Harry Styles review, O2 Arena in London: Former One Direction star impresses crowds with funk and flair

Styles continues to shine as a solo performer as he delights fans with his irresistible charm and growing talent

(Hélène Marie Pambrun)

Most performers can only dream of having the charisma and star quality that Harry Styles naturally exudes.

The former One Direction bandmate shone the moment he hit the stage last night at London’s O2 Arena during his sold out world tour, in part thanks to his Freddie Mercury-inspired ensemble of a pink, embellished jacket and matador-style, spangly trousers.

After opening with a couple of upbeat, crowd-pleasing tunes, performing “Only Angel” and “Woman” to vamp up the energy in the stadium, Styles told his horde of adoring fans to “feel free to be whatever you want to be in this room tonight”. And they definitely took his message to heart.

Styles’s energy was infectious as he hit the stage as part of his sold-out world tour (Hélène Marie Pambrun)

Any hint of silence in between songs from Styles’s self-titled album was immediately quashed by the deafening screams of his dedicated “Stylers” (otherwise known as “Harries”), who had ventured from all over the world to watch their idol swan across the stage with moves like Jagger and an undeniably impressive vocal range.

Styles clearly had the audience wrapped around his little finger from the get-go. The mood in the arena became more subdued when the 24-year-old performed the country-esque “Ever Since New York”, and even more so when he sang “Two Ghosts”, a ballad supposedly written about his past relationship with Taylor Swift. However, the funky beat of “Carolina” and the catchy guitar riff of new song “Medicine” had everyone’s hips shaking once more.

Styles delighted fans with a new rendition of One Direction hit ‘What Makes You Beautiful’ (Hélène Marie Pambrun) (Styles' energy was infectious as he hit the stage as part of his sold-out world tour)

Styles made sure to spread the love throughout the night, chatting with an array of his most avid followers and proudly gracing the stage with rainbow-coloured flags.

One of the highlights of the night came when the singer belted out platinum One Direction hit “What Makes You Beautiful”. While Styles has no doubt carved out his own unique identity as a solo performer in the past couple of years, the touch of nostalgia went down a treat.

Closing with fan favourite “Kiwi”, Styles ended the show as any captivating showman would – with vivacity, flair and killer dance moves.