One Direction's Niall Horan insists he isn't a "stalker" after he jokingly admitted to spying on fans ahead of the band's latest gig.

The British five-piece - also comprising Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, Zayn Malik and Liam Payne - are currently on their Take Me Home world tour, and played in Copenhagen last night (May 10).

Horan took to Twitter after the show to admit he spied on fans ahead of the concert.  

He wrote: "I was watching you guys before the show arriving into the arena , in the least stalkerish way… (sic)," with an accompanying picture which looks like it has been taken from the back of the stage showing the crowds gathering.

Horan also thanked fans for their continued support ahead of the show: "Really excited for the show tonight! Copenhagen is buzzing out there already! Can hear u guys from here (sic)."

Bandmate Styles also used Twitter after the sold-out gig to show his appreciation to One Direction's faithful fans: "Sweden, you were amazing. And it's been a while, good to be back. Thanks for having us .x (sic)."

One Direction teased fans earlier this week by unveiling a countdown clock with an end date of May 16, 2013.

While the lads are yet to unveil any more information about the surprise that's in store for fans around the globe, they have called the project 'One Big Announcement' and a message on their collective Twitter account tells followers to set alarms for the big reveal:

"You could also set your alarms on your phones as an extra precaution... #OneBigAnnouncement7DaysToGo."