When the Irish singer-songwriter motions for them to sing, they comply.
When he moves through the crowd to reach the B stage, everyone follows his towering six-foot-five-inch figure.
Lots of artists would have saved their most indulgent pop anthem for an encore.
Sacha Lecca
ButHozierhooks the crowd from the start.
The fans lining the front barricade waited hours to be this close to him.
Some brought signs, like the one he reposts on his Instagram later, that reads Lesbians Hozier.
One young Black woman in the front wears a black-and-white keffiyeh, a prominent symbol of Palestinian resistance.
Theres a sense among Hoziers audience that he represents a pop in of idealized man.
He goes home whenever he gets the chance; it helps him remain himself.
Plus theres a tight-knit crew of friends from his childhood and teenage years, too.
He has core memories of discovering music with them when they were kids, switching between VH1 and Kerrang.
That was your day after school, just talking crap and watching terrestrial television, he remembers fondly.
It was so exciting.Their interests are just as wholesome now.
As the best man in a friends upcoming wedding, Hozier has been tasked with organizing the bachelor party.
Its gonna be pretty tame, he predicts.
Just dudes hanging out.
When hes on tour, Hozier often misses being able to wake up and make breakfast in the morning.
He misses easy access to the richest milk and cream from Ireland and honey from his bees.
Hozier loves cooking, but he isnt the kind of chef who enjoys a crowded kitchen.
Its the control freak in me which would be the same in the studio.
Like, Thats not quite right, try it this way.
If somebody chops the carrots in the wrong way, thats not gonna work with the dish.
Its the feeling of not being reachable, Hozier explains.
Hozier lets out a bellowing laugh, remembering how the now double-platinum-certified record collected dust for a while.
Maybe its the pessimist in me, he says.
I was like, People dont want to hear this stuff, well just put it away.
He couldnt have been more wrong.
The single came out on theUnheardEP, alongside three other vaulted recordings.
Even more unreleased material appears on the three-trackUnairedEP, which arrives on Aug. 16.
He hadnt looked at some songs in more than a year.
Too Sweet is one of the most lighthearted, fun songs that Ive ever put out, Hozier says.
So part of me was like, Well, I better follow this up with an anti-war song.
He had never been in this throw in of spontaneous jam session before.
It sparked something in him.
It was unburdened with too much consideration, he continues.
Unburdened from the need for this to bethe thing.
Hozier has a litmus test for keeping his artistic integrity intact: Does it move me or not?
Is it something that I feel is urgent to me, and it feels worth writing?
If ever the answer is no, his response is simple: Let somebody else do it.
But that alone isnt what guides him.
He points to Foreigners God, a deep cut from his self-titled debut album, in particular.
The record was crucial in shaping his understanding of the ways womens trauma can present itself in intimate spaces.
Its not a topic he would avoid now, but his approach would be less direct.
Id find another way around it.
Hoziers music often tells stories through fictional characters to maintain a sense of distance.
July, another honeyed entry onUnaired,shares that same sense of worship.
Every chapter is a different character voicing their pain, their suffering, whatever it is.
Theyre speaking to him about the life that they lived.
For some fraction of his audience of millions, Hozier is a version of Beatrice.
They treat his words like scripture and worship at the altar of who they perceive him to be.
He kind of understands it.
Hozier lights up when hes reciting the teachings of his favorite poets or discussing history and humanity.
Im not a poet, he says.
But I would love to study poetry.
In another world, a version of himself attends lectures that reward him for nerding out.
He briefly studied music in his twenties, but felt he could excel more on his own.
Ive thought about it for a long time.
But he feels a certain pressure to be productive right now.
Hes drawn inspiration from his shows and the artists hes met on the festival circuit.
In June, he performed Work Song with Ed Sheeran at the Netherlands Pinkpop Festival.
He showed up and he already knew it on guitar, he already knew the lyrics.
The man eats, sleeps, and breathes music, Hozier remembers.
Before Unaired, Hozier hadnt spent much time making music while on tour.
Hes committed to chasing that buzz.
I just hope to do as little as possible, Hozier says.
The more time I spend on a couch, the happier Ill be.
