As fans gathered from 7am to see one of their idols, Louis Tomlinson, take to the stage at Sydney’s Qudos Bank Arena for the first time as a solo artist, the former One Directioner made a candid admission.

“I didn’t know if I’d ever get back on a stage like this.”

In the band, each of the members had their niche that has carried forth into their solo careers. Harry had the Freddie Mercury-esque charisma, Zayn had the voice, Niall had the earnestness and Liam had the controversial streak. For Louis, his immediate strength was perhaps less obvious than his compatriots, from watching him live it is clear Louis has a charm that is unique to him. His Yorkshire accent gives his voice a certain distinctiveness and his ability to be vulnerable yet confident on stage allows audiences in and facilitates true connection. Everything that is required of a top solo artist. 

The connection Tomlinson has with his fans was immediately evident when he first hit the stage. A sea of phone cameras immediately rose up to the ceiling, eager to capture the moment when the headliner first graced the stage. 

The start of Tomlinson’s set was electric, with “The Greatest” and “Kill My Mind” being particular highlights. Without a doubt, the standout performances of the show were when Tomlinson sung the songs that brought him into the limelight with One Direction. A powerful cover of “Drag Me Down” had the whole audience collectively screaming before his encore of “Where Do Broken Hearts Go” finished off the concert in style. Perhaps the audience was wishing that Tomlinson performed a few more songs from the One Direction days and this may have been a wise move but even so, these moments were certainly crowd favourites. 

While the beginning of the show and the encore showcased Tomlinson at his finest, the middle of the show dragged slightly. Tomlinson is an excellent songwriter and the influences of the Arctic Monkeys and similar bands are clearly apparent in his writing however, after a while, his songs started to sound quite similar and repetitive, which was also felt by the audience as the excitement died down a little. 

Tomlinson was at his best when backed up by his outstanding band and supporting vocalists. Although they drowned him out at times, this did not bother the audience one bit who were having the time of their lives jamming out to great music, especially at the start of the show. In the few moments where Tomlinson took the microphone solo and unaccompanied, he sounded woefully exposed, with pitch and tuning issues clearly evident. Not being the strongest singer, his backing band allowed him to deliver a strong performance which kept his fans happy whilst not exposing some of the weaknesses in his voice. 

Tomlinson displayed charisma throughout the performance, keeping his fans engaged with regular quips about his gratitude for being on the stage and about his time in One Direction. This was important, given the litany of stars who seek to disavow their boy band past as soon as they possibly can. Most of Tomlinson’s fans were clearly from the One Direction days so not alienating those large groups was certainly a wise move. 

Ultimately, this was a performance that would evoke a lot of nostalgia for those who fell in love with One Direction as teenagers and young adults. Tomlinson still possessed all of the charm that made One Direction so popular and delivered a show to keep his legions of loyal fans happy and satisfied. While the jury is still out on whether the strength of Tomlinson’s music will allow him a lasting career as a successful solo artist, one thing is certain: there is no shortage of goodwill for Louis Tomlinson and there is no doubt that this will continue to be the case for a long time. 

Rating: ★★★1/2

‎Faith In The Future World Tour – 2^nd February, 2024.  

Photo credit: Glenn Pokorny