When it came to the individual members of One Direction embarking on their inevitable solo careers, it would be a fair assumption that not many expected Niall Horan to emerge as one of the most successful. Sure, he hasn’t risen to Harry Styles’ level of manic fandom, but Horan, with his easy Irish charm, blend of boyish-yet-manly aesthetics, and accessible soft rock/pop has easily made a name for himself separate from his boyband peers; sorry Liam, Louis and Zayn.
Though, having said that about manic fandom, Horan was indeed in his adored rockstar element on the opening night of the Australian leg of his “The Show: Live on Tour” in Brisbane on Sunday night, where every little body movement earned a rapturous reception from the female-heavy crowd, where he often found his pleasant, impressive live vocals drowned out from audience sing-alongs, and, in a seeming-now-tradition of partaking in one of this country’s grossest traditions – that of the shoey – cracked open a beer on stage and downed it from his own shoe (“I apologise to Tamzin in wardrobe because this shoe won’t be able to be worn for a while”, he adorably noted on stage) to the expected idolization of on-lookers.
Before (and after) the shoey though, there was the music. And whilst this headlining show was in support of his most recent LP, last year’s The Show, the plucky performer made sure to honour both his records prior – 2017’s Flicker and 2020’s Heartbreak Weather – as well as fan the flame his supporters have for One Direction with a lush, acoustic-driven cover of “Night Changes”, lifted from their fourth (and last as a five-piece band) album Four.
As he got into the Aussie spirit with an “Aussie, Aussie, Aussie, Oi, Oi, Oi” chant, it felt quite fitting that he opened his show with “Nice To Meet Ya”, a rock-fuelled slice of Britpop that more than solidified his capabilities as a performer free from the bells and whistles of what many constitute a tour these days. Whilst the opening graphics alluded to an 80s synth-inspired production, it was largely Horan, his sweet voice, his sensible band, and his own musical accompaniments that kept the 90 minute show rolling along; if he wasn’t playing the guitar, he was tinkering on the piano or delighting with the harmonica.
The closest we ever did get to anything resembling the 80s neon that his initials were often emblazoned in behind him was the inspired “Save My Life”, but given the roars of approval for each song choice and deafening crowd participation – during the flirtatious rock of “On a Night Like Tonight” he put the microphone down to let the Brisbane Entertainment Centre rumble with the choir synchronized mentality of the audience – it was clear that the singer didn’t need to adhere to a theme. Everyone was there to hear the man sing.
As he dabbled in the romance of “Black and White”, the light reggae backbeat of “Heartbreak Weather”, the soothing summertime vibe of “On The Loose”, and incorporating the familiar riff of “Edge of Seventeen” to his own “Small Talk”, it ultimately culminated in the bass-heavy, funk-meets-folk “Slow Hands” (arguably Horan’s most popular solo venture); the song’s surprising sexual nature feeling like a fitting end to a show that highlighted his subtle on-stage swagger.
Whilst those attending Horan’s show are likely to be heavily coded in One Direction lore and have followed his solo career without missing a beat, you’d be hard pressed as a casual listener to not be utterly impressed by his presence and ability as a musician. The stigma that seems to come from “boyband” beginnings (or, even worse, a reality TV show) is something Horan has evidently out-manoeuvred if his “Show” is anything to go by. If it was nice to meet us from his view, then it was an absolute pleasure in return.
FOUR STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
Tickets for the remaining Australian dates of “The Show: Live on Tour” are available here though his official website. Niall’s latest album, “The Show”, is out now through Capitol Records.
