Live Review: Louis Tomlinson World Tour
29 July 2022 at HBF Stadium, Mount Claremont (Perth)
Review by Sheldon Ang
Photos: Sheldon Ang Photography
The sonic god has struck a deal with the great Walls of uncertainly. After two years in hibernation, pilgrims of the enigmatic cult look to behold as they cast their eyes, ears, spirits and hysteria towards a single direction.
“Perth, this is the last show of the Tour (in Australia)…me coming here as a Brit and still playing a sold out to this show makes it the best day of my life…you guys are f–king amazing …”
At twenty five past the hour, the 30-year-old singer songwriter from Doncaster graced the stage in a Burberry shirt to the rambunctious decibels of a RAF Tornado, thanks to the collective vocal amplifiers of teenage cohorts of present day and yesteryears.
Setlist opener We Made it from the Tomlinson’s debut solo 2020 album Walls was a symbolic spark to the night in more ways than one after a successful world tour, selling out in global arenas across America and Europe including the iconic Wembley Arena – which was a significant night given it was where four other young men interwoven with him by X Factor in 2012, forming One Direction. Drag Me Down from 1D’s 2015 album Made in the A.M was performed soon after, sparking the first of the three One Direction tracks of the night.
Inevitably the fan frenzy had reached full craze mode, as the 5,000 of the rowdiest but the most beautiful sounding backup singers from Perth were reciting the gospels of Walls. Some were on their knees, sipping and twirling in a concoction of euphoria and hysteria, while others were on shoulders, holding love infested placards, hoping to capture the attention of Louis. Everyone else was on their feet including those in the upper reaches.
A bevy of young fans on pole position mentioned they had been camping at the doorsteps of HBF Stadium since 2 a.m., or almost 20 hours before T minus zero – certainly a worthy mention considering Perth had been drenched by a cold and wet spell of wintery blast. Another fan skipped a funeral presided over in the east – which would normally be a satirical reason for not missing out on the AFL Grand Final, but “You got to do what you got to do” – which probably sums the catastrophic obsession for one of the pillars of One Direction.
Louis Tomlinson and his band dazzled the night through a rock-esque sonic rendition through booming bass, drums and kicks accompanied by scintillating end to end riffs – which is surprising, but not a revelation considering his influences are the likes of Oasis, Kings of Leon and Catfish and the Bottlemen – with the latter two sharing the honour on stage through the cover of Beautiful War and 7. The band gelled exceptionally well as a tight unit, with moments felt as if Louis was the permanent frontman of a world class rock band.
Many were singing to What Makes You Beautiful during the interval before the encore. Perhaps it would be almost sacrilegious to perform the smash hit without the other four, thus leaving the other One Direction hits to Little Black Dress and Through the Dark, before ending the night with Kill My Mind from Walls.
Gone are the preconceived and presumptuous notions where members of boy bands are no more than exquisite looking props to charm the hearts of teenage fans. Yes, Louis is a good-looking English lad, but boy can he really sing and perform, hitting the notes while interweaving through choreography. The singer songwriter – who had written over 30 songs for One Direction, propagates an immense talent with the knack to translate personal experiences into lyrics, oozing the je nais se quois enshrouded by the palpable sincerity while performing the likes of Two of Us, Walls, Always You, Defenceless and Fearless. His time at One Direction had undoubtedly provided him the best possible training for stage presence – which resonated on the night as he homed his craft by being engaging – without being corny.
While the album Walls is not the seminal piece the casual listeners would dance to, the live performance version is a different beast from another dimension, engraving Louis Tomlinson as a world class, solo artist in his own right.
The writer would like to thank Live Nation Australia for the Press Accreditation. Click the link for tickets and information to some of the most anticipated concerts (Harry Styles, Kendrick Lamar, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, to name a few)
About the Writer/Photographer: Sheldon Ang is the founder of Sheldon Ang Media. Despite the recent launch in May, SAM has photographed and reviewed the most sought-after arena/stadium concerts in Perth, namely The Kid LAROI, Guy Sebastian, Glass Animals, Gang of Youths, Amy Shark and SYNTHONY 2022 – with many more to come.
Sheldon was also the Chief Photographer and Principal Writer for “Around the Sound” where he had interviewed over 50 artists including members of KISS, Guns N Roses, Bon Jovi, Motley Crue, INXS, Jefferson Starship and Europe. That site has been removed from cyberspace by their founder in April.
