Harry Styles live in London review: Stadium euphoria from a popstar who can do it all
On the first night of a record-breaking run at Wembley Stadium, Harry Styles proves why he's able to conquer the biggest stages of all.
By Ben Jolley
The deafening screams of 90,000 fans that soundtrack Harry Styles’ arrival on the Wembley Stadium stage are no surprise considering how many times he has played the iconic venue.
Having first performed there with his former band One Direction back in 2014, he returned for a solo residency in 2023 as part of his Love On Tour. Now, three years later, in support of his fourth album Kiss All The Time. Disco, Occasionally he’s back home to kickstart a record-breaking 12-night run that will see him perform to almost one million people.
The sense of occasion isn’t lost on the effortlessly charismatic chart-topper. His mum and sister – who, he shares, signed him up for X Factor auditions and drove him to neighbouring Wembley Arena 16 years ago – are among the sold-out audience for this particularly sentimental London opening night of the Together, Together tour.
From the moment that Styles starts running around a stage which covers nearly the entire crowd, the 90,000 strong crowd is having the time of their lives. Starting with the fittingly-titled ‘Are You Listening Yet?’, a sea of pink feather boas, sequins, cowboy hats and handmade signs bounce together (as well as a good number of action figures). As for the man himself, the stage allows him to put in the kind of mileage which makes you thoroughly unsurprised he’s been making light work of marathons.
The strength of the pinstripe-suited star’s discography is such that he can afford to dispense five huge hits – including a guitar-led ‘Golden’ and a massive ‘Adore You’ singalong – within the first 25 minutes. Rare for an artist from boyband beginnings (perhaps aside from Take That’s Robbie Williams), there is real diversity to Styles’ setlist: seconds after interpolating Underworld’s hedonistic classic ‘Born Slippy’ into ‘Taste Back’, the show takes a very different turn.
With Mariana and the Music Box Strings joining Styles’ band for several numbers, an orchestral ‘Coming Up Roses’ has friends up front waltzing together while those in seats light up the stadium with their phone torches. While there are no guest appearances, 1D fans are catered for thanks to the string quartet’s stunning classical covers of ‘Night Changes’ and ‘History’ and gives Styles’ concert an extra, somewhat unexpected, dimension.
Elsewhere, a conga-igniting ‘Treat People With Kindness’ paired with elements of Talking Heads’ ‘This Must Be the Place’ and Paul Simon’s ‘You Can Call Me Al’ makes Styles’ influences clear. Later, a tribute to the artist David Hockney, who passed away on the same day and painted a portrait of Styles in 2022, feels incredibly poignant.
During an acoustic rendition of ‘Fine Line’, countless red paper love hearts are raised, while one group lays down on the floor to take it all in. “Seeing what you all create together, this community and energy, I’ve never felt so hopeful for the future,” Styles beams.
While he is expectedly front and centre throughout the performance, his brilliant dancers and band – including a saxophonist – help to enhance this feeling of unity, especially when they join him at the end of the runway. “It’s so wonderful to be home,” Styles enthuses, shouting out the new and familiar faces that he’s spotted in the audience.
Throughout the night, Styles proves that he can do it all: perfect pop songs (‘American Girls’, ‘Pop’), euphoric rave bangers (a strobe-heavy ‘Aperture’ as the sky darkens) and even a rock epic (‘Sign of the Times’ is paired with a spectacular firework display). There’s still one last smash to unleash, however. ‘As It Was’ sends everyone home full of joy, as Styles completes one final, well-earned victory lap of the stadium, capping off a faultless return to Wembley.