It’s 7:55 pm, and there is a growing edge to the anticipation for Zara Larsson. Having waited since 2015 when Larsson first became an international breakout star, waiting another 5 minutes now feels simply unacceptable to the mixed, all-ages audience ready for Larsson to officially kick off her Australian tour.
A slow and persisting chant for “Zara” begins, as a hopeful inflatable dolphin bounces around the mosh pit where security guards extend themselves over the barricade to supply fans with cups of water, many who have been here since 3pm. The water is greedily taken, but it’s clear that’s not what we’re thirsty for.
Then, the pre-show limbo music stops, and those familiar urgent violins from The Veronica’s “Untouched” fill the silence. The crowd erupts in approval for the song selection from the Brisbane-born twins, and the screens begin to show close-ups of fans on the barricade with their commitment to Larsson reflected in their sequined bikini tops, bold make-up, coloured wigs, and glitter, oh so much glitter.
With no warning, the camera switches its feed, now showing backstage where six brightly dressed backup dancers are warming up for the stage, dancing and waving. A few more cuts to the audience, and then we are backstage again, and it’s Larsson waving to us. As if to summon her, the cheers intensify, and then the stage is black, and we see a montage of pictures of Larsson flash on the screen as her band enters: Haein (keys), Payton (drums), Sofie (electric guitar) and Hannah (bassist).
Larsson walks on stage at the top of a set of hot pink stairs, with an intro track that blends “Midnight Sun” and “Eurosummer.” Larsson is a vision in a cyan coloured sequin bikini top with matching stilettos, and a sheer, bright yellow skirt and half-top tied around her exposed waist. The screams reach fever pitch, only melting away so that we can sing along to her recent release and album, Midnight Sun. It’s only a taste of the song, with Larsson finally making the audience whole by closing the show with the song as her final encore.
50 weeks into The Midnight Sun Tour, Larsson switches up the setlist of her previous shows, with “Blue Moon” played as her first full-length song – well and truly opening up the show and setting the pace for an unrelenting high-energy show
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The stage bears a minimal set for a 90-minute show, with the back screen starting with shots of midnight sun (when the sun does not set in northern Sweden and casts a sunset effect night and day), city skylines, water, and a yassified-looking gas station scene for her PinkPantheress cover of “Stateside.” There is also a very camp pink convertible that is a solid frame shape that Larsson and some dancers “drove” around stage for “Girls Girl” before simulating a minor accident, and then stopping to have a selfie with the entire Brisbane audience.
The backup dancers do a lot of the heavy lifting to help move the narrative and support Larsson in her journey through the setlist. The all-female band and dancers are a nice touch, and they echo Larsson’s comments from earlier this week to Rolling Stone, when she and Robyn (speaking of Swedish music royalty) were interviewed for Musicians on Musicians, saying that working with women and queer people was a shortcut to getting the straight men out of the process. She explained, “With people that have the same references, the same life experiences, you don’t have to explain yourself that much. That can obviously happen with anyone, but I think it’s a shortcut to get the straight men out of there.”
It certainly seems like Larsson is in on the joke and truly here for a good time. At one point, she explains that one of her track names, “Puss Puss”, is just “kiss kiss” in Swedish. Then she follows up by saying she just wants to give a hot, wet puss puss – laughing to herself and biting her nail- and she surveys the audience. She also, at one point, leads a very enthusiastic Aussie, Aussie, Aussie chant, which she says she will never forget.
“I’ll never forget this. I’m so happy to be here, finally,” she tells us. “I can’t believe it. I’ve been doing this for a very long time, and I remember that Australia was one of the first countries, of all the countries in the world, that sort of—I feel like adopted me and really supported my music. And I feel like I’ve never done a show here. This is my first ever show here. This is the premiere. And it won’t be the last; I can’t wait to be back. I miss you already… I’m having so much fun.”
“Lush Life” is the natural peak of the show, and not just because of its undeniable virality, but the track has become something of a ritual at live shows, in the way that “Role Model” has his Sally, and Conan Gray has his wishbone puller. One lucky punter is pulled onto the stage to do the much-loved choreography with Larsson, as well as give out a T-shirt on which Larsson sprays a message of their choosing. It was a concert in November of 2025 where a young fan joined Larsson on stage to perform the dance in the last chorus of the song – which has now been permanently written into Larsson lore, with all tours since then featuring a lucky visitor on stage. And so Australia’s first-ever “Lush Life” dance to be chosen, ironically, is called Shy, to which Larsson says: “Oh girl, you are not shy!” Shy understands the assignment and gives an impassioned performance, with Larsson giving her a T-shirt with Puss Puss sprayed on the front.
Homemade signs are lifted all over the Riverstage from start to finish last night, and the natural amphitheatre shape of the venue allows us all to see everyone. There are many Swedish flags, statements of devotion and even some that alluded to her music having a healing power (“Your music saved my life”).
As the tired yet wired crowd makes their way out of the stage and onto the street, many are walking in socks and holding their boots, coloured wigs askew and hibiscuses hanging on for dear life from wet, glittery hair. I spy a few girls exchanging numbers, and others promising to look out for each other tomorrow night. It might be too earnest to say that fandom has a way of connecting strangers, but Larsson’s magnetism is empathic and long-lasting.
Every single one of Larsson’s eight shows in Australia is sold out – no small feat for a 28-year-old Swedish star largely unknown to the world until recent history.
