London Grammar’s lead singer said she hoped “music can bring us together” amid the “sad” state of the world, as the band headlined LIDO Festival.
The indie pop group captivated crowds at the show in London’s Victoria Park on a balmy Sunday night.
The band, made up of lead singer Hannah Reid, guitarist Dan Rothman, and keyboardist Dominic “Dot” Major released their latest album, The Greatest Love, in September last year.
Against a backdrop of raging conflicts around the world, Reid, 35, said the timing of the performance was “poignant” for her.
Addressing the festival crowd, she added: “I’m struggling to be honest, the world’s not a very nice place at the moment, and it’s really, really, sad.
“Sometimes I think being a musician and a singer doing these shows can feel a little bit self-indulgent, I guess, or that we’re here having a good time when so many people in the world are suffering.
“And I swore to myself that I would never, ever give a speech like this on stage.
“Day one, at the start of our career, I was like: ‘I’m never going to be that person.’ Because I’ve seen many men, many male musicians, no offence guys, give really long speeches that go on and on about the world.
“So I’m going to stop now because I’m not going to do that. But thank you so much for being here with us tonight. I wish the music can bring us together, just for a moment.”
Wearing a black top and black skirt, Reid said the band were “three friends who have always been best friends since day one”.
Her haunting vocals, which could equally feature on the soundtrack of a David Lynch film as headline act of a festival in Tower Hamlets, were in evidence as the band launched into their first song Hey Now.
Reid, who has spoken in the past of her “terrible stage fright” and building “a career off vulnerability”, cut a confident presence on stage despite having to restart her third song, Kind of Man, after forgetting the lyrics.
Appearing on BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour last month, Reid said the “process of becoming a mum” had given her the perspective to enjoy shows in a way that she previously struggled with when the band launched into the public eye over a decade ago.
Reid told the crowds on Sunday that the band’s other musicians had changed positions on stage for the first time.
She said: “We’ve been performing together for 15 years. This is the first time ever, and I wasn’t sent the memo, that the boys have switched around on either side of me.”
A hit with the audience was the band’s version of Nightcall – a cover of a Kavinsky song which became widely known after it was featured in the 2024 Paris Olympics closing ceremony.
Reid’s soaring vocals at the end of Wasting My Young Years also prompted cheers and applause from the crowd.
London Grammar fan Zoey Axton, 27, said she enjoyed the band’s “moody and electric set”.
Ms Axton, who is from San Francisco, USA, added: “It was the perfect vibe for a Sunday evening.”
The band formed after Reid and guitarist Rothman met while they were students at the University of Nottingham in 2009.
Sunday’s wider offering at Victoria Park had a contingent of dance artists in line with other LIDO festivals, headlined by UK bastions Charli XCX and Jamie xx, featuring Roísín Murphy and Neil Frances.
Reid previously said the festival would showcase “women being really strong and making themselves vulnerable at the same time”.
Other performers compiled by London Grammar for the festival included soul singer Celeste, Pip Millett, Wasia Project, and Maverick Sabre.
Named after Victoria Park’s historic Lido Field, the music series was announced last autumn.
