"Welcome to Melodrama live..." Projected in acid green on the sandstone cliffs of Cockatoo Island, this was what fans of pop's self-proclaimed witch were greeted with when they stepped off the boat and into the church of Lorde on Thursday.
For fans and followers, the pop-up concert was a rare opportunity to hear her new album, Melodrama, live in an intimate space.
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Lorde's new album storms the charts
With her album Melodrama getting rave reviews and hitting number one in many countries, Lorde is on top of the world.
One of Lorde's greatest talents was clearly on display: her ability to articulate emotions her young fans struggle to express: not being good enough, not being lovable, and fears about the inevitable passing of time.
During the intro to Liability, she spoke about the heartache that inspired it. "When I wrote this song – this song I'm about to play – I was as lonely as one can imagine being. And, I don't think this way often, but I specifically remember thinking however shitty this feels right now, it's going to feel so special one day when a crowd goes…" she stopped, and smiled, before drawing the audience into singing with her.
Although Lorde's lyrics often speak about growing up and adolescence, her music transcends her generation, and she knows it: "everyone knows how it feels... everyone knows that specific feeling of wondering if you're too much for someone."
"And Sydney," she says, with a sparkle in her eye, "what Melodrama is about is people are making you feel like you're too much? F**k em… come to me."
Lorde was launched into the spotlight in 2013, when her song Royals made her the youngest solo artist to achieve a US number one single Billboard Hot 100 since 1987. Upon the release of her debut album Pure Heroin, she won two Grammy Awards, a Brit Award, and 10 New Zealand Music Awards.
Yet the superstar doesn't let the fame phase her, which is apparent in her performances. After receiving criticism about her style of dancing, Lorde turned a blind eye to the critics. She still thrashes proudly across the stage.
The set list was compiled to give fans a taste of Melodrama, performing "Homemade Dynamite", "Sober", "Liability", "Supercut", "Perfect Places", and "Green Light." But Lorde gave her fans what they wanted, by performing "Ribs", "Royals", and "Team" from Pure Heroine, as well as "Magnets", from Disclosure's album Carcal, on which she was a featured vocalist.
Following the performance, Lorde appeared back onstage. After quieting the crowd and proclaiming that the warehouse was a church for the evening, Lorde sang her touching song Writer in the Dark acapella, at points, covering the microphone, letting her voice spill into the industrial space, holding her hand up only to silence the uncontrollably excited audience.
