After four decades in the business, Robbie Williams is sounding better than ever. When the English star performed at the 2025 AACTA Awards, fans couldn’t stop raving about his effortless command of the stage and those powerful high notes. The 51-year-old treated fans to his biggest hit, “Angels,” and they couldn’t have asked for a better choice. Williams kicked off the song by singing over a subtle string section, letting the power of his voice speak for itself.
When the big hook came, Williams just looked at the crowd with a boyish twinkle in his eye, and they knew what to do. He then sat back from the mic every time the hook came, and it was beautiful to hear the audience sing it for him each time. The last chorus was the best of all, as Williams sauntered down from the stage to sing with the crowd, then just nodded at the crowd as they sang the final line. It’s been six years since the last Williams studio album, but The Music Man thinks it’s time for a comeback!
The Michael Gracey-directed Williams biopic Better Man was nominated for a record-breaking 16 gongs at the 14th Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Awards, and won in nine categories. Fans had plenty of praise for his performance at the event, and added comments such as “Brilliant live performer. After Freddie Mercury, he can work an audience like no one else” and “I don’t think I’ve ever heard him perform “Angels” as beautifully as he does here. The song brings me to tears every time I hear it.”
The most iconic Williams performance is surely his rendition of “Angels” at Live 8 in 2005, and it’s also his most popular with 92 million streams clocked. The English superstar kept the audience in the palm of his hand throughout and gave the crowd a real thrill by heading down to the barrier and singing with them. The performance is a great record of seeing the UK’s favourite pop soloist at the height of his powers.
Williams released “Angels” on December 1, 1997, as the fourth single from his debut studio album Life Thru a Lens. The Music Man readers might be interested to hear that Irish songwriter Ray Heffernan stated that he wrote “Angels” in 1996 and then collaborated with Williams to complete the song. Williams said that he then significantly re-wrote the tune with his producer Guy Chambers. Whoever wrote “Angels,” they def produced a banger, and it’s since sold 1.16 million units in the UK. “Angels” is currently Williams’ most popular song on Spotify, as the track has clocked more than 603 million streams.