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Harry Styles took the stage at the Royal Festival Hall in London’s Southbank Centre on Tuesday for a unique, orchestral performance. In between performing songs across his discography, Styles covered Patrick Watson’s Here Comes the River.
The song originally appeared on the Montreal singer-songwriter’s 2019 album, Wave, and Styles revealed that it was an inspiration for his recent album, Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally. The conductor of the 50-piece orchestra that accompanied Styles at the Southbank Centre, Jules Buckley, also helped arrange songs on the album.
Variety reported that Styles introduced his Watson cover by explaining to the crowd how his song Coming Up Roses came together. He wanted the strings to sound like the ones in Here Comes the River and played it for Buckley as a reference. Coincidentally, Buckley had also done the strings on Watson’s song: “I said, ‘What do you think?’ And he said, ‘I did those strings!’ So I said, ‘Oh, just do that again.’”
Styles began his rendition at the piano and was later joined by the string section on the song’s sweeping chorus.
One fan took to X to thank Styles for introducing them to Watson, posting: “thank you harry for putting me onto patrick watson <3 he’s always coming in clutch with the music recs i luv him.”
Styles’s performance was part of the larger Meltdown Festival, which Styles curated this year. The lineupe includes Beverly Glenn-Copeland, the Devonté Hynes Ensemble, Kamasi Washington, Warpaint and more.
Watson wasn’t the only inspiration of Styles that got some love; he also covered Simon & Garfunkel’s Bridge Over Troubled Water.
WATCH | A recording of Harry Styles’s cover of Simon & Garfunkel:
Styles is currently in the midst of his Together Together tour, which is currently stationed at Wembley Stadium in London until July 4. Shania Twain is his special guest for the next nine shows.
Watson is also on tour this summer, with a mix of international dates and Canadian stops at Montreal Jazz Festival, Ottawa Bluesfest and Festival d’été de Quebec.