So you might have heard there was a gigantic festival going on in the London Borough of Hackney last weekend [23rd - 24th June] which featured some of the world's biggest popstars, as it's been virtually the talk of the town for the past week or so. With artists such as Tinie Tempah, Example, Nicki Minaj, Jessie J, Leona Lewis and Ed Sheeran all topping the bill on the main stage with Jay-Z and Rihanna headlining on respective days, it was with no surprise that BBC Radio 1's Hackney Weekend tickets were, by far, the hottest in the UK in the run-up to the event.
 |
| Jay-Z turns up the heat during his headlining gig |
 |
| RiRi dazzles the Hackney crowd on her final swansong |
 |
| Lana Del Rey steals the hearts of many esteemed Londoners with her mesmerizing ensemble |
Saturday's proceedings were brilliant, with Leona Lewis opening the event and a barrage of top Hackney, London and UK artists following her performance across a range of stages helping to reign down the fact that the Olympics is well and truly coming to the capital - and with style. After watching the well rehearsed Jay-Z smash the main stage on Saturday night with a pulls-all-the-stops performance which featured a pinch of Rihanna and and a dash of Kanye, the crowd truly witnessed hip-hop royalty on stage that night. This again set up brilliantly for a vibrant Sunday afternoon which would feature an electric performance from Tinie Tempah on the main stage and a captivating and emphatic performance from the beautiful Lana Del Rey on the In New Music We Trust Stage which was preceded by Enter Shikari all gearing toward a headlining performance from Rihanna.
 |
| Tinie Tempah sends the main stage crowd into a frenzy with his hectic set |
 |
| The Enter Shikari boys lead with their political manifesto of an album |
 |
| Kasabian add a touch of guitar to the main stage festivities |
Have a look at some of the performances from our picks of the day Kasabian, Tinie Tempah, Lana Del Rey, Nas and Enter Shikari...
Words: Tendai Taruvinga
