Mighty Hoopla review: Kesha, JADE and Kate Nash bring political bite as they dominate UK’s top pop festival 

Up-for-it revellers in their tens of thousands descended on London’s Brockwell Park at the weekend for two days of nostalgia-inducing hedonism. 

From pop throwbacks Vengaboys and Pixie Lott to reality stars Heidi Montag and Erika Jayne as well as Eurovision legends Lulu and Loreen, and even a VIP area takeover by Greggs (yes, the bakery), there’s a reason why Mighty Hoopla is widely regarded as the UK’s biggest pop festival. 

Bursting at the seams with huge names – including two UK festival headline exclusives in the form of Ciara and Kesha – the line-up balanced British staples and stateside favourites.  

Saturday saw Jamelia make everyone feel like superstars before Jojo – who was later joined by Craig David – got the huge audience belting along to ‘Too Little Too Late’ and ‘Leave (Get Out). As the evening rolled round, Dannii Minogue made a surprise appearance to introduce Rolling Stone UK cover star JADE who, sporting a cowgirl outfit, delivered a flawless solo show that also made time for an exhilarating medley of Little Mix classics. 

The action of the first day was capped off by American R&B queen Ciara who, sporting a Union Jack headpiece and British flag, weaved her biggest hits (including fan-pleasing opener ‘Goodies’ and a formidable closing trio of ‘Like A Boy’, ‘1, 2, Step’ and ‘Level Up’) into an hour-long 19-song set; though some on socials questioned her reliance on backing track, there was no doubting her charisma and dance skills. 

Sunday, comparatively, was a more dancefloor-primed affair – with a touch of punk thrown in for good measure. Viral club artist Inji turned her tent into a late-afternoon rave, pouring shots into the mouths of those on the front row while performing her satire-fuelled party bangers; as a precursor to TikTok hit ‘GASLIGHT’, she had crowd members calling out their awful exes. Later, at the main stage, the entire park united in elation when Swedish two-time-Eurovision-winner Loreen finally unleashed ‘Euphoria’ near the close of her cinematic, gradually-building performance. 

At the festival’s second open air stage, the penultimate act of the weekend, Kate Nash and The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, added a touch of – as comedian compère Jayde Adams put it – “culture” to proceedings. “It’s been 20 fucking years,” Nash shouted before climbing into the crowd during debut album throwback ‘Mouthwash’; as Hoopla rightly declared on socials, she is punk-rock. A politically-incensed one-two of her new single ‘GERM’ and debut album highlight ‘Dickhead’ meanwhile followed Nash’s impassioned speech berating transphobia in mainstream media; “the dinosaurs will die” she concluded, 24 hours after JADE led her crowd in an anti-J.K. Rowling chant.

Such strong messages continued to resonate when Sunday night headliner and “newly free woman” Kesha arrived on the main stage. “First things first, we do not stand abuse in my house,” she shouted before instructing the crowd to put their middle fingers up ahead of show opener ‘TikTok’, which saw the first line suitably amended to “fuck P Diddy”. Following an on-screen clip of Piers Morgan’s infamous “human flesh” interview with actor Armie Hammer, she vehemently squeezed a heart, blood dripping down her white dress before waving a knife around, Carrie-style, during ‘Backstabber’. Dialling down the choreography and theatrics after Pitbull-collab ‘Timber’, she showcased her impressive vocal range – particularly during the sway-along ‘Hate Me Harder’ and raw storytelling of ‘Praying’, the latter for which she was joined by the Trans Voices choir. 

Things took a wilder turn as the hour progressed: while the whirring ‘Take It Off’ saw Kesha catch flying garments (after a callout for jockstraps and to “see some titties”), that was nothing compared to the raunchy performance that accompanied her newest singles, ‘BOY CRAZY.’ and ‘JOYRIDE.’. After crawling atop a dinner table that called to mind Leonardo da Vinci’s The Last Supper painting – and having several three-way kisses with her male backing dancers – she mimicked oral sex on a banana held at one of their crotches. It was far from your average Sunday service, that’s for sure. 

As a troupe of performers waving Trans Pride flags joined Kesha for final song ‘Die Young’, the festival’s celebratory vibe was totally unconquerable. 

With a debut European voyage scheduled to take place in late September in Malta, with another Little Mix star, Leigh-Anne, and Spice Girl Melanie C, headlining – there’s still a chance for those who missed out on the British original to jump on board.