REVIEW: Louis Tomlinson
Words by Cassie Jones
The night had finally arrived: Riverstage was about to host one of the biggest names in pop rock, Louis Tomlinson; a former member of the infamous boy band One Direction and I was granted with the opportunity to capture it all; a dream come true.
Fans had anxiously lined up outside of Riverstage in Brisbane from 10am the day before, taking on the sweltering heat and constant changing weather conditions; showcasing a level of passion and dedication for the artist that only a fan could.
The night began with Meanjin’s rock duo Safety Hazard, the winners of the competition to find the newest sound in each of the three cities on the Faith in The Future Australian Tour and I had the privilege to be their photographer for the evening. Safety Hazard took to the stage with confidence and the practice of a well-established band, embracing the big crowds with open arms and interacting with the audience in the perfect way; their third band but most treasured band member member a traffic cone by the name of Sloane, a competition of who could scream the loudest and a rendition of Britney spears’ ‘Toxic’; a perfect recipe to introducing yourself as a band. The duo stunned the audience with some new songs and some old; playing their new single ‘Heartbreaker’ for the very first time to the patrons of Riverstage, along with going back in time to their first ever single ‘Shoot Me With a Gun’. Safety Hazard proved to the audience at Riverstage that the rock duo is a force to be reckoned with and as long as they continue to showcase the level of passion and pride they executed that evening, they’re not slowing down anytime soon.
As we progressed further into the evening, we were treated to a small set from Sea Girls, an indie rock band from London. The four men set the bar for professionalism and talent, debuting their newest single ‘I Want You To Know Me’ a sound of nostalgia to early 2000s hits; a song that had the patrons of Riverstage jumping up and down in the Summer air. The ability for Sea Girls to capture the audiences attention in the way they did, through their unique sound and unforgettable stage presence, is truly something to be admired.
It was finally time for Louis Tomlinson to take to the stage. The lights dimmed, the band started taking their positions on stage, playing the instrumental introduction to ‘The Greatest’ the first track off of the British singers’ sophomore album Faith in The Future, an album created solely for the live performance atmosphere. Fans were screaming, crying and screaming a little bit more in sheer anticipation for the singer to make his presence known to Riverstage and once he entered, his presence never truly left. Louis and the incredible DN4 band had patrons in immense states of awe and wonder throughout the entirety of the show; whether it was through drummer Steve Durham’s mesmerising solo in ‘Out Of My System’, effortless riffs in an Arctic Monkeys’ cover of ‘505’ from guitarists’ Michael Blackwell and Isaac Anderson, emotional piano synths in ‘Chicago’ and ‘Saturdays’ from pianist Zack Cranmer or the funky bass line from Matt Dinnage in‘Written All Over Your Face’.
Louis Tomlinson’s unique talent, passion, sound and stage persona are sheer examples of his ability to seperate himself from previous boyband One Direction and create a solo name for himself. Though Louis achieved that goal as an artist, it didn’t stop the singer from paying tribute to the memories of the band through reinvented covers with an edgier rock sound of One Direction’s songs such as ‘Where Do Broken Hearts Go’ and ‘Drag Me Down’; a perfect way to integrate the old fans with the new. Louis also payed homage to his debut album ‘Walls’ with a few tracks taking fans back to the beginning of his solo career, with nothing but pure respect and admiration for how far the singer has come
From the perfectly timed lights casting a rainbow hue over the crowd in ‘She Is Beauty We Are World Class’to the crowd shining a spotlight with their phones in emotional tracks such as ‘Angels Fly’ and ‘Saturdays’ Louis, the band, the stage production and the fans all came together as one, giving back to one another to create one of the most interactive and audience-based-give-and-take shows Riverstage has ever seen.
Louis’ ability to interact with every single member of the audience, the ability to show his gratitude and appreciation and not waste a single second of the show is a highly admirable trait of the British singer. Louis put on the show of a lifetime, making it well worthwhile for the wait between July 2022 and January 2024 for the singer to make his return to Australia. The passion and love emulating from not only Louis but from the fans was a true testament to just how loved and respected Louis Tomlinson is not only as an artist, but as a person too. The Faith in The Future World Tour is truly the tour of a lifetime and you can still have the opportunity to see Louis on the final show in Sydney of the Faith In The Future Australian Tour on February 2nd.