Live Review: Hozier @ Riverstage, Brisbane

If you were to walk past Riverstage in Brisbane last night, you would’ve assumed that a cottage-core convention was taking place. And you wouldn’t be far from wrong. Fans lined up in their nature-inspired best to catch a glimpse of Hozier, the Irish singer-songwriter we were all there to see.

Scores of punters flowed through the gates of the outdoor venue, settling in for a night of sweet, sweet tunes. And who better to kick that off than Joy Oladokun? 

The opener was fantastic, armed with a simple acoustic guitar and a voice to be rivalled. Proclaiming that “It’s religious trauma day!”, Oladokun launched into a range of songs bound to get the audience emotional. You could tell that everyone was paying attention - you couldn’t hear a whisper as she sang both sunday and QUESTIONS, CHAOS & FAITH. 

“I think God cares about you, not what gender your smooching partner is, so take that,” she said. Winning everyone’s hearts over immediately, Oladokun was more than comfortable on stage, cracking jokes consistently. She knew exactly what to say to get the crowd riled up, calling Hozier “the hot tall Irishman” and providing us with anecdotes about Love Island.

Top that off with the best cover of Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah that I’ve ever heard, and a celebratory - yet reluctant - shoey, and you get the gist of Oladokun’s set.

And then the real fun began.

As the lights darkened, all you could hear were the screams of fans while said “hot tall Irishman” walked out on stage.

Hozier commenced his set stripped back, playing De Selby (Part 1) on his acoustic guitar, paired only with some strings on the side. A single spotlight shone on stage, illuminating the man we were all there to see, while his angelic voice rang out across Brisbane.

De Selby (Part 2) brought the vibes up a bit, as Hozier swapped out the acoustic for an electric. Screams erupted as the beat kicked in. As a side note, I’ve never seen anyone play the triangle as emphatically as Hozier’s back-up singer did during this song.

Keeping the energy high, he launched straight into Jackie And Wilson. Though the audience refused to clap on beat, nothing could destroy that iconic opening riff. Eat Your Young was next, with many more guitar riffs and solos for punters to enjoy. The ending of the song included an extra orchestral section, designed for each person in his band to showcase their talent. We love a man that can let his band shine.

Once the first round of songs closed out, Hozier paused to tell the crowd how excited he was to be back in Australia. “Life here, which I'm sure is like every day to you, for me it's fucking cool. For all of us it's fucking cool. You know, you got fucking bats out here, man. I know that's like, ‘Yeah, duh, it's cool.’ But you know, I might take one home with me,” he joked.

The next round of songs included Angel Of Small Death And The Codeine Scene - with an insane violin solo - and Dinner & Diatribes, where the crowd redeemed themselves, clapping on time, as led by the band.

Hozier paused to explain how Francesca is based on Dante’s Inferno, before launching into the fan favourite. It Will Come Back also got the crowd singing along, though it was nothing compared to the cheers of Like Real People Do. Every couple in that mosh was cuddling during that track.

“We’re not even halfway through the set and you’re already one of my loudest crowds,” Hozier said - causing the screams to get even louder. “This is great.”

I, Carrion (Icarian) garnered some flashlights in the audience, while From Eden was met with a crowd more than willing to sing along.

Saying “You sound great, Brisbane”, Hozier then launched into an explanation of Abstract (Psychopomp), which was written after he saw an animal hit by a car. 

Once Would That I closed out, he reiterated how “great” the crowd sounded. To be fair, what better back up singers are there than 9,500 punters at a sold-out show?

Rewarding the audience for their efforts, Hozier added Someone New to the setlist. “We don’t play that song on this tour very often, but it’s not often we come to Australia. It’s good to be back,” he said.

The guitarists jumped down to the barricade for an adrenaline-inducing start to Too Sweet as the whole crowd began dancing to the recent Billboard #1 smash hit. But the dancing didn’t stop there, with both Almost (Sweet Music) and Movement taking the audience to another dimension. Seriously, the subtle note changes in the bridge of Almost (Sweet Music) were close to orgasmic. We need a live version of this on Spotify ASAP.

For the (alleged) final song of the night, of course the Irishman played Take Me To Church - the track that put him on the global map. Flames licked across the LED screens on stage as Hozier joined the crowd in the mosh pit, hugging them and singing as they reached out for him. Looking like the induction for a cult, it almost felt like a religious experience. Hanging a lesbian flag across his microphone stand, he walked off stage - though that didn’t last long.

Coming back for his encore, Hozier thanked the audience for their enthusiasm once again: “This is such an incredible welcome to receive after so many years.” And, as a token of his appreciation, he left us with four songs to remember - Cherry Wine, Unknown/Nth, Nina Cried Power, and Work Song. 

Before launching into Nina Cried Power, he took the time to explain the message behind the anthem, which was co-written by Mavis Staples. 

“I kind of wrote this song to remind myself of the small ways in which people very often show up for the world around them and show for the people around them. But also to remind myself of all the things that we have to be thankful for and be grateful for, that we sometimes take for granted, that we enjoy every single day of our lives, that once had to be protested for and worked for through direct action and community action.”

The five minute spiel on activism touched on a range of topics, including suffrage, abortion, racism, and gay marriage. But, most notably, he closed out by calling for “a Palestine free from occupation, a Palestine free to move towards true self determination.”

The concert finished up with a haunting rendition of Work Song, with Joy Oladokun joining Hozier on stage to create harmonies that will reverberate in the audiences’ brains for years to come. 

An ethereal end to a heavenly night.