Harry Styles: Together Together Night One
Harry Styles has had a subdued album cycle compared to what many fans come to expect. Things in camp Styles appeared a little shaky around the release of his fourth album, 'Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally.' Critics were relatively lukewarm with their response, for the first time in Harry's career. They believed the record was understated, and the lyrics were so opaque that they sounded suspiciously meaningless.
We can't take the critics' word for everything, though. If the general public believed critics, Ed Sheeran would still be busking, and as Noel Gallagher said, "Thom Yorke could shit in a lightbulb, and Mojo would give it 9/10". The public's response was muted, though both of the album's singles, 'Aperture' and 'American Girls', hit Number One in the UK, each spending a week at the top. The lead single from 'Harry's House', 'As It Was' topped the chart for ten weeks.
He's a victim of his own success. Then we come to the tour, rather than a traditonal tour, which would see Styles travel the world playing in various countries, sometimes in multiple cities, he is instead playing lengthy residencies at several venues. The ten shows at Amsterdam's Johan Cruijff Arena are the only shows in mainland Europe, with several more lengthy sojourns at venues in London, São Paulo, Mexico City, New York City, Melbourne and Sydney.
Despite some backlash from fans and the mass media, every show is sold out, and they sold out in record time. A large number of tickets made re-sale with some fans unconvinced and disapointed by Style's new dance sound.
Twelve consecutive nights at Wembley is a feat not even Taylor Swift’s Eras tour could match. Here, it suggests, is a man who’s not only pulled off one of the hardest tricks in pop, the journey from manufactured boyband member to respected solo artist is a notoriously thorny one. You’d have to look back to George Michael’s post-Wham! career to find even a vague equivalent.
Coming into the biggest shows of your career with a point to prove seems to have benefited Styles. Even the subdued songs from 'Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally.' are greeted with favour that is almost Beatlemania-esque, Styles is quite simply the biggest pop star on the planet.
Fans have a point, though; these songs have come to life in a live setting. They feel punchier, have been interpolated with heavier instrumentation and samples. Take 'Taste Back', which has a sample of 'Born Slippy'. 'Ready, Steady Go!' seems more vital and alive performed by Styles in the middle of the audience; maybe this was the plan all along. Styles made a record inspired by his time in Berlin, and after listening to LCD Soundsystem, aided by the anonymity and phone-free policies of techno clubs, so why are we surprised that these songs work in the communal setting?
The show in Amsterdam, makes Harry's intentions clear quickly. Starting the show with short video plays, showing the 32-year-old star walking through a woodland, as a woman’s voice asks overhead: “Harry, are you coming out tonight?” (This voice is reportedly Harry’s friend Carla, of 'Carla’s Song', who appears to be a driving force behind Harry’s recent club era
From here on in it's wall to wall bangers. 'Are You Listening Yet' makes for an electrifying opener, which sees Styles use all of the stage, getting as close to his fans as possible. None of these fan interactions feel like a gimmick, or a planned viral moment, they are warm and full of sincenrity. Something that isn't always the case in modern pop shows of this stature.
Following hot on the heels of the opener is a stacked run of ‘Golden’, ‘Adore You’ and ‘Watermelon Sugar’. But it never feels like the setlist dips, the pop star maintaining the glee his biggest hits naturally build. New song ‘Italian Girls’ is a juddering instrumental that opens with the star instructing, “Put a bell on your bicycle” before getting stuck into its loops and electronic layers
This part of the set ends with It all comes to a head with ‘Carla’s (Satellite) Song’ a mash up of a fan favourite on 'Harry's House' and the final (and best) song on his most recent offering. Styles offers some background on it's conception in the clubs his friends took him out to, and the need to be open to experiences. “Your life is waiting for you to grab it and waiting for you to let it in,” he explains.
“This is about being open to people,” adding, “To put your phone down and go out for a night can change your life. It changed mine.”
The arena doesn’t need telling twice, and they take the song to new heights with chants, clapping and dancing that continues well into the next track, ‘Aperture’.
I don't anyone doubted how good 'Aperture' would be live getting tens of thousands of people to scream "We belong together” was always going to garner a huge reaction. 'Matilda' slows things down, and acts as the comedown in the encore.
Ending the show is his biggest hit. 'As It Was’ and it gives Harry one last chance to indulge in the high, putting his marathon training to good use as he dashes around the perimeter of the stage over and over again.
Pop music has been quite risk adverse in recent memory, watching the biggest one on the planet do something different, unexpected a see him educate fans on Underworld, Talking Heads whilst embracing The Fall and Freddie Mercury, it's certainly quite something.
Styles is easing into his role as the most important pop artist of his generation, and unlike when he first started in the music industry. This is all being done on his terms, he puts it best on the end of his most recent record, "I know what you like, I know what you really like".
Yes Mr Styles you do.