Live Review: One Direction, McBusted, Samantha Jade

Kids, teenagers and some of Perth’s most patient parents braved the cold and crowds to catch a glimpse of British heartthrobs One Direction.

All the excitement began outside, as thousands of fans navigated through the chaos that was Patersons Stadium’s queuing system. Still, the considerably lengthy wait to even make it past the gates did little to dampen everyone’s spirits, with groups of friends prompting 1D sing-alongs to pass the time.

X-Factor winner Samantha Jade was all smiles as she opened the night with an extravaganza, complete with back-up dancers and bouncy tunes. Perth’s very own pop princess tore through hits like What You’ve Done To Me and Sweet Talk without missing a beat, solidifying her status as this generation’s Kylie.

At interval, fans were quick to spot the 1D boys sitting in a private box above the stands, and all it took was the occasional wave from them to send the entire stadium into frenzy. Pop videos played on two mammoth screens to make the wait more bearable, and it certainly managed to keep the crowd at bay.

A blast from the past that nobody wanted.

Up next were the guys from McBusted, brimming with energy as they leap-frogged across one another before taking their places on stage. It was clear from the start that this supergroup, comprised of members from early 2000’s and long-defunct bands McFly and Busted, was grappling with their new identity. On the surface, the band seemed to lack coherency. Each member’s individual image ranged from hipster-chic to Axl Rose wannabe. And, while original songs like Get Over It got the crowd going, the majority of their set was comprised of covers from their former bands. They finished their set with a cover of Busted’s 2003 hit Year 3000, and it was the boy-band equivalent of getting Lou Bega up onstage today to sing Mambo No 5; a blast from the past that nobody wanted.

Harry Styles lived up to his playboy reputation with some flirty banter.

After another lengthy interval, the lights dimmed and the crowd immediately got on their feet. One Direction literally started the night off with a bang, as a burst of fireworks lit up the stadium. No expense was spared production-wise, with streamers showering the night sky a mere half-hour into the show. The boys certainly knew how to work the crowd, sneaking cheeky grins to the cameras. They spread themselves out along the intricate staging’s peaks and valleys, ensuring that every part of the stadium felt loved. Irishman Niall Horan showed off his musical prowess, strumming away on the guitar for a good portion of the night, while Harry Styles lived up to his playboy reputation with some flirty banter. The audience beamed with delight, waving and screaming until their throats croaked.

Any 1D naysayers would be disappointed to learn that the boys can hold their own without Auto-Tune. Zayn Malik’s runs could melt hearts in a nanosecond, and his presence was definitely missed when he disappeared during the final five songs due to illness. As a whole, the night was pretty boys with pretty voices singing pretty songs. And hey, what’s not to like about that?