“It’s hot down there. A scorcher. Did anyone bring hydration tablets?”

Harry Styles acknowledged the stifling conditions facing his crowd of “Harries” as he kicked off the Australian leg of Love on Tour in Perth on Monday night.

Harry Styles has kicked off his first Australian tour in Perth.Credit:Getty Images

It was indeed hot at HBF Park and many of his fans had queued for hours in the baking sun to get as close to the artist as possible. It was the first time the singer-songwriter, who can also add Hollywood actor to his business acumen, has performed in Australia in nearly five years.

Decked out in ’70s-style turquoise pants, a fitted cream tee featuring a bedazzled milkshake and purple fingernails the 29-year-old strutted on to the stage and opened with the catchy Music for a Sushi Restaurant.

Songs from his third album Harry’s House, dominated the set list, but he still performed some of his most popular tunes including Golden and Adore You from Fine Line, as well as Sign of the Times from his debut album.

Daylight, Cinema, Little Freak, Late Night Talking, Watermelon Sugar and Love of My Life all made the set.

A trio of tunes Styles dubbed his “disco medley” started with Daydreaming and ended with his former boy band One Direction’s hit What Makes Your Beautiful which sparked the biggest roars of the night.

Styles is by no means an accomplished dancer but he moved around the stage with energy and interacted genuinely with his fans during the show.

There’s no doubting his gravitational pull on young people and their devotion and fascination when it comes to anything to do with Harry’s world. Styles is so wildly popular that a video of a fan throwing a Skittle at his face mid-concert went viral.

And no doubt the video of Styles partaking in the “disgusting” Australian ritual of doing a shoey – drinking from a shoe – will also make its way around the globe.

Part of the fan frenzy can be explained by his boyish charm and ability to engage with effortless banter with his Harries, most obvious when reading out their homemade fan signs. One girl had travelled from Sydney despite having a broken back after falling off a horse. Another woman had a sign that read “I dragged my husband here from Sydney”. Take note State Daddy, it’s not just the UFC that is a powerful drawcard to entice interstate tourists to head west.

While his lyrics occasionally titillate and delve into sex and drugs, they do so in a PG way that still makes the reigning pop king emerge as a little bit naughty but nice. Like a dirty joke hidden in a Disney movie. He’s someone you could introduce to your grandmother and she’d say he was a lovely chap.

The tail end of the show included two of his biggest hits, the tear-jerking ballad Sign of the Times and his breezy hit As It Was.

The surprise of the night was Styles belting out Horses by Daryl Braithwaite, which he said was “like catnip” to Australians. It spurred a crowd strong singalong among the young and old.

Styles told Rolling Stone that he has a post-show ritual of taking a shower, and after a sticky night in Perth there was a lot to wash away.

Styles will perform in Australia until his final show in Sydney on March 4.

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