Dua Lipa – The Pop Powerhouse Delivers In Liverpool

When Dua Lipa released her second album, Future Nostalgia, during the first lockdown, the optimism and energy of the record was a shining beacon in the dark days of the pandemic. Since then, the British-born artist has gone on to become one of the biggest acts to originate from this country at a time when most big new acts come from overseas.

The current Radical Optimism tour is Lipa’s first foray into playing stadia – a big move from playing the smaller venues, where everything must be bigger, bolder, and brasher. The transition, it appeared, at Liverpool’s Anfield stadium, has been an easy one as the pop powerhouse delivered a show that was a feast for the eyes – and ears.

Part of the equation why Lipa has been successful relies on the quality of her songs: memorable tunes that will still be played on the radio in years to come, delivered with a distinctive voice that sets her apart from her peers, all finely crafted with a work ethic which has resulted in her outstanding popularity.

Her stage presence was undeniable throughout the performance, which continued from the opening track Training Season to the concluding song Houdini, aptly describing her magical touch. Within the first fifteen minutes, the Liverpool audience had been treated to a display of fireworks, a sea of streamers covering the fans and confetti cannons of red love hearts that would put to shame even the most ostentatious wedding celebration. Any doubts that Lipa had peaked too early were soon dispelled as the hits flowed – along with the typical British summer weather, though the persistent rain never damped the atmosphere – or her performance.

Like many current tours, the show was split into separate acts, though unlike others, the songs were mostly sung in their entirety as opposed to being curtailed. As Dave McCabe from Liverpudlian group The Zutons arrived on stage as the night's special guest, the bemused look on the audience's faces soon vanished when the first bars of the Amy Winehouse hit, Valerie, rang out. The track, written by McCabe, it appeared, was one of Lipa’s favourites.

Her dancers in the past have sometimes been too many, often engulfing the singer, making it hard to pick her out; tonight the twelve dancers surrounded her like moths to a flame, radiating energy combined with an electrifying presence.

The move to a smaller stage at the rear of the stadium made the evening feel more intimate: as Lipa performed the ballad Anything for Love against a backdrop of heavy rain, the inclement weather added to the ambiance of the track. “What a dream it is to be here,” she confirmed on the tremendous journey Lipa had travelled from playing in smaller venues to now – albeit with the same connection with her fans remaining intact.

Her collaboration with Calvin Harris on the track One Kiss was performed twice; however, it was the last segment of the night that was the real deal, as New Rules blended into Dance the Night and Houdini as Anfield became one big nightclubas the music pulsated and the fans, along with Lipa, danced away in unison on what had been a night that, to paraphrase one of the tracks, had been hotter than hell.