Review: Lorde at RAC Arena
Lorde at RAC Arena
w/ Kevin Abstract
Wednesday, February 25, 2026
Lorde’s been punching up from the beginning.
Just 16 when Royals made her one of the world’s biggest stars seemingly overnight, it’s still the Pure Heroine songs that are her most popular, and she played more than half that record at last Wednesday’s sold-out RAC Arena party.
But like her songs, she matured quickly. If Pure Heroine is the populist choice, the second album Melodrama is the critics’, and it was hardly surprising seeing Perfect Places, Supercut and The Louvre in prime positions throughout her set on the Ultrasound World Tour.
Add to that her emotional vulnerability in her standout track, Liability, seated on the edge of the stage, singing, “They say, you’re a little much for me, you’re a liability… I’m a little much for everyone,” and the picture became clearer. From early on, she has displayed the sort of humility an artist twice her age would struggle to muster.
Indeed, Ella Yelich-O’Connor makes pop music for adults. Of all the biggest stars in the world at the minute, she spends the least time condescending to her fans. Ever since singing “I’m kind of over getting told to throw my hands up in the air” on Team, she’s made her live shows about energy and enthusiasm rather than tired cliches to encourage audience participation.
And energy is what she gave from the very beginning. Still just 29, Lorde is looking healthy. And fit. There was no sign of the weight issues spoken about so plainly in her incredible response to Charli XCX’s Girl, So Confusing (“For the last couple years I’ve been at war with my body / I tried to starve myself thinner, and then I gained all the weight back”).
It might’ve taken some of us in the stalls a hot minute to get to our feet even after she dropped Royals as the second track, but our host was dancing up a storm from the beginning. Eventually, it couldn’t help but be infectious and even a little euphoric on an epic Green Light, the green laser-assisted peak acting as something of a finale before Lorde got out with her fans to perform the encore from a B-stage at the sound desk.
It should also be mentioned that she played all 11 songs from last year’s Virgin. And not one of them lagged thanks to the energy transfer happening all night between singer and audience, from the opening Hammer (“My mercury’s raising / Don’t know if it’s love or if it’s ovulation”) through to What Was That, the comeback single that last year solidified Lorde as one of her generation’s more durable talents.
Credit to her confidence in giving support act Kevin Abstract so much of the stage to work with. The former Brockhampton singer’s setup was as unique and memorable as his quirky stage presence, with a stepladder positioned in the middle and plenty of impressive lighting as he combined solo hits with a couple of his former band’s faves.
A heroine for our times, Lorde’s credentials are already undeniable, and she paved the way for the likes of self-made young songwriters Billie Eilish and Olivia Rodrigo to follow. But there’s plenty of her own script yet to be written, and judging by this show, we’re not going to want to miss any of what comes next.
HARVEY RAE
Photos by Sam Penn
