Melbourne’s Rod Laver Arena was absolutely buzzing with excitement as fans of all ages gathered to see British pop icons Take That hit the stage for This Life On Tour. Promoting their ninth studio album, This Life, Take That are supported for their Australia dates by pop soloist Sophie Ellis-Bextor.
To anyone reading this below the age of 30, let me give you a quick history lesson:
Rising to fame in the 90s, the Manchester-based pop group Take That was once composed of members Gary Barlow, Howard Donald, Jason Orange, Mark Owen, and Robbie Williams. Following the departure of Williams and a 10-year split, Take That carried on as a four-piece group until Orange eventually retired from the entertainment industry in 2014, leaving Barlow, Donald and Owen to carry on as a trio.
Sophie Ellis-Bextor, on the other hand, shot to fame and popularity with her 2001 single ‘Murder on the Dancefloor’. While her career in the UK never stopped, with the release of critically acclaimed albums like 2016’s Familia, Ellis-Bextor re-entered the global psyche when ‘Murder on the Dancefloor’ was featured in the soundtrack to Emerald Fennell’s film Saltburn.
Her second time touring with Take That, Sophie Ellis-Bextor was welcomed onto the Rod Laver Arena stage to rapturous applause by all in attendance. Whether their knowledge of her discography was broad or started and stopped at ‘Murder on the Dancefloor’, Ellis-Bextor’s blend of new age disco-pop struck a harmonious chord with all the concert attendees. Performing for a full 45-minute set, Ellis-Bextor performed a string of her hits, including her aforementioned viral sensation, ‘Crying at the Discotheque’, ‘Music Gets the Best of Me’, and a fantastic cover of Madonna’s ‘Like a Prayer’.
With her young son on FaceTime for the duration of her performance, Ellis-Bextor was infectiously joyous and carefree on stage, dancing around and interacting directly with the Melbourne audience. With each song, seats became empty as people stood to dance. Sparkling in her green sequin dress and casually chatting in between songs, Ellis-Bextor had the unmistakable air of a seasoned performer, relishing in her second wind before riling the crowd up for the arrival of the main act.
When the time came for the members of Take That to join the stage, the roar was unbelievable. From the moment the live band began playing, people were rising out of their seats. Barlow, Donald and Owen, all dressed in black and gold, opened with ‘Greatest Day’ from their 2008 album Circus, before diving into ‘Giants’ from their 2017 album Wonderland. The trio was full of excitement and energy, especially Owen who read signs from the Melbourne crowd aloud. As the group talked about how happy they were to return to Australia, they noted some of the fans that had travelled interstate and across continents to see them perform, speaking to the enduring appeal of this group and their music.
After performing another group song, Owen introduced Barlow to the stage to perform a solo rendition of ‘A Million Love Songs’, a track that Barlow wrote when he was just 15 years old. A touching tribute to his youth and a song full of sincerity, phone flashlights appeared across the arena as Melbourne patrons swayed to the gentle rhythm and heartfelt lyrics.
When careers span as long as theirs do, it would be easy for Take That to promote only their most recent works that they released as a trio. A testament to their appreciation not just of their fans, but of their careers as a whole, Take That performed a range of hit songs from across their expansive discography.
An especially nice touch was the narration throughout the evening; with Barlow directing much of the show as the group’s lead singer. Talking portions that would typically be taken up with platitudes and whatnot, were filled with skits and narratives about the history of their careers in the industry, using their music to help tell their story. Despite three decades in the industry, Barlow, Donald and Owen remain as skilled as ever, with rich and balanced harmonies combining with soft falsettos and powerful high notes. The only place where the men fall short is in their endearingly clumsy choreography, which ultimately only served to enhance the overall vibe of the show as they performed each step with energy and enthusiasm.
As Take That ran through their catalogue, played instruments, and jumped off stage to interact directly with fans at the barrier, the group felt so blissfully comfortable in the grandeur of Melbourne’s Rod Laver Arena. Closing out the show with their smash hit ‘Back for Good’, ‘Never Forget’, and ‘Rule the World’, Take That were an absolute delight to see and experience, proving that despite the decade long breaks and the loss of two members, this group has had such an incredible impact and have successfully carved out a place in music history that cannot be overlooked.
Take That’s This Life On Tour with Sophie Ellis-Bextor, proudly presented by Frontier Touring played in Melbourne at Rod Laver Arena on Wednesday the 6th of November and will finish out their Australian dates for their A Day On The Green shows in Pokolbin, New South Wales and Mount Cotton, Queensland before heading overseas to Indonesia, Taiwan, and Japan.
For more information and ticketing, visit:
https://www.frontiertouring.com/takethat
https://www.adayonthegreen.com.au/takethat
https://takethat.com
https://sophieellisbextor.komi.io
Photography by Rena Tan.
