Louis Tomlinson pulls out all the stops for his show at The O2 in London

Words: Jessica Goodman.Photos: Sarah Louise Bennett.

"I've got these lot behind me, who the fuck is gonna stop us?" This question, asked by Louis Tomlinson moments after headlining his Away From Home festival for the first time two years ago, has become something of a mantra for his fans. It's been shared on social media ad infinitum, worn on homemade merch, waved proudly on banners and signs, and shouted to the rafters at his concerts. Headlining a sold-out show at London's O2 Arena on Friday night, it seems clear that the answer to his question is that no one ever will.

Taking place just over a year after the release of his celebrated second album 'Faith In The Future', and almost twelve years to the day after One Direction released their first record 'Up All Night', in the city where 1D formed and where he played his first full headline show as a solo artist, this might be the greatest full-circle moment of Louis' career so far. But tonight isn't a nostalgia trip, and there's little time spent walking down memory lane. Instead, this show is all about the here and now, celebrating how a shared passion for music and the community that creates can build something that feels like magic.

From the moment he walks out on centre stage in front of his fans, Louis Tomlinson is at home – and his fans make themselves at home right along with him. Opening with 'The Greatest' – a song written for and about crowds and nights like tonight – it's clear that, though it might've taken him a long time to get back here, stages like this one are where he belongs.