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Harry Styles took a break from his record-smashing run at London’s Wembley Stadium on Tuesday night to do something the pop star has never done before: perform with a full orchestra.
From the start, the one-off show
seemed quite the opposite from Styles’ current modus operandi: his latest album “Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally” saw him lean into dance-pop and synthesizers, and Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall is about 50 times smaller than Wembley with just 2,000 seats. But as the curator of this year’s Meltdown Festival, Styles took the opportunity to completely reimagine his music with conductor Jules Buckley and his 50-piece orchestra — and the result left fans awestruck.
After the orchestra shuffled in and Styles took a seat at a piano near center stage, looking smart in a floral collared shirt and slacks, the crowd predictably went nuts. But a hush soon fell over the audience as the realization set in that no one knew what was about to happen — there was no previous setlist to go off of, no indication as to how his songs would be arranged or how many he would even sing. As the orchestra began to play, it was at first difficult to recognize which song it was since it sounded so different, but then Styles sang the first word: “Boyfriends.”
Set against a flurry of strings — cellos, violins and even a harp — Styles’ voice became ethereal, and already it was clear that fans were in for a real treat. Without the strain of commanding a stadium full of nearly 100,000 people, it was Styles at his most musically vulnerable. No one has ever seen — or, perhaps more accurately, heard — him like this before. And he sounded, arguably, the best he ever has.
“It feels both present and incredibly not present to be so aware that you’re in the middle of your career highlight,” Styles said after taking to the piano to play “Paint by Numbers” from his latest album. “This is an incredibly special month and 10 days here at Southbank Centre. Thank you for being here.”
Though he has a small string section with him on his “Together Together” tour, putting his songs against the backdrop of a full orchestra, complete with a gospel choir, gave them an almost cinematic feel. “Matilda” sounded straight from a film score, fit for a sweeping finale montage where the girl finally decides to choose herself; and “Fine Line,” for which Styles strummed the guitar, came to an even more grandiose ending than on his 2019 album of the same name. “Probably should have finished with that one,” Styles quipped after taking in the rapturous applause that followed.
Despite having just released a new body of work, Styles was unafraid to revisit his back catalogue, delivering a set that felt like a measured representation of his career thus far. But perhaps no one was expecting him to play “Two Ghosts,” from his 2017 self-titled debut record, which became evident when basically the entire room gasped as its beginning notes rang out. Indeed, it marked the first time Styles had played the track live since 2020, and the added layer of an orchestral version was enough to bring some audience members to tears.
Amid his own songs, Styles gave the floor several times to Buckley — who arranged some of the tracks on Styles’ most recent album — to play compositions of his own. “I’ve always been a lover of orchestral music, classical music, and it’s quite an intimidating field to step into as someone who doesn’t — cannot — read music,” he said to laughs from the room. “And I met Jules and we worked together and I’ve never felt so welcomed into the space. He never made me feel like I didn’t belong there in any way, and it’s been beautiful collaborating with him.”
Styles also paid tribute to his inspirations, covering singer-songwriter Patrick Watson’s “Here Comes the River,” which he explained he showed to Buckley as a reference for how he wanted the strings to sound on his song “Coming Up Roses.” “I played him [‘Here Comes the River’] and I said, ‘What do you think?’ And he said, ‘I did those strings!'” Styles admitted. “So I said, ‘Oh, just do that again.'”
Styles monologued again before playing “Carla’s Song,” a fan favorite from “Kiss All the Time,” which he wrote after watching a friend listen to Simon & Garfunkel’s “Bridge Over Troubled Water” for the first time. “It was like watching someone see a magic trick for the first time. And music is magic, and I feel so lucky to get to be a part of it in just a small way,” Styles said. “I think hearing songs like that is a reminder of this thing that is so much better than any one artist that you like. It’s this thing that every musician is kind of invested in just trying to add a little piece of themself to. These things are around for so much longer than any of us — sorry to bring death into it. It’s inevitable, apparently. And nights like tonight, I feel incredibly privileged to be able to play with such incredibly talented musicians.”
With strings uplifting the song and a choir echoing its main line — “It’s all waiting there for you” — it served as a profound reminder of the power of music and its ability to bring people together. As the orchestra built to a crescendo, it was difficult not to feel overcome by the sheer emotion of it all.
That would have served just fine as a finale, but Styles had one more surprise up his sleeve. The set ended with a cover of “Bridge Over Troubled Water,” bringing the evening to a full-circle close. Matching Garfunkel’s soaring vocals and hitting every note to a tee, Styles has literally never sounded better. Forget the dance floor — I’m convinced that Styles’ next era should see him go full folk singer-songwriter, with a side of strings.
See the full setlist from Styles’ Meltdown Festival performance below.
“Boyfriends”
“Paint by Numbers”
“Matilda”
“Two Ghosts”
“The Waiting Game”
“Fine Line”
“Coming Up Roses”
“Here Comes the River” (Patrick Watson cover)
“Carla’s Song”
“Bridge Over Troubled Water” (Simon & Garfunkel cover)
