Live Review: Lorde, Safia - Adelaide Entertainment Centre

After postponing her national run of dates earlier this year due to illness, Lorde returned to Adelaide for the rescheduled leg of the tour where she was joined by support, Safia.

The young punters struggled to warm to the ACT trio early on; they may have been received better by an older audience more familiar with the band’s music. This probably wasn’t helped by frontman Ben Woolner’s slightly awkward stage presence, clashing with the rest of the band’s effortless demeanour. Despite this, Safia delivered a great set, concluding with Listen To Soul, Listen To Blues, which had most of the audience head-bopping and limbered up for Lorde.

After feeling ill and walking off stage mid-set during her show earlier this week in Perth, the Adelaide leg may have been heading towards the same fate as the previously postponed show. But, illness aside, Lorde pulled through and delivered an absolutely stellar hour-long set. Walking on stage to the roar of adoring fans, the 17-year-old songstress kicked things off with a hoarse intro to Glory And Gore. But the slightly off vocals early on proved nothing to worry about for Yelich-O’Connor.

As she warmed up, Lorde was able to deliver a faultless performance, expected from a musician far beyond her years and experience. Powering through songs from the album Pure Heroine, Lorde delivered a high energy set with almost no signs of being ill at all. Taking a quick break after Son Lux’s Easy, she delivered a humbling speech about growing up, and how the following song, Ribs, was about a party she had thrown when she was younger, being the pivotal moment in realising she “wasn’t really a kid anymore”.

Ending the set with crowd favourites Royals and Team – the songs that really started everything for Lorde – an incredible outro saw her leave the stage only to return for one last song in a metallic silver gown, which was honestly kind of reminiscent of a sci-fi villain. But hey, when you’re 17 years old and performing at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre, you’ve earned the right to wear pretty well whatever you want on stage.

Winding up with A World Alone, it’s easy to see why Lorde has reached success at such a young age. With professionalism, songwriting skills and live performances on par with those not only ten years her senior, but also with ten years more experience. Lorde is a true performer, whose career is set to lead only to bigger and brighter things.