Under moody grey skies, Hozier crooned to his sold-out crowd at Brisbane's The Riverstage (18 November) who watched on with reverence and wonder, swaying in tandem to music filled with the wild fragility of life, love and loss.
With his gloriously curly hair blowing in the stormy summer breeze, raspy warm vocals and charismatic presence, Hozier (aka Andrew John Hozier-Byrne) is no stranger to the stage and his comfortable confidence made for a mesmerising performance.Hozier fans were both vocally forward (read: catcalls and proclamations of love) AND quietly reverent, swaying gently to each song and mindful of each other in the crowd.
Flanked onstage by a collection of talented musicians, the proudly-Irish Hozier wandered through a set list of crowd favourites, old hits and a few more obscure tracks.
Each member of his musical team commandeered multiple instruments, blending the sounds of guitars, a violin, cello and a banjo plus a range of percussion instruments, synths and keyboards; and almost everyone added their vocals to each track creating a glorious melding of sounds.
Image © Keely Baker
Behind him was a wall of nature-inspired visuals, slowly shifting from a star-filled sky to ancient trees to waterscapes and mountain ranges – adding a melancholy, moody touch to the show.
His set list of 24 songs included 'De Selby (Pt 1 & 2)', 'Jackie And Wilson', 'Dinner & Diatribes', 'From Eden’, songs from 2024 including 'Too Sweet' and cult classics 'Take Me To Church', 'Cherry Wine', 'Someone New' and 'Would That I'. Ending his encore on arguably his most iconic track 'Work Song', Hozier played songs across a range that would've surely satisfied both old and new fans.
Watching Hozier onstage, it's easy to see his years of touring experience play a part making it all seem effortless. This confidence was tempered with an ebullient gratitude as he gave thanks to not only his musicians onstage, but his entire touring crew. Even after so many shows, he seemed genuinely grateful to his fans and happy to perform songs he must have played thousands of times by now.
The most telling sign of his success as an artist is the focus and fixed attention of the crowd. Listening intently not only to every song, but also to his chatty banter in between tracks.
Add in the cheers when he gave an impassioned speech in his encore about acceptance, and having awareness and appreciation for all the things in life we take for granted, and you can see Hozier understands his audience and the universal issues everyone grapples with.
Image © Keely Baker
His music has long been a conduit for people to access their deeper emotions, their unexpressed hopes and dreams, their sadness and despair and their frustration and pain. His lyrics have made people swoon and seek more in their lives and relationships, and he became a viral TikTok trend because of how romantic his lyrics are.
The melodies weave themselves into the fabric of your cells and the combination of all of this is to leave you feeling filled up with both the light and the darkness, with a sense of peace within the inevitability of life.
Everyone should be so lucky to see and sway along to Hozier at least once in this wild and precious life, to experience music which makes you feel so incredibly alive.
More photos from the concert.
