Dean Lewis, Auckland NZ, 2023

Dean Lewis

18th March 2023
The Civic, Auckland, New Zealand.

Review by Lauren Sanderson. Photography by Matt Henry Mendonca.

Girls love him, guys want to be him — Dean Lewis captures hearts globally. In fact, he is even often referred to as the Aussie Harry Styles.

The Australian singer-songwriter performed his first-ever headline show in New Zealand at the Auckland Town Hall in 2019 and now four years later, the Aussie heart-throb has returned last night as he and his band took over The Civic as part of The Future is Bright World tour.

But first, warming up the crowd was Australian singer-songwriter Jack Gray who captivated us with his alt-pop tracks, which mix both acoustic and electronic elements. His big pop electric guitar riffs and stunning vocal range were the perfect way to kick-start the night.

Now, we love Dean Lewis for his brutally honest lyrics that explore his negative experiences in the world of dating and relationships. Something that most people are trying to navigate every day – so it’s not surprising that his Auckland show sold out.

This was the second time that I’d seen Lewis and his band perform and let’s just say if his past performance was anything to go by, I knew that we were in for an epic night filled with heartfelt stories and raw emotion. Playing songs from both his new highly-anticipated album ‘The Hardest Love’ as well as much much-loved golden oldies that have dominated the charts globally, Lewis had us captivated from the get-go.

The audience was made up of mostly female fans, who simply couldn’t contain their excitement and filled the theatre with ear-piercing screams every time someone entered the stage. So you can only imagine the howls when Dean Lewis eventually made his entrance.

Muffled by the screams, the sweet piano riffs of ‘Hurtless’ echoed around The Civic, which only ignited the screams further. The track which was written during lockdown explores the emotions of infidelity and was warmly welcomed as the crowd clutched to their hearts while belting out the lyrics word for word.

Much-loved single ‘Stay Awake’ followed, which was the ultimate singalong number. The crowd was on their feet moving to the contagious beat in unison.

Considering Lewis’ songs explore heartbreak, sorrow, and sadness, The Civic was full of love. He addresses the audience to say “I fucking love you Auckland”, to which multiple girls screamed back “I love you”, before ‘Looks Like Me’ engulfed the theatre. The pulsating, up-tempo track was a change to Lewis’ usual emotional ballads, although the lyrics were emotional the beat behind the track was uplifting and you couldn’t help but stand up and move your body.

The crowd looks to Lewis with admiration as he continues to relay his past dating stories before playing the hit-track ‘7 Minutes’, which touches on regrets in relationships and losing the girl of his dreams. Although the track is heartfelt, Lewis turns it into a joke as he sings “If I came back now, would you still be there?” to which he acknowledges his wrongs and says “No chance”. Well, by the crowd’s reaction, she may not be there but thousands of adoring female fans will be.

‘The Hardest Love’ was up next, the audience was in awe as he dedicates this song to one of his best female friends who sadly passed away two years ago. This song certainly pulls at your heartstrings and was to blame for many mascara mishaps.

Lewis’ haunting vocals came to life with ‘Chemicals’, while ‘Hold On Me’, from his first Album, A Place We Knew, had everyone on their feet clapping to the upbeat track.

The stripped-back track ‘Half A Man’ saw the audience and Lewis became one as the vocals intertwined to create a beautiful duet. This song was meant to be written for someone else, but thankfully he couldn’t let it go as his angelic vocals were destined to be for this track.

The emotion remained high as he played ‘How Do I Say Goodbye’, a new song that explores the possibility of losing a loved one, based on his own personal experience of potentially losing his dad after a cancer diagnosis. This new hit is so popular, it’s even become a viral TikTok trend, where his loving fans share their own moving moments of grief. A hugely relatable number that brings people together and reminds us of life’s fragility.

Lewis showed off his versatility with his cover of Coldplay’s ‘Yellow’ before ending the night with his much-loved song ‘Be Alright’— his hit single has dominated charts worldwide and has had over 3.6 billion streams, and hearing it live confirms exactly why.

As he bid us farewell, the screams took over again as the crowd demanded more. Thankfully, Lewis returned to play his first hit single ‘Waves’, which took us back to where it all began.

A master of his trade, Lewis creates music that really hits people in the feels and strikes emotion in a crowd— a rare skill that only the finest of artists hold.

So, if you’re looking for a therapeutic experience, where you can unleash your inner fan girl then be sure to book tickets to Dean Lewis’ next show. We just hope it’s not another four years until his next visit!

Were you there at The Civic to witness this entertaining pop gig? Or have you seen Dean Lewis perform live somewhere else? Tell us about it in the comments below!

Setlist:

1. Hurtless
2. Stay Awake
3. Looks Like Me
4. 7 Minutes
5. The Hardest Love
6. Chemicals
7. Into the Breeze
8. Hold of Me
9. Half A Man
10. Scares Me
11. For the Last Time
12. Don’t Hold Me
13. How Do I Say Goodbye
14. Yellow [Coldplay cover]
15. Be Alright
16. Falling Up [encore]
17. Waves [encore]

_{Note: Ambient Light was provided passes to review and photograph this concert. As always, this has not influenced the review in any way and the opinions expressed are those of Ambient Light’s only. This post contains an affiliate link. If you purchase a product using an affiliate link, Ambient Light will automatically receive a small commission at no cost to you.}

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