I have been a fan of Troye Sivan as soon as I stumbled across his self-released song ‘The Fault in Our Stars’ in 2013. From his coming out video, which played a profound part in my queer journey, to the launch of ‘TRXYE’, where every YouTuber ranging from Tyler Oakley to Zoella wore branded t-shirts, and the release of his third studio album, ‘Something to Give Each Other’ in 2023, his star continues to rise to soaring new heights. He is an incredible artist with an eclectic discography that features heart wrenchingly devastating and relatable ballads, glorious pop anthems that speak to the giddying heights and lows of being in love and brazenly electronic dance tracks to lose yourself in. Whilst ‘Something to Give Each Other’ is not my favourite of his albums, there is no denying that it is an intoxicating love letter to queer party and rave culture and I was still awash with excitement when I snagged tickets for his tour in Birmingham this year; seeing Troye live has been an item on me and my friend’s bucket list since we were the giddy teenagers who jumped around to ‘Dance to This’ after our GCSEs.
On June 28th we descended upon the Utilita Arena, full of the same wild abandon in our youth but did it live up to the excitement? Was it everything that I hoped it would be? Did I feel ‘the Rush’?
Well…I felt a rush.
The concert is a dizzying whirlwind that celebrates ‘Something to Give Each Other’, with Troye, his band and dancers engaging with frenetic, relentless choreography and pulling off numerous set and costume changes; it is an incredible show. Split into five sections, we move from the high octane ‘Got Me Started’ to the downbeat yet soothing tones of ‘In My Room’ and the euphoria of ‘Honey’; all capturing the beauteous joys of an uninhibited night of queerness. Everyone onstage served such a high level of unbridled sensuality that the screens in the arena didn’t do them justice. The highlights for me had to be the fan favourite songs ‘Bloom’ and ‘Dance to This’, which transported me to the shimmering moments of joy that Troye’s music provided in the turbulent points of my teenage years. However, the standout of the night to me clearly belongs to ‘One of Your Girls’. Introduced with a jaw-dropping video of Troye in drag (a homage to the music video), the soothing yet brash techno beats of the song paired with synchronised dance sequences that still possessed a sense of spontaneity. It oozed with a sultry effervescence that I couldn’t look away from. I’m not being melodramatic when I say that this part of the setlist truly belongs in the Louvre.
Sadly, despite the incredible show that Troye put on, I was slightly underwhelmed when I left. Whilst I was bowled over by what I saw, I still wanted something more, and didn’t feel quite satiated with the meal I had been served. I think that maybe this is a problem with myself rather than the tour itself. Coming in at just under 90 mins and finishing at around 10pm, perhaps Troye wanted to match the aesthetic of the album and allow the crowd to go out into the tender night and party their lives away, meeting more strangers and getting lost in wild emotions. Personally, I just didn’t feel part of the crowd that Troye wanted to liven up. Situated in seats, I felt as though I was living vicariously, both physically and metaphorically far away from the standing crowd and the joyous party they seemed to be having. I felt more like a wallflower, awkwardly at the sidelines and waiting to be noticed. Perhaps the tour would have been better suited to a smaller venue. It’s not that Troye shouldn’t be performing in arenas but by playing ‘Something to Give Each Other’ in smaller locations, in clubs, in places where the audience has to be crammed in together, jumping up and down, feeling the pure heat and sweat of bodies against each other, it would have replicated the party that the album encourages the listener to embark on.
Don’t get me wrong, I still had an incredible time. I witnessed one of my favourite artists live for the first time, danced all of my troubles away with my friend and was left astounded at the artistry Troye displayed onstage. By the encore, I really did feel ‘the Rush’…just not as intensely as I hoped.
Photograph by Lara Phillipson:
laraphillipson02@gmail.com
