MLA/MLA Compact on towers were positioned through the concourse for one night only. These provided a 12-point surround sound effect to give the audience an immersive experience that had them gripped from the beginning. Then in 2022, a new stage design afforded slightly longer length PA which brought both aesthetic improvements and critically sonic ones as well with yet more level being achieved at FOH.

"In 2023, a decade on from Martin Audio premiering on the site, the overall system has moved on, reflecting this consistent improvement drive. This year, the PA system comprised 38 MLA with two MLA-D downfills for the main hangs with a further 32 MLA and 2 MLA-D for side hangs. The front system is further emboldened with 32 MLA subwoofers and 12 MLA Compact for front fills and six TORUS 1215 for sidefills. Providing consistency and control though the field are 11 delay towers incorporating 35 MLA and 5 MLA-D, as well as hangs comprising 40 WPL and 16 WPC, supported with 12 SXHF218 subwoofers.”

On the matter of how the production teams can keep improving the sound quality at BST, Connolly concluded: “I couldn’t honestly see any improvement this year … but that’s because I think that would have been an impossibility! It’s always just been so consistent.”

You can listen to an exclusive interview with Martin Audio managing director Dom Harter and brand marketing director James King below or read in full here.