Three years after tickets first went on sale, Harry Styles re-emerged onto UK stages with a new album Harry’s House to show off. Styles left a smile, and a few tears on fans faces, and a hole in our bank accounts as he captivated the Ethiad Arena with his iconic dance moves, infectious energy and effortless style.
Opening the show with angelic vocals and emotional yet relatable ballads, Mitski was a breath of fresh air in the 33 degree heat that evening. Her TikTok famous song ‘Nobody’ and unique Butoh style dance moves had the stadium swaying along. However, her microphone definitely needed ramping up. In the buzz of the crowds, it was difficult to fully hear the lyrics and intonations during the set. As in her final tune, Mitski danced around a door, almost knocking on for Harry to come out, the energy in the audience was ecstatic.
Starting in style
As ‘Music for a Sushi restaurant’, the funky opening tune on ‘Harry’s House’ rang out, Harry burst onto the stage in a stylish top and dungaree combo to screams of applause. Harry’s enthusiasm at performing in his home city radiated through the stadium as he waved up to his mum and reminisced about going to see the football at the Ethiad as a child, and auditioning for the X Factor.
Fans were treated to favourites from across Harry’s three albums as the show rollercoasterd from summer anthem ‘Lights Up’ during which Harry pranced across the stage with a pride flag, to the intimate and reflective ‘Matilda’. It was a shame however that the tour became a mix between a Fine Line and Harry’s House tour, as popular Fine Line hits ‘Falling’ and ‘She’ didn’t make the set list.
‘I love you’
Before performing his cathartic first solo hit ‘Sign of the Times’ Styles prompted the audience to turn to each other and say ‘I love you’; he created a hopeful atmosphere of unity as he chatted with audience members about breakups and baby names. As the sky darkened and people waved their torches in the air, the sea of fans singing along was quite mesmerising.
Harry’s rendition of top One Direction hit ‘What Makes you Beautiful’ was a huge crowd pleaser as fans busted out classic boyband dance moves. Throughout, the brightly coloured staging and clever graphics mirroring Harry’s lyrics on the big screens ensured the show popped even for those near the back of the stadium.