Live Report: Perfume Genius shimmers on the National Stadium stage

Very few street lights line the South Circular road on this dreary November evening, as groups of Perfume Genius funnel into the National Stadium.

Most concertgoers head straight to the standing section, hoping to get as close of view of tonight's show as possible, eager to catch a glimpse of Perfume Genius' final show of the European leg of the Glory Tour, in support of his stellar 2025 release Glory which artfully dealt themes of shame and inner demons.

Hand Habits, the solo musical project of New York musician Meg Duffy [who is also a member of Perfume Genius's touring band] is the first to take the stage. A blue light illuminates the stage, with dark cobalt shadows concealing Duffy's face from the crowd. Throughout the 30 minute set, they joke about Irish heritage, noting the calmness of tonight's Irish crowd was not what they'd expected.

Hand Habits plays songs new and old, some off of their latest album Blue Reminder, with folk-rock sounds bringing forth reminiscence of Big Thief and Wednesday. Throughout the set, Duffy's voice cracks with emotion. Similar sentiments pry out of the band, with distorted guitar riffs reaching the audience like lashing rainfall.

Perfume Genius begins his set to overwhelming applause. The blinding lights illuminate his outline as he shimmers in a long sheer blouse, elevating his ethereal appearance for the evening. Throughout the set he plays fan favourites such as 'Mirror' and 'No Front Teeth', off his latest record Glory, and 'My Body' off of his 2014 album Too Bright. The synth infused structure of his songs give off strong influences of 80s pop acts such as Phil Collins, Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers, and Don Henley, with the darker toned tracks grasping towards the likes of R.E.M.

The performance touches on themes of queerness, a topic explored throughout his seven albums. Hadreas dancing through each song, shedding his skin as he appears to return to the mental state of each track's origin right before our eyes. It's cathartic, almost like a punishing exhale, as if the performance of each track is revisiting an event or plagued feeling.

The lights behave as an additional character, making the stage feel dangerous and cinematic. It builds the mood, sometimes changing unexpectedly, causing butterflies in the stomach.

Hadreas occasionally breaks his intensity, expressing his graciousness by thanking each individual crew member numerous times throughout the evening, his humility echoing the sensitive human nature examined in his lyrics.

The encore sees Perfume Genius returning to stage solo, as he sits at a piano on the darkened stage, a single white light appearing above his head. The crowd remains silent throughout his cover of 'Kanga Roo' by Big Star, a sorrowful ballad which brings seated audience members to their feet, swaying with pure heartache. The band rejoins him for his next cover, a slow and cutting performance of Mazzy Star's 'Fade Into You'. It felt like Hadreas was singing from a specific wound.

He concludes the evening with an electrifying performance of his hit track 'Queen', with every member of the audience standing wide-eyed to face him. The performance receives a huge reaction from the audience, with his exit prompting an explosion of light, as if this is what the building intensity of the entire evening was leading up to.