Afterpay Arena, Sydney, Australia – Friday, July 7

Global jazz-pop superstar Laufey finally graced Sydney with her “A Matter Of Time” tour on Friday, the 7 of July, bringing her beloved magic back for the third time. The last time she set foot in Sydney was in 2024, for her “Bewitched: The Goddess Tour,” where she delivered a career-defining performance at the iconic Sydney Opera House. This time around, she dazzled a crowd of over 20,000 people at Sydney’s Afterpay Arena, keeping fans entertained and captivated for just over two hours.

As I walked through the doors to find my seat, I was greeted by hundreds of fans dressed up for the occasion. In true Laufey fashion, they donned handmade dresses and suits, as well as felt crowns with their names stitched on — a well-known tradition within the fandom. It wasn’t long before Leonie Biney, the show’s opening act, came out to begin our magical night.

As Leonie made her way through her nine-song setlist, the crowd eagerly cheered her on and even lit up the arena with their phone flashlights as she performed her first-ever song, making for a truly intimate moment. Her set consisted of popular songs such as “Groupie” and “Beach Song,” as well as some lovely personal anecdotes that reminded the crowd that anything is possible. “Last time Laufey was in London, I was in the crowd, and now I’m sharing the stage with her — I can’t believe it!” Leonie beamed, just before closing her set and saying goodbye to the applauding arena.

While the Sydney crowd waited for Laufey to come on, we were treated to a reveal of her whimsical set design and a run of “Laufey Trivia” questions that flashed across the arena screens! Fans used these last few minutes to compliment each other’s outfits and pass around pieces of different-coloured paper for a fan project, which was planned to occur during “Carousel” — more on this later. As the start time drew closer, we enjoyed the last few minutes of the nostalgic pre-show playlist. One moment we were singing along to “Linger” by The Cranberries, and the next we were cheering wildly as the lights dimmed and the show officially began.

The stage lights rose to reveal more of the castle — like steps and a porch-style swing we got a glimpse of earlier. The orchestra and band, positioned on either side of the stage, took their places as “Look for the Silver Lining” by jazz legend Chet Baker played through the arena, just before Laufey herself emerged in a gorgeous and sparkly princess gown. The crowd squealed with excitement as Laufey and her dancers rushed on to say hello, while a gorgeous old-timey backdrop confirmed we were officially in Act I of the show.

Laufey opened with “Clockwork,” greeting the Sydney crowd with a comedic “there’s so many of you here wtf!” before saying there were “so many lover girls” to kick off the iconic “Lover Girl” claps across the arena. She danced through the song, looking like a leaping princess alongside her dancers, and by the third song, “Dreamer,” she was swinging in front of a fantastical castle backdrop, forming an aesthetic that was reminiscent of “Alice in Wonderland” and 1960s musicals, such as “The Umbrellas of Cherbourg.”

She then performed the popular 2022 hit “Falling Behind,” which had the entire arena singing along. As she called out, “Come on, Sydney, sing with me!” I could not help but notice the abundance of people slow dancing on the floor in front of me — it was a beautiful moment that really showcased the artist-to-fan connection that makes Laufey’s music so special to experience live. Shortly after, she brought out a stunning red guitar to perform a truly cinematic rendition of “Silver Lining,” which had phone flashlights rising and swaying in the air as everyone sang the outro together.

Laufey then became introspective, remembering her first Sydney performance in front of 500 people at Oxford Art Factory. “While I was here, Michael Bublé was playing in this arena, and he invited me and gave me a shout-out, and I remember thinking, WOW, he was so famous! I was in the crowd just like you guys. I thought this was the biggest room ever. I can’t believe I’m now here performing for you,” she said. “This is quite a difference from last time — this is insane. I’m so emotional, I love you guys so much.” The vibe then shifted into a more playful mood for “Bored,” where Laufey introduced the track by saying, “You know when you wake up one day and just go ‘ew, why am I with them?’” before rushing to the barricade to greet fans during the performance.

Laufey is quite the comedian — cracking many jokes throughout the show, one of her most memorable ones being after the aforementioned barricade run, where she breathlessly joked “I don’t do cardio — I need a second. Some of y’all’s hands are really wet…I don’t know if you are sweaty or had a juice beverage…but maybe…wipe that down…,” which got the whole arena laughing with her. The energy in the room shifted again to fit the emotional “Too Little, Too Late,” where her dancers delivered one of the most beautiful live performances I’ve had the pleasure of seeing, before Laufey disappeared into the castle steps while an instrumental version of “Bewitched” played in her absence.

Act II brought the first costume change of the night, as Laufey traded the glorious princess gown for a sleek 1920s flapper dress. She made her way to the front of the walkway with a few select musicians for a run of live jazz, which transformed the arena into the most intimate room. “Welcome to my jazz club,” she joked, poking fun at how many water breaks she takes — “justice for the water break! I’m singing, not lip syncing! That’s why I mess up lyrics sometimes. I’m human, and it’s great to be human!” before teasing the crowd that the section felt like being out with a lover, “although I’m sure not many of you have lovers, because why would you be here? I’m kidding, guys! You’ll find a lover! I’ll be your lover!” she chimed to an eruption of laughter. She then performed beautiful rearrangements of “Valentine” and “Fragile” — I was in awe watching her captivate the crowd of thousands with pure jazz instrumentals and vocals; it is truly something you do not see every day.

The fan-favourite “Best Dressed” segment occurred right after, with Lucy, the night’s best-dressed guest, showing us her dress details, which were made entirely of Laufey’s sheet music! She even had a side of the dress resemble the Sydney Opera House; it was amazing to see, and of course, Laufey could not stop raving about it. Before introducing her last song of the act, she emotionally reflected on how the support of her fans has pushed her to keep going.

“There’s nothing more inspiring than seeing all of you and being with all of you; it makes me want to be the best artist possible. I grew up playing classical music in orchestras, and I wanted to find a way to mix those genres together. When I recorded my first song, I was so scared no one my age would want to listen to this as something modern, but you guys proved me wrong, and I can’t believe it!” she beamed before playing “Let You Break My Heart Again” to a sea of cheers.

It was then time for Act III, where she opened with the long-awaited “Carousel.” It would be an understatement to say that the fan project came together beautifully, with the different coloured lights in each section forming a rainbow around the arena. The project worked by fans distributing a tiny piece of paper — different colour per section — with instructions for eager concert-goers to hold the paper against their phone flashlight when the time came to create this gorgeous spectacle. Laufey appreciated it very much, as she called out, “This is so beautiful, thank you!” at the end of the song. Ballerinas on pointe then took the stage for a hauntingly cinematic performance of “Forget-Me-Not,” which saw Laufey pull out her cello for a gorgeous instrumental before leaving the stage through the middle once again.

While we waited for Laufey to make her way back to the stage, Act IV opened with a hilarious costume-change video of her trying on silly outfits, such as a bee costume, and talking about them with her twin sister Junia in “The Office” style filming. While the crowd was laughing, Laufey returned with an updated version of her sleek flapper dress — this time including a cropped jacket and some more frills to dance around in.

She performed “Mr Eclectic” and the fan-favourite “Madwoman,” which included an instrumental outro that had Laufey and Junia performing happily side-by-side. The arena then sang along to a dreamy “Promise” and became a backing choir for “Goddess,” its crescendo landing like a chaotically beautiful breakdown before the beloved single, “Tough Luck,” brought the energy up with the crowd screaming and dancing along to its bridge.

As the end of the night neared, Laufey got personal once again, reflecting on how the album was written to voice emotions people are often scared to express — a reminder, she said, that no matter where you’re from, we all feel the same things. “Sometimes it can feel so isolating, but somebody in here is probably feeling the same. It’s the most comforting thing. That’s what I hope to do with my songwriting,” she shared, before the deeply personal “Snow White” had the arena in a trance.

The fun made its way back when the beloved global hit “From The Start” began to play, where it was declared that Sydney was a louder crowd than Melbourne. Everyone, young and old, seated or on the floor, was standing up and dancing for this one! It was a very fun shared experience. Laufey then officially introduced her band, dancers, and string quartet before quietly stating, “It was just a matter of time until we made it to our final song”.

The Final Act began with the full descent into madness that “Sabotage” live is — every instrument was building into chaos as Laufey seemed to completely lose herself in the performance before she left the stage to chants pleading for “one more song.” She returned to an arena still buzzing with excitement to deliver a very personal and moving encore performance. After performing “Second Best,” she spotted a young fan’s sign saying it was their birthday — “aw happy birthday, how old are you? 14?! Aw you’re just a baby! What’s your name? Cindy? Can we all sing a little happy birthday for Cindy?” she exclaimed, before the entire arena of thousands took the time to sing to this young girl and make her night more special.

“How many of you are artists in here, not just singers, any kind of art?” Many of us, myself included, put our hands up. “I just want to tell you to follow your dreams. This next song I wrote for my 13-year-old self because I needed someone, especially someone on a stage like this, to tell me to follow my dreams. I’m just like all of you, I was just a weird girl with a big dream.” She then dedicated her performance of “Letter To My 13 Year Old Self” to all of us artists and to the young birthday girl, Cindy, who was beyond happy in front of the camera.

This song has meant a lot to me and many others throughout the years, but even then, I did not expect to be moved to absolute tears — I found myself suddenly sobbing, and looking around, I was not alone; young girls and grown adults alike sat completely and utterly captivated by the generational artist that Laufey is. Our beloved Icelandic performer was moved to tears as she thanked us for the most wonderful night and slowly made her way off stage.

Few artists can captivate a room of thousands the way Laufey does. From start to finish, the “A Matter of Time” tour was nothing short of awe-inducing and utterly captivating. Laufey is at her best, doing what she knows best — bringing magic to her fans, one unforgettable night at a time.

Go to https://www.laufeymusic.com/ for more info and to purchase remaining tickets for shows in your city.