Over the next six months, we are set to see One Direction mania in Sydney, with Harry Styles, Niall Horan and Louis Tomlinson all descending upon the Harbour City for their solo gigs. It was Tomlinson who kicked things off, having confronted a slightly embarrassing situation with the decision to downgrade his show from Afterpay Arena to the much smaller Hordern Pavilion before his Australian tour. Indeed, the Hordern Pavilion even seemed slightly too big a venue for Tomlinson, with the upper seats being roped off, which is never the best look. With that said, it is a credit to Tomlinson that he still came out and performed at a time when other artists like Stephen Sanchez, Charlie Puth and Usher have cancelled their shows when they haven’t met the requisite ticket sales.

Newcastle band Rum Jungle kicked off the show, bringing a youthful exuberance and fantastic energy to the crowd, most of whom came early for the openers. It was a great set of classic Aussie alt-rock and was very well received by the crowd. With a new album on the way, this is a band who are very much one to watch as their discography grows.

When Tomlinson took to the stage, there was a rush of screams befitting the fandom that the singer developed through One Direction and he started off strong with the powerful “Lemonade” to kick off the set. It was an energetic start, with his fantastic band behind him and the crowd immediately getting into the performance.

“I don’t spend too much time here but when I do I love it,” said Tomlinson. “I’ve got a good feeling about tonight.”

Tomlinson was heavily backed by his backing singers throughout the night but this only created a fuller sound and so it was perhaps a wise choice. Less wise was his decision to strip back the Foo Fighters’ “My Hero” into an acoustic version, which didn’t quite work, both musically and with the demographic in the room however, this was very quickly followed by a solo rendition of the One Direction hit “Night Changes” (which is arguably their most powerful song), and the crowd went absolutely wild, singing along as Tomlinson and his band took to the front of the stage to perform a laid-back version. It was a touching moment and one that very much felt like it was for the fans in the room, providing a reminder of the connection that Tomlinson still has with the legions of Directioners that catapulted him into stardom.

After some more laid-back songs in “Lazy”, “Sunflowers” and “Lucid”, he moved back to the main stage for some more upbeat fun, with “The Spark” being one of the highlights of the set thanks to its brash energy. It was a welcome change of pace and showed the more energetic side of Tomlinson’s solo material. Tomlinson engaged with the fans throughout the whole night, saying on more than one occasion how grateful he was to be there, which was a lovely touch given that he could have felt bitter about the downgrade but instead, he showed true generosity to his audience, which was very well received and helped create a warm atmosphere throughout the night. For his encore, he closed out with “The Answer”, “Miss You” and “Palaces”, which was a wonderful way to close out the night of music and send the crowd home with huge smiles.

Overall, this was a fun show with plenty of nostalgia for the One Direction fans in the room, as Tomlinson gave them everything they wanted. While his solo work doesn’t have the complexity and fire of Styles’ work or the listenability of Horan’s work, within the limitations of his discography, Tomlinson did a good job of engaging the audience and bringing them all together for a night of fun. While it may not be his new music bringing people in, there’s no doubt that this was a fun show for those drawn in by the One Direction nostalgia. Given that Tomlinson promised he’d be back, it’s clear that there will be more nostalgia to come.

Rating: ★★★★

Louis Tomlinson – Hordern Pavilion – 22 October 2026

All photo credits: Jonathan White @objetperdu