Harry Styles' Netflix Concert: A Communal Love-In with Big Pop Moments
As 2026's first major pop event, everything surrounding Harry Styles' new album, Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally, feels appropriately blockbuster. Following the premiere of the lead single Aperture at the Brit Awards, Styles hosted a "one night only" album launch party at Manchester's Co-op Live arena, recorded for Netflix. This intimate setting, by Styles' stadium standards, drew 20,000 fans, with phones secured in recyclable bags to prevent spoilers for the upcoming TV special.
Transforming the Album Live
Despite concerns that the new album, nicknamed "Kissco" by fans, lacks the inescapable hooks of hits like Adore You or As It Was, the live performance breathes new life into the songs. Shorn of the album's polished gloss, Styles and his band wrestle the tracks into more intriguing shapes. Dressed in a cropped blue sweater and bright yellow trousers, Styles opened with Aperture, hunched over vintage synths, teasing electronic textures that evoked a pin-up Thom Yorke. The song's heart-burst chorus ignited the crowd, with Styles leading a roared "we belong together."
Engaging Performances and Emotional Moments
The band, featuring a flautist, string section, and choir, launched into tracks like the LCD Soundsystem-esque American Girls, which fans embraced as a standard despite its recent release. Ready, Steady Go! and Are You Listening Yet? felt beefier, with Styles showcasing crab-like moves and relishing his return to the stage after three years. He encouraged the audience, saying, "You have one simple job: to have as much fun as you absolutely can. If you can't have fun, fake it and you might end up on Netflix."
Not all songs hit the mark; Season 2 Weight Loss felt like a drum pattern in search of a song, and Paint By Numbers lacked emotional depth. However, emotional moments flourished through Styles' crowd interactions. He nearly cried while thanking fans for changing his life, and his plea to "lead with love" in a chaotic world felt genuinely moving, underscored by the twinkling Carla's Song.
Closing with Classic Hits
The encore delivered what fans truly wanted: the hits. A pogoing Golden was followed by the effervescent Watermelon Sugar, and a galloping As It Was threatened to blow the roof off. Its needly keyboard riff and ironclad chorus highlighted what "Kissco" lacks, yet emphasized Styles' engaging performance. With arms open wide, he created an undeniable communal love-in, proving his star power even with average songs occasionally.
