Presented by: Adelaide Festival
Reviewed: 16 March, 2023
Ten years ago, Kiwi pop sensation Lorde burst onto the scene with her smash hit ‘Royals’. In 2023, Lorde’s Solar Power tour shows a performer who has matured and grown into her unique sense of style while maintaining a joy and enthusiasm for the art form that is truly infectious.
Lorde opened her set to a passionate crowd, teasing the audience by appearing only in silhouette behind a set piece for the first number, but it wasn’t too long before she appeared with her energetic dance moves and casual conversational style.
The stage featured a giant rotating sundial with a tall built-in staircase, which was often silhouetted by an abstract background indicative of a hot sun. The lighting, projections and colour schemes all gave the impression of summer heat and desert sun. The band members also seemed to be treated as part of the set, sporting identical mustard-coloured pantsuits and appearing in static tableaus in song after song. Their stillness and the way their outfits blended into the set was a distinct contrast to Lorde’s colourful clothing and restless energy, almost like members of a cult paying homage to their dazzling leader. As musicians, they were brilliant, and I wish I was able to name them all in their talents (sadly we were not introduced to this essential group). Seven musicians supported Lorde through her set, including: drums, keys, bass, three guitars, and percussion/synth. All or almost all the musicians also provided backing vocals, and managed to be both unobtrusive and note perfect.
This tour is a celebration of Lorde’s 2021 album ‘Solar Power’. However, the set was nicely balanced between songs from the new album and crowd favourites such as Homemade Dynamite, Green Light, and of course, Royals. Further balancing out the energetic and drama-filled numbers were touching ballads, including a stripped back keys and voice rendition of ‘Liability’ from Lorde’s 2017 album Melodrama.
Supporting acts for Lorde included Adelaide-based Stellie, and American indie-pop band MUNA. Stellie showed promise as an up-and-coming artist, engaging warmly with the audience and sharing her lively electro-pop songs. MUNA is an American band whose style sways between electro-pop and country stylings. I confess I wasn’t familiar with them before the performance, but have become an instant fan. Their onstage energy was electric — they were never still, always bouncing around the stage and interacting with each other. My only quibble with their set is that I struggled to hear their lyrics and would have preferred a little more vocals coming through the mix.
MUNA have been supporting Lorde throughout her Australian tour, and for their final performance in Australia, Lorde called them up during her set for a beautiful acoustic rendition of MUNA’s song ‘Kind of Girl’.
While Lorde can be dramatic and show great showmanship during her songs, her conversation with the audience has a raw and honest tone. She shared the stories behind the writing of some of the songs, and was open with personal difficulties that often result in song lyrics, proving that the person is just as relatable as the songs.
It has been nine years since Lorde last performed in Adelaide. Let’s hope it isn’t another nine before we again see this remarkable artist in our fair city!
Reviewed by Kristin Stefanoff
Photo credit: Andrew Beveridge
Venue: Adelaide Entertainment Centre
Season: 16 March 2023
Lorde performs a radiating celebration of summer in her 'Solar Power' tour
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