Harry Styles has taken part in an Australian tradition during his live performance in Perth, and numerous fans have reacted in horror.
On Monday (20 February), the Grammy-winning artist kicked off the Australia leg of Love on Tour in the country’s Western capital.
In between songs, Styles brought a crowd member on stage, per local news site Perth Now.
Asking the man if he’d ever done a “shoey” – an Aussie tradition which requires a person to drink from their shoe – the “As It Was” singer urged the fan to perform the act live on stage, promising that he would do it too.
Once the man agreed, drinking water from his shoe, Styles made good on his word later in the evening.
Taking off his own shoe and pouring water from a bottle, Styles addressed the crowd, saying: “This is one of the most disgusting traditions I’ve ever heard of.”
He then raised his shoe to his lips and proceeded to drink the water, before dumping the rest on his face.
Numerous recordings of the event have been posted to Twitter, with several fans commenting in disgust.
“Tradition or not, that s*** is nasty af,” one responded. A second agreed, writing: “No this actually made me nauseous this is so vile.”
“I’m not even joking I literally threw up,” a third tweeted, with a fourth calling it “so disgusting”.
“WHYD HE PUT THAT SHOE BACK ON?” another asked.
Styles reportedly looked queasy afterwards, joking to the crowd: “I feel like a different person, I feel ashamed of myself.
“It feels so personal, such an intimate moment to be shared with so many people,” he said. “I’ll be discussing this with my therapist at length.”
