Review: Lewis Capaldi at RAC Arena

Lewis Capaldi at RAC Arena
w/ Fletcher Kent, Aaron Rowe
Wednesday, December 17, 2025 

There’s something to be said about someone who is able to laugh in the face of their own adversity. Even more so when they’re able to also turn it into sweet, tender music. After an extended hiatus and a whopping five-year gap between his last visit down under, the global songbird Lewis Capaldi has returned to Australian shores and is better than ever. To say it was worth the wait was an understatement, as crowds flocked in droves on a Wednesday night to swarm RAC Arena in eager anticipation for a sold-out showcase of the man’s talents.

Aussie newcomer Fletcher Kent showed immense gratitude for the opportunity of a lifetime and left everything he had on the stage, not wasting a single moment as the seats slowly filled up. His lush, beachy melodies filled out the arena. Blindspot, an acoustic slow march about love and heartbreak, was a highlight and is something to look out for, with his first-ever headline shows coming up next year.

Next up to warm the cockles of the crowd was Ireland’s own Aaron Rowe. His gruff, thick vocals contrasted with the softness of the violins—a hauntingly beautiful addition to the proceedings.

Trumpets and rising drumbeats built into a symphony as images of Lewis and fauna appeared on an enormous curtain. Out stepped the man of the hour, dressed in casual black denim and a white tee, his voice anything but casual. The band and Lewis immediately leapt into the latest comeback smash, Survive. A soaring, shimmering plea for life. The tears were already streaming as the last chorus was met with a cacophony of applause.

Not wanting to waste a single minute, Capaldi hit a knockout with the punchy ballad Grace, following up with an uppercut in the form of the jazzy guitar-led gospel of Heavenly Kind Of State Of Mind. A standing ovation of two and a half minutes was given after Forever, as a cheery fellow looked out onto the crowd. “Alright, shut the fuck up,” he jested. Pausing the set to say that Australia was his favourite place to play and giving his thoughts and prayers to the people affected by the tragic Bondi disaster earlier in the week.

Capaldi proved that a bit of rest does the body good with an incredible vocal prowess, as if he was reaching up to the heavens themselves and drawing out what one can only imagine the afterlife feels and sounds like. There’s a sincerity and candidness in how he treads about the stage, effortlessly booming out heart-wrenching melodies as if it were a casual conversation to him. Love The Hell Out Of You is a raw and unflinching first dance ditty. Almost, a new edition of the latest EP, Survive, was a fantastical rock ballad with a bit of grandeur. It balanced so tenderly on Capaldi’s incredible ability to create emotion through his voice. There wasn’t a moment that felt out of place or a lull in the show. Every song was met with screams and an avid, rowdy lot beaming his lyrics back to him. It was a magically touching moment that lasted the whole show, as if Lewis were performing in his wildly furnished living room to a sold-out crowd of 15,000.

Second album Broken By Desire To Be Heavenly Sent got a decent showing, as Capaldi provided a handpicked selection of what his life felt and sounded like over the five-year gap. Pointless was a dreamy guitar ballad set against a dreary night sky that came to life in its rising and swirling production. Growing on top of itself until Lewis was screaming about love as lights frantically flashed and guitars clashed and melted into waves of synth. There wasn’t a single dry eye in the room. The lead single off the album, Forget Me, even got its first showcase on Perth soil. “This is the only song you can dance to, so let’s dance,” he beamed before playing the uplifting crooner with its jazzy licks and bouncy drums. A sparkling moment that saw the ocean of bodies out in the crowd sway and bounce.

“The next song is a little high in my register. Just remember if this goes tits up, it’s because the song is very high and my testicles are very low,” he said, introducing Something In The Heavens. In which he did indeed sound like a self-proclaimed choirboy on the chorus, hitting Ariana Grande-like whistle notes that left audiences with their jaws agape, stunned in awe at what was present.

“This is the last show of the tour,” he reminded audiences, and he saved the best for last, as audiences got a special treat in the form of Otis from Aussie legends Royel Otis, who performed a duet of their hit Til The Morning, where Lewis showed him up on his own track. Openers Fletcher Kent and Aaron Rowe returned to the main stage to assist on the heart-tugging Before You Go. Their voices melted into a crockpot of delicious, heavenly goodness that stained the arena in angelic light and rich vocal tones.

He feigned a cheeky goodbye with an ostentatiously cunning wink. “This is the last song,” he jested. “I won’t be back in two minutes’ time.” He stepped away before very obviously coming back to play back-to-back smash hits Hold Me While You Wait and every radio station’s best friend, the incredibly popular Someone You Loved, which felt even more extravagant and bittersweet live than it did for the five hundredth time on the radio.

There’s no one like him. The blend of the deep-voiced Scottish banter with the very literal vocal cords of an angel is unmatched by many of his peers. It was a large-scale spectacle that revolves around one man, his mic and his guitar. The lights and imagery felt like garnishing against Lewis and the incredible performance of his band, who assisted and uplifted his voice to great, impossible heights. As the hordes flooded out of the arena, drenched in their own tears, one thing became evidently clear. No matter how much time he takes off, Lewis Capaldi isn’t going anywhere.

SAM MEAD

Photos by Linda Dunjey