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We say it loud and clear: Harry Styles just had the biggest moment of his solo career.
Last night the singer, who is in the middle of 12 Wembley Stadium performances, interrupted his London marathon for a very special solo show at the Meltdown Festival, which he is self-curating in 2026.
The lineup is typically eclectic for the former One Direction man: from jazz great Kamasi Washington to the wonderfully chaotic Getdown Services, who also shone at their own show last night.
An evening for eternity
But when the dust settles on the Meltdown Festival, all eyes will return to this very evening. Accompanied by the Jules Buckley Orchestra – whose namesake arranged the strings on recent album track “Coming Up Roses” – Styles’ finest solo work was given a truly breathtaking reinterpretation.
A pin could be heard in the spacious hall as he opened with the rarely played “Boyfriends” from “Harry’s House” and then spoke about the meaning of the evening – visibly moved to be there at all. One of the main differences from his Wembley shows, he joked, is that you’re unlikely to see his nipples here.
But what Styles lacked in nipples made up for in class. The underrated debut album track “Two Ghosts” has rarely sounded so good, while the emotional title track from that same album caused audible sobs from the audience.
Magic on stage
Late in the set, a common thread emerged that set the stage for what we have no hesitation in calling the absolute highlight of his solo career. Before “Carla’s Song,” he explained how the track was inspired by the experience of watching a friend hear Simon & Garfunkel’s “Bridge Over Troubled Water” for the first time – her reaction, he said, was like that of someone witnessing real magic for the first time.
“Music is magic, and I feel incredibly lucky to be even a small part of it,” he explained.
“I think hearing songs like this reminds us of something that’s so much bigger than any single artist you like. Every song is something that every musician puts a piece of themselves into. These things far outlive all of us,” he continued. “On evenings like this I feel incredibly privileged to be able to play with such exceptionally talented musicians.”
“Bridge Over Troubled Water”
Fitting, then, that Harry himself had something magical up his sleeve. His own version of “Bridge Over Troubled Water” closed the evening and was, seriously, the strongest solo performance he has ever delivered. His piercing voice effortlessly handled the understated verses of the Simon & Garfunkel classic – but his highs in the all-too-familiar chorus were simply flawless. Much has been written over the years about Harry Styles’ seemingly effortless showmanship, but less about how exceptionally good his voice – an instrument of baritone beauty – can be. This performance proved that he is undoubtedly one of the very best.
Harry’s love for the song is well documented: his recent shows open with Elvis’ version of it. It would be presumptuous to weigh the two against each other – but we like to say that he more than holds his own against the King’s interpretation.
“It was special for us… imagine how special it must have been for Harry. It was certainly one of the highlights of his career,” one fan wrote in the comments under the video of the performance on the ROLLING STONE UK channel. Career highlight, you say? For us it was simply the biggest. An official release of this unforgettable evening is absolutely overdue.