British pop star Dua Lipa returns to Australia with stunning concert

Global pop sensation Dua Lipa has posted a series of cheeky backstage pictures after her triumphant show in Melbourne.

Pop sensation Dua Lipa has taken to Instagram after her triumphant “intimate” theatre show in Melbourne, which kicked off her Australian tour.

The global superstar posted a series of sizzling onstage images from the gig at Melbourne’s Palais Theatre as well as some candid behind-the-scenes shots with her troupe of dancers.

Dua Lipa sets Melbourne's Palais Theatre alight.

“What a night,” the British singer wrote. “Perfect way to kick off the Australian leg of the tour tonight with a special intimate performance to support the Melbourne/Victorian music scene with #ALWAYSLIVE at the Melbourne Palais Theatre.”

Pop star Dua Lipa, on right, strikes a pose with her dancers backstage in at the Palais in Melbourne's St Kilda.

Dua Lipa backstage in Melbourne.

Earlier, Lipa confessed the last time she performed an “intimate” theatre show in Australia four years ago she was a bundle of nerves.

Back then she was on tour with Bruno Mars and a pop star on the rise.

She returned to Melbourne on Sunday to kick off her long delayed Future Nostalgia tour with a special concert for Victoria’s Always Live initiative as a supremely confident and match-fit global pop sensation.

Dua Lipa performs at the Palais Theatre in Melbourne Sunday night. Picture: Michelle Grace Hunder

Her popularity in this country is undeniable. Besides an impressive clutch of top 10 hits, Lipa is box office gold with 50,000 fans reportedly contesting the ballot to buy one of the 2800 tickets on offer for about $250 for the one-off show.

It was a tightly choreographed and compact hour-long event, jam packed with the hits which have become ubiquitous on pop radio and streaming playlists.

From the second she strode onto the stage with her 10 dancers and busted out the double platinum hit “Physical”, the pumped audience were on their feet and stayed there, dancing with abandon and imbuing the historic venue with a club vibe.

She is a captivating pop performer who doesn’t dial it in with either her dancing or singing, seamlessly ditching the mic to one of the dancers so she can execute a blast of high energy choreography before resuming her vocal duties.

Dua Lipa performs at the Palais Theatre in Melbourne Sunday night. Picture: Michelle Grace Hunder

The setlist was a fan’s dream, all killer, no filler, and stretching across the past seven years of her reign from early gems “New Rules” and “Be The One” through to “Don’t Start Now”, “Break My Heart” and “Levitating”.

Her Midas touch as a collaborator was on display with “Electricity”, the Silk City smash she made with Diplo and Mark Ronson and the inescapable “Cold Heart” with Elton John making a video cameo.

While the Future Nostalgia arena shows are epic productions with multiple costume changes and props, she kept her intimate theatre evening simple with a black corset and pants, blasts of colour and a big video backdrop.

Dua Lipa heads back into the arena on Saturday at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre and performs at Sydney’s Qudos Bank Arena on November 8 and 9, Melbourne’s Rod Laver Arena on November 11 and 12, Adelaide’s AEC Arena on November 14 and Perth’s RAC Arena on November 16.

Kathy McCabe was a guest of Visit Victoria.