The last time Wet Leg performed in Sydney, nearly nine months ago as Splendour sideshows, they played two sold-out nights at the beloved Oxford Art Factory.
To give you a sense of scale, it would have taken the hyped Isle Of Wight duo a further 138 times selling out that venue in order to play to the same amount of people that are watching them this evening (3 March) as the support act for Harry Styles at Accor Stadium. The spectre of environments across their two Australian visits to date are like night and day – and yet, it's entirely to Wet Leg's credit they're able to translate between them.
It certainly helps that the band's self-titled debut is packed with punchy, hip-swinging guitar pop that already feels like it can shoot for the stars and land among the cheap seats.
The rumble of 'Wet Dream', the piercing and sassy 'Angelica' and the bouncy, urgent 'Ur Mum' are quick to rouse pockets of the stadium floor – even in spite of a persistent shower dripping down from the heavens above.
The latter, in particular, puts one of the band's best live tricks to full use – that being enlisting the audience to let out the loudest scream they possibly can. Spoiler alert: They don't need a second invitation.
Throw in a rousing rendition of their signature song 'Chaise Longue' for good measure, and Wet Leg have achieved something twofold in their all-important support slot. They've given those that have no idea who they are a reason to care, and those that were already invested prior to tonight a reason to stay on the bandwagon. Sometimes, it's ok to believe the hype.
Of all the tours that fell victim to the endless summer of cancellations around this time three years ago, perhaps the most publicly mourned was Harry Styles' return to Australia.
In what's become a curious twist, however, the megastar singer has transcended even popstardom itself in the ensuing years he was away from our shores – to the point that it could be successfully argued he is currently the most famous person in the world.
A whopping 140,000 tickets have been moved in Sydney alone just to get a glimpse of the man in action, with many fans taking the extra initiative of following the Australian dates in a Deadhead style (ask your parents, Gen Z). The fervour, the passion, the dedication. . . having Styles' famed Love On Tour down under feels like a moment of zeitgeist in and unto itself.
Of course, the million-dollar question remains as to whether Styles can justify his position at the top of the food chain, and performing at the same level of popular music's upper echelon on a grand stadium level. He's cleared the arena-rock category, as his previous headlining tour testified, but we're dealing with a very different kettle of fish here.
Harry Styles - image supplied
The answer to this question is one you expect to be slowly and methodically answered across the course of the evening – so imagine the surprise when he does so quickly and definitively within the very first song.
The faux-brass and food-sex nonsense of 'Music For A Sushi Restaurant' may be one of Styles' more divisive cuts critically, but in the room it kills. The fever-pitch audience is right in the groove with him, as are his genuinely astonishing backing band.
As for the man himself, he's indulging in his electric Gen-Z Mick Jagger charisma, skipping around with abundant joy and taking in the grandiosity of his performance environment – which, even after playing stadiums on his own for roughly a year at this point, surely hasn't gotten old just yet. Make no mistake: Harry Styles belongs here.
What follows is a show that any fan at any level can feel themselves connected to. This is meant in a twofold manner, as well: In terms of their degree of intensity and their location within the stadium.
Only know the hits? He's got you covered. 'Golden', 'Adore You', 'Sign Of The Times'. . . it's all here, and given that extra bit of gusto for good measure.
Know the entire catalogue back to front? He's got you covered. Some of the night's finest moments come when moving into the deep cuts, such as the stunning three-part harmonies in 'Matilda' and the rollicking 'Medicine' – a song that somehow has its own Wikipedia page, despite having never been officially released.
Up in the gods? He's got you covered. Styles makes the whole thing feel as intimate as. . . well, Harry's house. . . by constantly breaking the fourth wall and enlisting audience participation to create a communal experience.
Right up the front? He's got you covered. Styles routinely interacts with fans, creating a unique moment each night by reading fan's signs and sharing a moment with them.
Tonight, one lucky fan uses the opportunity to come out to her whole family, who are also in attendance. Styles gets the band to improvise some "coming out music", complete with chimes, and ties in the fan's coming-out with the ongoing Sydney WorldPride festivities.
Harry Styles - image supplied
Despite playing essentially the same set every night, it's moments like these that allow for every night to feel special and separate – in turn, validating those that have followed the tour.
As the blistering finale of 'Kiwi' sends the evening into overdrive for one last time, there is simply no denying what Styles and co. are offering up as part of the Love On Tour experience. If your own personal dream isn't coming true, then it's happening for at least a dozen people in your immediate vicinity.
Since breaking out on his own, Styles' musical career has headed solely in one direction: Up. Long may he ascend.
