Written by Anni Cameron
Photos by Uchechi Adeboye
The moment I arrive at Glasgow’s OVO Hydro, I spot clusters of jubilant girls in One Direction merch. I came of age during the band’s meteoric rise, and I am surprised to find that these girls are younger than I am now, older than I was then, yet carrying that same bright-eyed enthusiasm we did during the height of it all. It’s a legacy that continues to surround Louis Tomlinson. It’s a legacy that he might never truly get away from, but it’s one that pulls us toward the glowing dome in eager anticipation of seeing the man grown up, enduring, and solo.
He’s got fifteen years on him since I last saw him, around the corner in the Hydro’s sister venue, the SECC, on the X Factor Live Tour.Time has certainly passed but there’s something reassuringly familiar about his down-to-earth presence. With his Doncaster swagger intact in an unpretentious yellow polo shirt and dark jeans, easy quipping banter with the crowd and the occasional swearing, he radiates a casual charm. Opening with ‘Lemonade’, the bright, energetic lead single from his 2025 album, he immediately establishes himself as more than a former boybander. He is a veteran performer, a solid vocalist, and a frontman entirely in his own right.
Well-deserved adoration follows him, surrounding him in this nearly full room. I watch as friends spin each other around on the outskirts of the crowd, skipping and twirling and prancing around in long tartan skirts. Their white tank tops and ankle socks are signs of the summer they’ll soon spend with friends, soundtracked by these songs Louis plays. They never tire, fuelled by a genuine love for their idol, and I feel as if I am watching a coming-of-age movie in slow motion starring girls I could have gone to school with. Everyone here feels like an old childhood friend, and still, Louis’s appeal prevails, awaiting a new generation of bright-eyed girls.
One celebrates her eighteenth birthday tonight, and Louis promises to toast her with a birthday shot – if she can wait a song for him to sort out her chosen vodka, because he’s not quite at the point of having alcohol in his pocket. Ultimately, he knows how to host a party. Joined by his sparky rock band, psychedelic lights, projections, lasers, and confetti, he merges a nostalgic Britpop energy with anthemic pop-rock flair. He’s humble and grateful for his roots in a way many stars that emerge from crazes fumble, remarking “look at this room – look at what we’ve done together”. He’s just a little quiet otherwise, admitting he’s out of things to say, at times the momentum dwindling between songs.
In one particularly strong segment, featuring track ‘Lucid’, his band joins him on the B-stage in the middle of the crowd, gathered in a circle that cleverly plays with perspective. Then one by one, they return to the main stage until it’s just Louis finishing the number, “How did I get here?” echoing across the arena, intimate and reflective. This sentiment rings throughout the entire show, but by the final number, ‘Palaces’, we are a room united with the answer. Despite all that surrounds him, the baggage of being a teen idol and pop culture craze that critics can often tear apart, Louis Tomlinson has retained the adoration of countless fans. This is a true achievement. If he leans into it fully, allowing it to truly energise his performance, he has a genuinely compelling production on his hands.
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