Harry Styles has kicked off the Australian leg of his world tour by participating in a quintessentially Aussie tradition – the ‘shoey’.
Styles, fresh off his best album win for Harry’s House at this year’s Brit awards, performed in front of tens of thousands of screaming fans in Perth on Monday night.
In videos posted to social media, the As It Was singer is seen removing his green sneaker during a break between songs.
He then filled the shoe up with some water, and prepared to take a big gulp.
“This is one of the most disgusting traditions I’ve ever heard of,” he told his fans, before downing the contents.
And, as most do, Styles had some post-shoey regrets.
“I feel like a different person. I feel ashamed of myself. It feels so personal,” he joked.
“Such an intimate moment to be shared with so many people. I’ll be discussing this with my therapist at length.”
The singer then put his soggy shoe back on, and proceeded to perform several more of his hits.
Many fans pointed out that Styles had perhaps learnt his lesson since last touring Australia a few years ago.
At a 2018 concert, he refused to partake in a shoey when fans tried to pressure him.
“I’m not going to drink out of a bloody shoe. Are you mad?” he said at the time, his refusal prompting disappointed groans.
While Styles’ Australian fans were overjoyed that he’d finally done a shoey, his international fans couldn’t stomach the stunt.
“Why did I have to see this,” one Twitter user wrote, while others simply left vomit emojis.
The ‘shoey’ has become a firm fixture at Australian concerts in recent years.
American hip hop star Post Malone repeated the stunt at several concerts in recent weeks while touring Australia with the Red Hot Chili Peppers.
Other performers, however, haven’t been so enthusiastic. Country music star Kacey Musgraves bluntly refused her fans’ requests while touring Australia in 2019.
“That’s disgusting. I’m not f–king drinking out of your shoe,” she told the crowd.
Ballad for Braithwaite
The shoey isn’t the only piece of Australian iconography that Styles had incorporated into his concert.
The singer also shocked onlookers with a cover of The Horses – the Rickie Lee Jones classic made famous by Daryl Braithwaite, and embraced as somewhat of an unofficial Australian anthem.
It’s the second time that Styles has pulled out the Aussie classic, also performing the track during the Australian leg of his 2018 tour.
Tweet from @HLDTourTweet from @HLDTour
Styles dedicated his Monday night performance to Braithwaite himself.
“I can feel the Aussie coursing through my veins,” he said.
“You don’t hear that song a lot until you get here. And then, it’s like catnip.”
Braithwaite responded to Styles’ rendition, telling 2GB that he found the gesture “moving”, giving his performance an “eight out of 10”.
“To have however many fans singing it there in Perth, might have to go back there for another gig,” Braithwaite said.
When asked if there was the possibility of a duet while Styles was Down Under, Braithwaite said “who knows”.
“I did actually get the chance to meet Harry about four or five year ago when he was touring, but only very briefly. He seemed like a lovely guy.”
Styles is fresh off four wins at the Brit Awards, jetting straight from London in time for his Australian tour.
Styles took home all four awards he was nominated for – including song, British album, artist and pop/R&B act of the year.
The star also caused a stir at the 2023 Grammy’s earlier this month, where Harry’s House won album of the year over Beyonce’s Renaissance.
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