Mighty Hoopla 2024: Jessie Ware closes festival with sublime headline set

Despite fears early last week ‘Muddy Hoopla’ didn’t really transpire and the weekend went by without much need to worry about slipping and sliding through thick mud. On Sunday (2 June) the sun eventually came out, the music was good, and drinks were flowing. Spirits were already high. Cue Jessie Ware.

As she mentioned during her set, Mighty Hoopla was the That! Feels Good! singer’s first headline UK show. And it couldn’t have been a more fitting crowd and it also couldn’t have gone much better. After being introduced by her mum, the iconic Lennie Ware, Jessie delivered a set worthy of the closing headliner slot. Dressed in a silver bodysuit with wings and a sign reading ‘The Pearl’ hanging in the background Jessie Ware gave the girls, the gays, and the theys everything they wanted – a camp old time.

Starting with ‘That! Feels Good!’ Jessie made her way through several tracks from her most recent album, as well as some from 2020’s What’s Your Pleasure. The vibe was groovy and energetic, ensuring we ended Hoopla 2024 with a sense of pure elation. After songs like ‘Shake the Bottle’, ‘Ooh La La,’ ‘Begin Again,’ and ‘Remember Where You Are’ Jessie brought out the first of her special guests – Gossip’s Beth Ditto for a spectacular rendition of ‘Standing in the Way of Control’ which drove the crowd wild.

Halfway through her set, I heard someone behind me say, “She’s fucking amazing!” which is the simplest and most accurate review there could be. As well as the high-energy numbers that had the audience dancing and singing along, Jessie also took a beat to slow down, showcasing her incredible crystal-clear vocals in singing the beautiful and emotional ‘Say You Love Me’. The crowd couldn’t help but sing along to which Jessie warned ‘Don’t waste your battery!’ clearly hinting we’d need our voices for later.

Among the songs covered in the rest of the set were ‘Freak Me Now,’ ‘Hot N Heavy,’ ‘What’s Your Pleasure?’ and ‘Spotlight,’ – all brilliant. Then we got the second of Jessie’s special guests – Sink the Pink who joined the singer for the celebratory ‘Beautiful People.’ After that Jessie did her take on Cher’s ‘Believe’ (One of the only covers of the song we’ll actually listen to!) before bringing out the trans-led charity Not A Phase who carried multiple trans flags out with them. Here, Jessie launched into the joyful, defiant, and ultimately heartwarming ‘Free Yourself,’ providing only the most epic of climaxes.

All in all an extremely well-polished set with Jessie’s soulful and angelic voice soaring over the entirety of Brockwell Park and maybe even the whole of South-west London. Jessie clearly loved being there and her adoring fans loved her being there too. That! Felt good!