Live Report: Becky Hill commands the main stage with soaring vocals and the speech of the weekend

If there’s one thing Becky Hill has proven over the past few years, it’s that she can take dance music’s biggest hooks and make them soar in a live setting.

On the last night of this year's Electric Picnic, she did exactly that, delivering a headline performance that left the 80,000 strong festivalgoers grinning, stomping and shouting back every word under the Sunday night drizzle.

The former contestant from The Voice UK came out swinging with her arsenal of chart-toppers, unleashing the triple punch of ‘Lose Control’, ‘Afterglow’ and 'My Heart Goes (La Di Da)' early in the set. These were songs built for big stages, and Hill’s powerhouse vocals carried them far beyond their glossy studio sheen.

The set was carefully stitched together with remixes and covers that paid homage to dance culture’s lineage while putting her stamp firmly on the evening. There was even the live debut of the unreleased ‘Lost The Plot’, a pulsing track that already sounded like a future festival staple.

But it wasn’t just about music. Midway through her set, Hill took a pause to speak about Palestine, delivering what was surely the best speech of the weekend.

“I want to shout out Electric Picnic for having me here tonight, and for being what feels like one of the last remaining safe spaces where artists can speak about the atrocities happening in the world right now.

"We are living through a literal nightmare...while we dance safely here tonight. There are people around the world being forced from their homes, bombed, and starved to death.

"We must keep raising our voices against the war crimes and genocide being committed in Palestine. We must keep pressure on the politicians who are responsible for these atrocities. We must take note of this moment in history and remember the real version."

 

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Her words may have stated the obvious, but given the current climate for freedom of expression around the genocide in Gaza in the UK and the rest of Europe, they felt radical.

Just a week ago, The Mary Wallopers had their sound cut mid-set at Victorious Festival in the UK for displaying a Palestinian flag.

It was a reminder that Ireland remains one of the few places in the Western world where speaking out against the genocide in Palestine is still possible, and almost every act I saw over the weekend used their platform to do exactly that.

After big cheers of approval from the crowd, Hill got back into her set, closing with a three-track trio that was a masterclass in pacing and crowd control.

She launched into 'Swim', setting a euphoric, hands-in-the-air mood that had the crowd fully immersed. The momentum surged into 'Wish You Well', where she teased a remix at the end, giving the familiar hit a fresh, dancefloor-ready twist.

Finally, the the Brit Award-winner transitioned seamlessly into her David Guetta-assisted hit 'Remember', sending the crowd into a collective roar as confetti cannons exploded.

By the end, Becky Hill had not only delivered a string of unforgettable hits but had also cemented this year's picnic as the safe haven where artists can still speak out for the horrors of our world.