Niall Horan at O2 Shepherd's Bush Empire

Photo courtesy: @abbieheadland

Since the beginning of their hiatus, the boys of One Direction haven't really carried out the conventional role of a solo career. Two of the lads have been collaborating with stars of US hip-hop, one has been recording with EDM hitmakers and another has been prancing around Hollywood film studios. The same can be said for Niall Horan.

Having only released two singles in 11 months, some would argue that it's too soon for the young Irishman to embark on a world tour - especially with a premium ticket price for his beloved fans to pay. But the Flicker Sessions tour was a chance for Horan to play his debut album 'Flicker' to his most dedicated fans across the globe before it's eventual October release, an idea that even Niall himself notes as a strange way to do things.

Niall hosted Flicker Sessions #2 at the historic Shepherd's Bush Empire in London. Despite playing to a maximum capacity far from the heights of Olympic Closing Ceremonies and Wembley Stadium residencies, he relished the opportunity to demo his forthcoming album to a small number of his followers.

The contingent of 2000 (a majority of which had queued for most of the day) that travelled to West London for the show observed and listened carefully as they heard most of the setlist's tracks for the first time - no longer having to deal with poor quality Youtube recordings taken from the US festival appearances Horan has made throughout the summer. In contrast, the audience received Niall's crystal clear vocals, just as you would expect from a major singing competition winner.

'This Town' and 'Slow Hands' were obvious highlights for the crowd, but the upcoming album shows plenty of promise. The electric guitar-heavy 'Mirrors' sounds arena-ready, whilst set closer 'On My Own' would be perfect for an evening in a raucous Irish pub. The audience was also treated with an acoustic solo performance of One Direction deep cut, 'Fool's Gold' - unfortunately not a daring rendition of The Stone Roses classic.

The fortunate few in attendance were rewarded with a polished intimate experience when they would usually be dealing with stadium views that only a set of binoculars would provide a clear picture. Overall, the collective beaming smiles shared by every member of the departing crowd at the end of the night proved that endless sing-along opportunities aren't necessary when it comes to justifying ticket prices set to see a global superstar like Niall Horan.

RA 😏