Taking to the stage late at Glastonbury last month because of 'hair styling complication's - and subsequently getting her set cut short - was not an unusual occurrence for Lana Del Rey. In fact, the Manhattan-born singer-songwriter’s habit of unpunctuality has become something of a reluctant quirk for fans; inconvenient, but not unexpected. Judging by her audience here on this overcast yet humid London afternoon, her diva-like tendencies are merely confirmation that she can, and will, do whatever she wants - and her crowd will love her for it.
Lana Del Rey is, after all, a star in every sense of the word. The energy at Hyde Park today feels less like a conventional performance with a distinct separation between fan and artist, and more of an organised and incredibly personal gathering of worship. From the earliest of hours in the day, flocks of obsessed fans, kitted out in flowing dresses with cigarettes stylishly hanging from mouths, make their descent on the field, hoping to get as close to their subject of intense infatuation as the awkward stage barriers will permit.
