Flower crowns, space buns and 70s inspired dresses donned the crowd at this concert. Lorde has returned. The ethereal princess returned to Manchester last night to a packed crowd at Victoria Warehouse.
The Kiwi singer kicked off a 23 song set, celebrating her album, Solar Power, which was released in August 2021.
The show was artfully constructed around a giant rotating sundial, which sat centre stage on top of a sun. Around it, the lights changed, reflecting the time of day from cool morning blues to fiery beach-side sunsets.
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Ella Yelich-O’Connor, or more commonly known by her stage name Lorde, opened the show from behind the sun. Her figure in profile as she sang to an adoring crowd.
For Homemade Dynamite she joins her neutral, emotionless, beige wearing band and dances solo on stage. By Buzzcut Season, she’s climbed the giant sundial, yet again standing profile and stationary.
This is one part concert, one part performance art show.
After the introductory songs, Lorde pauses to talk to the audience, she says: “I have been looking forward to this show all day. I walked around this city yesterday and today thinking how you’d be all day.”
She reminded the crowd that she opened the Melodrama tour here five years ago, describing the experience as coming ‘full circle’, before adding: “Right now though, are you ready to cry?” before swaying into Stoned at the Nail Salon while sitting inside the giant sun-like-orb.
Following this song was the first of three outfit changes of the night.
Fallen Fruit is met with the sundial changing times and Lorde sitting above it with a background of echoed images of her band in sun tones of oranges, reds and browns.
The entire show feels orchestrated, curated even. Lorde has transcended the ordinary concert format and taken it to a higher level of art.
The Path is followed by Ribs, a song Lorde wrote when she was just 15. Suddenly, Victoria Warehouse has become a club and the crowd are singing and bopping like the Hacienda’s 40th birthday.
Loveless is shortened to just three lines. Sat on the sundial, in front of a setting sun, Lorde sings Liability, while disappearing into the sun.
Another outfit change has happened for sunny tune Mood Rings. Supercut starts and the audience takes over. The sundial is spinning, the audience are screaming and dancing.
The sundial faces 11 o’clock at 10pm and Perfect Places is a perfect rendition. Solar Power has everyone enjoy the beachy beats before canons of gold are released onto the bopping crowd. Green Light causes more beautiful chaos, bathed in green lighting.
She ends with the more relaxed Oceanic Feeling before returning to the stage with three crowd favourites.
The encore kicks off with 400 Lux. The audience sings every word. The grand finale of the show should be Royals which is played to a frenzied audience.
However, the audience screams and she offers a final hit - Team.
