REVIEW: From the moment Alex O'Connor appeared under the lights at Auckland's Spark Arena, screaming confidence, charisma and energy, the crowd erupted into a roar as they watched him prance his way along the stage in a bright pink shirt.
A crowd-favourite combination of quirky jazz and upbeat hip-hop had fans flashing their phones at Rex Orange County - who at one point pleaded with fans to soak up his music "for one song" without their phones.
With a stage set like an American prom, a backdrop of silver fish-like scales and six disco balls strung from the ceiling, the sense of euphoria was strong.
As thick clouds of smoke rolled down, and vibrant lighting shone on the energetic crowd, the appearance of Rex Orange County saw the immediate appearance of hundreds of phones - eager to capture his first words.
As he opened with 'Rex (Intro)', the first strokes of the song saw screaming through the crowd as he pointed towards individuals in the audience.
"Always strive to be myself, but who am I?" everyone sang together as the soft notes of the electric guitar came to a close.
As the song came to an end and the cheering began to simmer down, some fans chose that moment to scream out as he stepped forward and placed the microphone back in its stand.
"I love you, Auckland loves you," one woman cheered.
"I love you too," he responded, pushing the crowd into squeals of excitement.
The crowd started jumping the moment the guitar strings at the beginning of 'Amazing' were strummed, and the crowd buzzed as they sang along to what many would say is one of his catchiest songs.
The lyrics felt like a personal love letter to them, urging them to recognise the power of their own beauty.
As the croaky and muffled instrumentals to 'Sunflower' rang across the venue, accompanied with the high-pitched vocals expressing love and emotion, the orange lights flicked up and strobed.
Couples held each other close and friends leant into one another's embrace as the joyful and vibrant lyrics rang out throughout the crowd, coming to an end before 'Face to Face' rang out with synchronised Beatles-like opening vocals.
"Who's in love?" he asked the swaying crowd, which responded with hand-hearts, creating a magical sense of coming together.
As the lights dimmed and the band backed away, it was finally time for O'Connor to shine solo. He sat in front of a keyboard and smiled down towards those in the front rows as he sang 'Always'.
Those seated stood up, and those standing grasped onto their friends as the slow lyrics had those in the crowd look into one another's eyes, with some embracing each other.
As the heavily anticipated 'Best Friend' came on, O'Connor took a moment to stop the music and politely asked the audience to put their phones away and "enjoy his presence".
"If you film this then everyone is going to see this. If you don't film it, it can just be you and me and no one else gets to experience this," he explained.
"Can it just be us?" he pleaded.
"Please put those phones away, for one song, and if you see someone with a phone tell them to put it away," he added, before kicking off the catchy introduction.
The lights instantly felt brighter, and the energy increased without the presence of phones as O'Connor stretched his smile out to the crowd.
"Now you can do what you want," he joked as the song came to an end, and the glow of purple lights faded off.
Some people were quick to turn their phones back on, while others kept them pocketed as he headed into 'It's Not The Same Anymore' where he gave it his all before thanking the crowd and walking off stage.
"Encore!" the unsatisfied crowd called out, and to the surprise of everyone the lights glowed to a brighter purple and he reappeared, putting on his guitar strap and chuckling into the microphone, "Do you mind if I play one more song?" - before kicking it off with a well-known, upbeat, fan-favourite 'Pluto Projector'.
As fans screamed and hugged those around them, the entire crowd started singing the lyrics as O'Connor let them fill in gaps, giving it his all to finish the final song on a thrilling note.
The warmth of the lights faded away and the bright twinkling of phone lights came out one last time - but nothing could have been brighter than the final moment of O'Connor tilting his head and grinning ear to ear at the crowd.
