Dean Lewis, Auckland NZ, 2019

Dean Lewis

3rd May 2019
The Town Hall, Auckland, New Zealand.

Review by Lauren Sanderson. Photography by Chontalle Musson.

Australian singer-songwriter Dean Lewis performed his first ever headline show in New Zealand at the Auckland Town Hall last night, playing songs from both his new highly-anticipated album ‘A Place We Knew’ as well as much-loved hit singles that have dominated the charts globally.

First things first, I just want to point out the pure talent that Lewis holds, it is very rare to hear an artist who sounds exactly the same live to his recorded tracks. Not only has he written his entire album himself, but he also plays the acoustic and electric guitar, piano and vocals. To say I was very excited to see him perform was a massive understatement – I mean, how could you not be?

And if you don’t believe me I have thousands of screaming female fans to back me up on this. Yes, the audience was made up of mostly girls, all of whom had the same underlying urge to let out the loudest high-pitched squeals of excitement. The energy was highly contagious and I couldn’t help but be consumed into this fan girl like state.

So you can imagine when Lewis first entered the stage with his three piece band, the welcome he received, especially when he picked up his guitar and blasted out ‘Hold of me’. The upbeat track from his new album was vibrant and was the perfect start to the evening. It was certainly a change to Lewis’ usual emotional ballads, although the lyrics were emotional the beat behind the track was uplifting and put a bounce in your step.

‘Need you Now’ followed, the energy remained exhilarating and the audience clapped along perfectly in sync to the infectious rhythm. It was here I heard an audience member say “It’s refreshing to see guys listening to romantic music” and I couldn’t agree more. While the audience were mostly female there was a hand full of guys who bopped along and sang out Lewis’ lyrics – whether they were there because of their girlfriends or not.

The dancing continued as sweet riffs of ‘Stay Awake’ echoed around the town hall. ‘Chemicals’ was next and Lewis declared that he thought this song wouldn’t be liked, but by the crowd’s reaction they loved it! The acoustics of this track worked wonders in the town hall, as the audience waved their lit-up phones from side to side, although this wasn’t the right moment as the space was already brightly lit up – but it’s the thought that counts.

People literally lost their minds to his old track ‘Lose My Mind’, while ‘Time to Go’ highlighted Lewis’ impeccable vocal range. Lewis explained how he used to write songs for other people and his next track ‘Half a Man’ was meant to be written for someone else, but he couldn’t let it go and thank god for that! His angelic vocals were destined to be for this track.

Much-loved song ‘Be Alright’ was up next (cue even louder screams than usual), his hit single has been dominating charts worldwide and has had over 200 million streams on Spotify and hearing it live confirms exactly why. The audience and Lewis became one by this point, and as the vocals intertwined, it almost sounded like a male and female duet.

Lewis showcased his laid back and humble persona throughout the night, he seemed taken aback by the audience reaction to his music, he even claimed that we were one of the best audiences that he’s played for, and whether he meant it or not, we are going to believe it!

It was great seeing Lewis and his band take on The Killers ‘When We Were Young’, although they had only rehearsed it twice and both times had gone wrong, thankfully it all worked in their favour on the night. The chemistry and bond between the band was evident during this track, and it was great to see how they interact with one another.

Finishing with his first hit single “Waves”, the night ended on such a high note. It was great to witness Lewis take us back to the song where it all began.

The best part about Lewis’ music is that people can connect with it in some way or another. His acoustic styled folk-pop songs are influenced by his past relationships, and yes they are mostly about heartbreak and loss but, that’s not how the energy was portrayed in the room. It was actually the opposite, warmth smiles and happiness all round.

That’s the magic of Lewis’ craft, he is a musical genius who is a master of his trade, and Although his songs are emotionally raw, he did nothing but deliver 90 minutes of pure happiness.

There is something telling me that we will be seeing him very soon…

Until next time Dean Lewis.

Were you there at the Auckland Town Hall to check out this Australian Singer-Songwriting sensation? Or have you seen Dean Lewis perform live somewhere else before? Tell us about it in the comments below!

Setlist:

1. Hold Of Me
2. Need You Now
3. Place We Knew
4. Stay Awake
5. Chemicals
6. Lose My Mind
7. Half A Man
8. Time To Go
9. Don’t Hold Me
10. Be Alright
11. 7 Minutes
12. When You Were Young
13. For The Last Time
14. Straight Back Down [encore]
15. Waves [encore]

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