Why Leon Bridges Is a Soul Music Icon

Leon Bridges is returning to Australia next year, and he’s planned his biggest Aussie shows yet to mark the occasion. 

The US soul superstar has shows lined up in Brisbane, Sydney, and Melbourne, and his tour also includes two stops at A Day on the Green. The New Year, for Bridges, is going to be busy from the start. 

Last Down Under in 2022, Bridges has a long history with Australia, having performed here sixth times since his 2016 debut. On his last visit, he achieved the special feat of selling out multiple shows at the Sydney Opera House. 

Why are people clamouring to see Bridges live though? The critics sum up why perfectly. 

“Every time Leon Bridges began a new song I thought that it would be the hit of the night, and every time I was right. Each song they played was somehow better than the song before it,” wrote the reviewer for Boston’s WERS 88.9FM. 

“This man’s talent oozes off the stage and there are some moments when the blues meets jazz and there are elements of acid Jazz mixed with soul, which lift you into an experience that will be hard to forget,” gushed Glam Adelaide about Bridges’ 2022 visit to the SA city. 

“Leon Bridges isn’t exactly a household name in the galaxy of musical stars that have made their way to Las Vegas through the years. But he should be,” began the Las Vegas Sun’ concert review from earlier this year. “Suffice it to say, the 14-song, 90-minute set was a shared pleasure for the audience,” the review concluded. 

“Bridges’ soul-balm of a voice, an undeniable force of nature,” once wrote the Sydney Morning Herald, while The West Australian wrote, “Bridges put on a show that not only highlighted his incredible talent but also the musical artistry of his whole band.”

Away from the live scene, Bridges released his new album, simply called Leon, just a few weeks ago. Described as his “most poignant, powerful, and personal body of work to date,” the reviews for the artist’s fourth album have been positive. 

“The soul singer looks backward on his fourth album, a wistful nostalgia trip that wraps its ’70s-inspired sound in sumptuous, heavily stylized production,” Pitchfork’s reviewer praised of the album, but higher praise was to come from The Guardian.

In a five-star review, the publication wrote that “the musician’s emotional fourth album borrows liberally from the past but the themes are modern and the sound utterly timeless.”

“But Leon isn’t a puzzle to be figured out. It is, more than most, just a suite of exquisitely expressed feelings, and the way Bridges sings makes everything feel unassailably real and true. It doesn’t have to add up. His songs are gorgeous, neither too obviously in debt to the past nor distractingly future-focused, all transported heavenwards by that beguiling, church-shivering voice,” the review finished. 

Bridges is on course to be one of the most adored soul singers of all time. Even in 2016, Rolling Stone compared him to one of the genre’s biggest names. “Meet throwback soul star who channels Sam Cooke,” Rolling Stone’s interview headline stated that year.  

The list of iconic artists who have worked with Bridges is long and still growing. He’s collaborated with John Mayer, Kacey Musgraves, Noah Cyrus, and Khruangbin, a selection of names that highlight Bridges’ impressive range as an artist. 

Bridges’ entire Australian tour will be unmissable, but the A Day on the Green shows are particularly notable. Bridges won’t be alone at those shows, joined by Glass Beams and Maple Glider. 

Glass Beams is the project of Indian-Australian musician Rajan Silva, who has expanded their solo project to a trio for live shows, going on to sell out every show on their debut European and North American tours. Maple Glider is singer-songwriter Tori Zietsch, one of the best indie-folk artists to emerge from Australia in recent years.

Leon Bridges 2025 Australia Tour

Presented by Frontier Touring 

Tickets on sale Friday, October 4th at 11am local time from Ticketmaster

All tour and event information frontiertouring.com

Friday, January 16th, 2025
Riverstage, Brisbane, QLD

Tuesday, January 21st, 2025
ICC Sydney Theatre, Sydney, NSW

Thursday, January 23rd, 2025
Sidney Myer Music Bowl, Melbourne, VIC

A Day on the Green Tour Dates 

All event information and tickets adayonthegreen.com.au