It's a balmy night in Brisbane's Fortitude Valley (9 November), summer is around the corner and Years & Years are bringing the heat early.
Pink Matter begin the evening and their groove-heavy soul vocals are setting the right tone. They commence their second tune with the drummer pounding some seriously impressive dance beats on the high hat. The bass kicks and the crowd is won over.It's starting to feel like a nightclub in here. The vocals are funky and soothing and above all, the drumming stands exceptionally tall.
The main act commences with a video starring frontman Olly Alexander sporting a shiny black coat and running to a ringing phone booth. The phone is answered by the band taking to the stage and Alexander exhaling smooth falsetto lines.
'Night Call' is a perfect start to the night as you're invited into the shiny, neon world of after dark with Years & Years. 'Sweet Talker' carries the energy on.
Alexander and vocal ensemble are donned head to toe in black. His outfit? A shiny black jacket atop stockings, black underwear and almost crotch-high leather boots.
The vocalists dance in union for 'Consequences'. "You're gunna have to suffer," Alexander calls out, perhaps an internal reflection, as the video background replicates the smash of a car accident.
The video launches into an epileptic-inducing fast time-lapse racing through a city, as Alexander stands in the middle, singing "sooner or later, you'll be mine".
"Brisbane," he sings in possibly the most beautiful falsetto the word Brisbane has ever been sung in. He waves to the crowd, commenting on individual outfits and seeming genuinely happy to see them. He asks to restart 'Shine' as he "was too busy saying hi", and it is worth the wait.
Each song is accompanied by video of Alexander trawling the late night streets, this time in a white overcoat with almost invisible eyebrows.
"I wanna be the one you shield," he cries with his exceptional vulnerability paired impeccably with the contagious dance beat we've come to expect from Years & Years.
'Muscle' features a lot of booty shaking accompanied by loud roars from the crowd. Alexander draws you in with inexplicable magic. The stage flashes orange and blue for 'Play', their collaboration with Jax Jones, before the stage floods in gorgeous orange burst for 'Sunlight' their collab with The Magician.
Then backing vocalist Yasmin Green takes to centre stage, singing Kylie Minogue's part of 'A Second To Midnight', and nails it.
'Sanctify' is accompanied by a strange video of some toilet cubicle antics which are presumably meant to be sexy, but the dirty toilets make them just look awkward and odd.
They launch into fan favourite 'Worship', which they mix with 'Rendezvous' and the result is a sonic feast. "I don't know if you've ever felt desire for anyone else," Alexander states as 'Desire' commences with a stage flooded red and a video of Alexander with massive googly eyes. He showcases his stunning falsetto, piercing the air above the crowd.
"Your love is a hallucination," he then sings out, reaching for the crowd, who are mesmerised. He sings the final note as the stage drops to a green background, and his sillouette stands tall.
"We've done a show in Brisbane a long time ago and there were like five people there," he laughs. "I'm so grateful to have you all here. Since it's our own show, let's do 'Eyes Shut'," he says, as a white grand piano is wheeled onto the stage. A single white stage light floods the stage and it's a touching moment of intimacy.
He continues the piano ballads with the Pet Shop Boys cover of 'It's A Sin', his collaboration with Elton John for the 2021 Brit Awards. He climbs atop the piano as red lights flash back and forth.
The accompanying video for 'Crave' shows Alexander alone in a bed strangely reminiscent of a mental hospital, before 'Starstruck' shows Alexander surrounded by maniacally smiling people who impale him and then dance around joyfully. It's a little confusing, as the band exits the stage.
They return as Alexander asks: "Have you had a good night Brisbane?" They start 'If You're Over Me' and bassist Mikey Goldsworthy takes centre stage with Murrs. It's a welcome return to the toe-tapping, joyful Years & Years tunes.
The vocalists surround drummer Paris Jeffree for a mini solo and it's a nice moment of band interaction, before 'King' crowns the night. You recall just how good of a pop song it is.
Olly Alexander is captivating and talented, and the show was a lot of fun. Hopefully it's not years and years before they grace us with their presence again.
