LIVE: HARRY STYLES – Perth, 20 Feb 2023

LIVE: HARRY STYLES – Perth, 20 Feb 2023
HBF Park, Perth, Western Australia – Monday, 20 February 2023
By Melanie Scrafton

Hey, Harry: you kept us waiting for this eagerly anticipated show! But that’s fair enough given the pandemic; releasing a third solo album; jetsetting around the globe with Love on Tour; being awarded Grammies, and all that!

For you, buddy, we will queue.

Harry Styles is a charismatic & talented gentleman, worthy of all the international accolades he’s given and – of course – his Perth show was very close to sold out. The hype for the One Direction star’s on-again/off-again solo Australian shows kicking off in Perth tonight has been relentless, literally for years.

The evening was warm with only a light breeze – probably too hot for the abundance of sequins and feathered boas on display by his incredible fan base, which appeared to be at least 75% teenage girls. The brightly dressed patrons were a beautiful sight amongst the eagerly dressed to impress crowd.

Support came from UK’s Wet Leg who are so naturally pretty and very talented, too. In my opinion their material sounds much better when performed live, and they entertained and interacted with the crowd, making them a superb support choice.

It was a neat trick playing One Direction during the intermission – it could even be a highlight of the night up to that point, gauging the crowd reaction. Suffice to say, the atmosphere was set for Harry’s ninety minute headlining set.

It’s difficult to accurately review the overall sound as my hearing may never recover, so loud were the crowd screaming. I can guarantee there will be some sore throats and hoarse voices in Perth the next day.

Harry performed against huge screens layered with visual effects, graphics and lights bright & beautiful all around him, with a six-musician backing band performing flawlessly.

Animated Harry works the entire stage throughout his energetic performance, whilst never dropping a note, though there were several times during the set I could hardly hear him from my position because of the screaming Stylemania-like crowd.

It was a nice touch by Harry to dedicate time to read crowd members’ homemade signs, and talk with his adoring audience. When the subject of the infamous ‘shoey’ [which in Australia bewildering means pouring a beverage into your own shoe then drinking it – Editor] comes up, it would seem Hazza was not keen on imbibing a drink from footwear himself [and who can blame him – Editor], but he gleefully encouraged crowd member Scott from Sydney to perform the act on camera. He must have become inspired by the scene: thereafter removing one of his own shoes, filling it from his water bottle and pouring it, albeit from a short distance into his mouth – to his own disgust. The crowd erupted again, obviously delighted by Harry channelling his inner Aussie bogan.

Although there were many highlights during the show, the crowd engagement with One Direction track What Makes You Beautiful was epic, and the surprise inclusion of Daryl Braithwaite’s Horses was another.

Now out of the somewhat restrictive cage that was One Direction, Styles showed what a bright talent he is when steering the ship solo. Perth loved his sensational show and will be sure to catch him again, given that he’s only 29 years old and undoubtedly has a long and wonderful musical career ahead of him.

Setlist:

Music for a Sushi Restaurant
Golden
Adore You
Daylight
Cinema
Keep Driving
Woman
Matilda
Little Freak
Satellite
Daydreaming
Treat People With Kindness
What Makes You Beautiful
Late Night Talking
Watermelon Sugar
Love of My Life

Encore:
Sign of the Times
The Horses
As It Was
Kiwi

 

 

Category: Live Reviews