Live Review: Troye Sivan w/ Nicole Millar @ Hordern Pavilion

Just over six months ago a young Troye Sivan performed his first ever Australian headline show. The show was a sold-out hit and cemented Sivan as a talent to watch. On Wednesday night, Sivan performed to a sold-out Hordern Pavilion and proved not only is he a talent to watch but has all the makings of a global superstar. His return show to Australia was flawless in its execution and a spectacle to watch.

Supporting Sivan was electro-pop singer Nicole Millar, who previously supported Sivan earlier in the year. Some support acts buckle before a full crowd and full credit must go to Millar who revelled in performing to the large audience. Her electronic sound suited the larger arena and her stage presence was felt even towards the back of the space. The ultimate aim of a support act is to get a few more fans and get the audience fired up for the main act, and Millar delivered in spades.

Touring with Sivan was ‘surprise’ guest Tyde Levi, who burst on stage for a short and energetic 20-minute DJ set. Levi is in fact Sivan’s brother and continued on from Millar’s ability to get the audience fired up. Very few DJs could compete with Levi’s energy that ricocheted off the walls of the ‘Pavilion. He looked like someone who was loving life and it was difficult to not feel that way too.

The energy which was pulsating through the crowd only got stronger as Sivan entered the stage. The singer wasted no time, starting his first song BITE, and within seconds was dancing all over the stage. There was not a moment for the rest of the performance that Sivan would be still. He knew exactly how much energy to give to each song. He could be seen dancing across the stage during his hits like for him and FOOLS, or swaying to the music during the slower songs like Suburbia and Happy Little Pill. A true showman uses different levels for his performance and it was something Sivan absolutely nailed.

In his January show Sivan was slightly nervous and rushed, connecting well with the audience but overall seemed concerned that he wouldn’t have enough time to play all of his album. Instead, the Sivan we experienced this time round was more confident and relaxed, despite the night being his biggest headlining set ever and only his third ever Australian show.

He was a natural speaker when addressing the crowd, as is to be expected of an actor and YouTuber who boasts over 4 million subscribers. His humour and natural ease with his younger audience was evident. He got a selfie with the crowd using an audience member’s phone, he got us to do an iPhone lighters-in-the-air wave for Talk Me Down, and sprayed his ‘thirsty’ audience with his water bottle who yelled their appreciation.

The most heartfelt moment of the evening was when Sivan explained the meaning behind his song HEAVEN. “It was about being gay at 15 and thinking terrifying big thoughts that no-one should feel at 15,” he told the audience. Sivan has been an inspirational icon for the LGBT community since his coming out publicly via YouTube in 2013.

Read Sivan’s blast at PM Turnbull over his comments about the recently Orlando shooting HERE

His music videos feature the sight of him kissing boys (rare and brave in a commercial pop world) and he’s not shy about his support for Marriage Equality in Australia. As he told the audience, this song was all about the moment he realised “That above all else I really just wanna be happy”. It was a heart-warming moment and inspirational to see a superstar tell his young audience that being different is completely fine and something to be embraced.

Sivan’s performance was full of layers and levels. His female keyboardist lent her talent on support vocals, doing a great job with Alessia Cara’s part of the new single WILD. The lightshow behind him was perfectly executed to the beat and made the performance a true spectacle. The newly platinum singer seemed at home in Sydney and the audience was happy to sing along to every line of every song.

When Sivan left the stage before his encore there was not a single person silent in the ‘Pavilion. Everyone was screaming for more and Sivan came back to with two more hits, LOST BOY and YOUTH. He asked us before his final song if everyone could join the “my youth” refrain, “I’ve never heard this many people scream it and I wanna know how it sounds”. You can bet the crowd obliged! This was one of the best live music acts I have seen and like the rest of the audience I eagerly await a new album from this superstar.

Check out our Photo Gallery HERE, read our recent interview with Nicole Millar HERE, and our review of her EP ‘Tremble’ HERE