“O2 Arena, how the fuck did we get here?” asks Louis Tomlinson from the stage. “I want everyone in this room to be proud of themselves tonight, look at what you’ve created for me. Thank you, thank you, thank you.” It’s one of the only times he breaks away from the setlist to say a few words, but it’s all he really needs to say.

Despite playing to huge crowds from the minute he stepped into the industry, Louis still seems baffled by his ability to fill arenas on his own. Although he shouldn’t be; Louis’ rise as a solo act doesn’t come as the result of mega-hit singles or critical acclaim, but rather sheer dedication from his devout fanbase. It makes sense then, that he’d change the tour name from that of the album - ‘How Did I Get Here?’ - to the more collectively-minded ‘How Did We Get Here?’.

For much of his solo career, Louis hasn’t been an act interested in playing the pop game, instead plumping for albums full of indie-driven arena anthems (something he’s had a knack for penning since he picked up songwriting in his One Direction days) like ‘Out of My System’ and ‘Written All Over Your Face’, which thrive in a massive room.

Just as it felt like he’d found his feet, comfortably walking down the indie rock path with debut ‘Walls’ and follow up ‘Faith In The Future’, the allure of doing something different took him astray. ‘How Did I Get Here?’ and its tour sees Louis step back towards a big pop show. Both the opener ‘Lemonade’ and closer ‘Palaces’ are blown up with trumpets and confetti, while a string quartet assist on multiple other tracks.

Louis’ foray into something more synth-backed on ‘Sunflowers’, ‘Lazy’ and ‘Imposter’ offer up Tame Impala-esque psychedelic visuals, but the most striking aspect of the show are the ballads. Between the stripped back ‘Defenceless’ and the soaring lights-in-the-air ‘Bigger Than Me’, the emotional heart of Louis’ music is clearly what resonates the most with his fans too. But nothing prompts as many phones to hit record as the surprise play of beloved 1D hit ‘Night Changes’; one of the many songs Tomlinson wrote while in the group that seems, in this room, to be enjoyed by both those who experienced One Direction at their peak and those who have picked them up as the members have pursued solo projects.

The show serves as Louis’ final European stop on this leg of the tour before hitting America. In his Dork cover chat earlier this year, he spoke candidly about the pressure he feels to deliver on these big solo gigs, the weight of headlining Madison Square Garden soon looming, but with his second UK arena tour wrapped up and a better sense of who he is as an artist secured, he’s more than ready.

Louis Tomlinson looks completely at home headlining the O2 Arena, London

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

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