Niall Horan invites fans to his Dinner Party at The O2
Special guest Lewis Capaldi stopped by for a beer and a One Direction cover.
Photo: Press
As part of his Dinner Party tour, Irish singer-songwriter and One Direction alumnus Niall Horan played his second sold-out show at The O2; fans were in for a delightfully wholesome evening.
As an appetiser, half-Mancunian, half-Spanish artist Alex Spencer kicked off the evening. He made a bold entrance as he took the stage to the sound of ABBA’s Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight). He then launched into his bilingual, piano-driven tune, Nightmares. His keyboardist and best friend Harrison added plenty of character to his sound, which helped differentiate it from similar singer-songwriter fare.
The nineteen-year-old then treated the audience to a taste of an unreleased track, Chameleon, a song about yearning for connection and validation in the digital age. It felt ironic to deliver this rather earnest message in front of a giant digital QR code. I suppose the promotional hustle for emerging artists never stops. As he ended his set, he was momentarily possessed by the spirit of Benson Boone, delivering a rather random backflip. But hey, the crowd seemed to love it.
Radio static over the speakers signalled the start of our second course; a spirited performance from London indie-pop act, flowerovlove, aka Joyce Cissé. As she came on stage, a video of her younger self dancing along to a One Direction song played on screen in a full-circle moment. She opened with the catchy earworm new friends, and strutted her way across the stage in a sparkly two-piece. She has a very playful Sabrina Carpenter-esque pop persona, which really lends itself to an arena-scale performance.
Despite being relatively early in her career, her self-assured stage presence gives you the impression she’s been at this for years. This was evident during a very fun performance of I’m your first; a clear highlight of her set. There’s a distinct magnetism to her that makes her a joy to watch. It’ll be very interesting to see how she continues to grow and evolve.
It was soon time for Niall to take the stage, but first a quick speech from a young representative from Children In Need. Pudsey the Bear arrived on stage with Serena, a 22-year-old from Bristol, who shared a speech about how boxing helped her mental health as she worked through grief. It was an unexpected but sweet moment, and the crowd went above and beyond to hype her up.
The main course was upon us. Niall opened with a bang as bright lights danced across the stage to the sound of Tastes So Good. I appreciated the dynamic contrast between the lively chorus and more laid-back verses, further reinforced through the lighting design: my compliments to the chef.
This was then followed by Heartbreak Weather, much to the crowd’s delight. Niall delivered quite the dance routine as he skipped and spun about the stage. In some ways it looked reminiscent of former bandmate Harry Styles’ onstage physicality. While the moves occasionally veered into cheesy territory, Niall’s natural charm made it all quite endearing. This felt like an evolution of sorts for Niall, from a musician who fans used to joke looked lost on stage without his guitar to a confident and captivating frontman.
Fans were lapping it up. This enthusiasm continued as they sang their hearts out to Pretty. Niall implored fans throughout the show to “leave it all out there” and affirmed his concerts as a safe space to be who you are. This encouragement was clearly taken on board as I witnessed one of the most engaged and excitable crowds I’ve ever seen.
Again, the lighting designers deserve their flowers. In an inspired choice during Black and White, the lights turned rainbow as Niall declares, “In all your gorgeous colours, I promise that I’ll love you for the rest of my life”.
We then moved to a more reflective part of the set, including This Town, starting with just Niall and his guitar under a spotlight but slowly growing into a goosebump-inducing arrangement incorporating the whole band to tremendous effect. End of An Era, a touching tribute to the late Liam Payne, then nearly moved me to tears as voice memos of Liam rang out through the stadium at the end of the song.
As the crowd took a minute to process, a dinner table emerged from the stage, and a chandelier took its place above it. The set design was gorgeous; they took the dinner party theme of the album and ran with it. Niall and his bandmates gathered around the table to deliver a hearty rendition of Flicker. The warm sounds of strings gave the song both gravitas and an inviting atmosphere. The flickering candlelight on the table also felt apt for this moment.
The table was then treated to today’s special: a surprise appearance from Scottish singer-songwriter Lewis Capaldi. As it’s rude to show up empty-handed, Lewis arrived with beers in hand and sat down for a duet. The crowd were completely ecstatic, then they started playing You and I, and every Directioner in the arena screamed with joy. Lewis’ distinct voice fit the ballad well and gave an interesting contrast against Niall’s brighter vocals.
After a few sips of beer, it was time to move from dinner party back to dance party with pub-style sing-alongs of Must Be Love and On My Own.
We then transitioned back to the main stage for a more rock-infused section of the set, including Nice To Meet Ya featuring a stellar guitar solo, and a sultry performance of Small Talk. It’s quite impressive how effortlessly Niall moves between tones through this set.
Directioners certainly ate well at this dinner party as, for dessert, Niall gave the crowd an anthemic edition of Steal My Girl dripping with joyous nostalgia. The audience was so loud Niall later theorised that “the energy in this room could launch rockets”. That continued support and adoration is certainly not lost on him.
A moment that stuck with me was the pause he took to read out fan signs and thank his fans for showing up. It’s gestures like these that keep people coming back to his shows over and over again, including one German fan he shouted out who was celebrating her 50th Niall Horan show. And frankly, after that show, I would also be happy to return 49 more times.