NIALL HORAN

In the post-One Direction world, nobody for a second is going to question Harry’s dominance. But the sparkle, scale and spectacle of Mr Styles isn’t Niall Horan. And while placing all the ex-1Ders in the same sphere is inevitable, it does him a disservice. They’re not quite Gary and Robbie but the analogy comes close to working.

Horan has given himself time to find his feet as a solo artist, but he’s done it with a panache and verve that has generally escaped Irish ex-boyband members. Heartbreak Weather overwhelmingly proved that the Mullingar man is in nobody’s shadow, but The Show is unquestionably the moment he finds his groove.

Niall says: “My favourite thing in the world is being on tour. Performing my songs for my fans and sharing those incredible moments together are the reason why I write music in the first place. This is going to be my best tour yet and I cannot wait to see all you “lovers” on the road in 2024. There’s nothing better than watching the crowd sing back to you with all that emotion on their faces and knowing that they’re attaching the song to something meaningful in their own lives. To me, that’s always the greatest thing that can ever come from songwriting.”