Down in the capital, Taylor Swift is slaying Wembley with songs about insecurity, coming-of-age and the emotional turmoil of dating men. But up in Manchester, another artist with the very same initials is moved to do the same. With 2023 album Something to Give Each Other, Troye Sivan’s output has veered much more risque than Swift’s. But what the Aussie singer-songwriter lacks in chart ubiquity, he more than makes up for in self-realisation, offering up a queer-centric performance that is every bit as heartwarming as it is hot.
With opener Get Me Started, a high choreographical bar is set. Sensual and athletic, his six-piece troupe of dancers are almost K-pop-worthy in their precision, creating moments of tenderness amid all the raunch. Many fans will have already seen footage of the moment in which Sivan sings into a microphone hung phallically between one dancer’s legs, but they might have missed the deep, trusting eye-contact that lingers between the pair.
