Friday 7 August 2026

Laufey

Afterpay Arena

Review by Ida Lawrence

Who else could make a sold out arena of over 20,000 feel up close and intimate but Icelandic singer-songwriter Laufey? Earlier this year, she brought the tour for her third studio album, A Matter of Time, to Australia. Laufey is known for her focus on popularising jazz styles among the younger generation, as well as her promotion of classical music education through The Laufey Foundation. The overall genre of her music has been debated, as she incorporates elements of jazz, pop, bossa nova and classical, and she has cited Chet Baker and Ella Fitzgerald as some of her biggest inspirations.

I was fortunate enough to attend her first Sydney show on the tour and experienced it from the pit. The experience, though, began even before we entered the arena, with pop-ups related to her discography outside the venue. The grounds featured a functioning carouse made in collaboration with Visa, and a popup where fans could write messages on a wall to their future selves called The A Matter of Time Capsule. Not to mention the people watching of all of the fans who went all out in dressing up for the occasion.

British indie-pop artist Leonie Biney opened for Laufey on her Australian and New Zealand tour dates. Biney successfully created a warming, joyous atmosphere ahead of Laufey’s set. She was especially skilled in audience engagement, using a catchy non-lyrical section of her song Groupie to get the audience singing and warmed up for Laufey.

Laufey, and her creative director (and twin sister) Junia Lin created a beautiful five act setlist complete with a clear vision for each, an incredible cast of dancers, a live band, and custom sets and costumes. The production design was heavily inspired by classical ballet, 1930’s jazz flapper styles and the Golden Age of Cinema, with Ziegfeld Follies being cited as an artistic inspiration. This care turned the already masterful music into a completely dazzling experience.

And what incredible music! Laufey is an amazing vocalist, and the arrangements of her songs for stage were especially successful. A standout of the show was Act II, the Jazz Club section of the show. In this section, she played a cover of Frank Sinatra’s Old Devil Moon and jazz arrangements of her songs. She performs alongside a double bassist, a drummer and a pianist. Here, she incorporates those jazz flapper styles into her clothing; and the lighting is warm, and the performance is on a B stage. This works to transform the arena into an intimate, jazz club-like environment.

Overall, the concert was a beautiful, intimate and emotional experience. Despite the scale of the tour, with Laufey playing 70 shows across 5 continents, the show felt deeply personal. The crowd was supportive, Laufey performed with such soul and the production design was gorgeous and intricate.