Posts in Category: Live Music 2025

Cowboy Junkies [Sydney]

On November 15, 2025 0 Comments - Live Music 2025

State Theatre, Sydney
14 November 2025

The State Theatre in Sydney is the perfect venue for Cowboy Junkies. Its lushness and grandeur plays a stunning backdrop for the quiet beauty that is this wonderful Canadian band. Having visited our shore close on three years back, their first in over 20 years, their return in 2025 is for us to celebrate with them their 40 years together. The Cowboy Junkies have forged a quite unique blend of alt country / folk rock over the decades and 20+ albums, one which can soar under the angelic weight of Margot Timmins’ vocals, and as quickly be torn apart by brother Michael Timmins’ abrasive and distorted guitar work.

The night opens with ‘Misguided Angels’ and ‘Sweet Jane’, both from 1988’s The Trinity Sessions, the album that thrust the band onto the international stage. This nod to the history of the band is quickly followed by three songs from their most recent studio release, 2023’s Such Furious Beauty, with the guitar in ‘Hard To Build. Easy To Break’ cutting holes into its joyous bounce. The short first set closed with the menacing, slow blues dirge of ‘Forgive Me’, a John Lee Hooker cover that appeared on the Junkies 1986 debut Whites Off Earth Now!!

Following a short break, ‘All That Reckoning (Part 2)’ began the second set with ethereal vocals and some tasty lap steel. The next hour lifted cuts from throughout their career. ‘A Common Disaster’ from 1996’s Lay It Down raised the tempo, delivering some cutting, dirty guitar. The title cut from said album was twice as large and imposing as the studio version. A hypnotic and psychedelic soundscape, the track was a highlight with its guitar and mandolin interplay.

The mid-set, three song acoustics were an exercise in subtlety and restraint, with the uptempo bounce of the studio ‘Shadows 2’ totally removed, revealing a tender song, one where hope is near but lost. ‘I’m So Open’ reintroduced the entire band and lifted the tempo, and ‘Murder, Tonight, in the Trailer Park’ was as heavy as the rock reached tonight. It was a big sound and production, more so than on 1992’s Black Eyed Man. The night closed out with another two tracks off The Trinity Sessions, ‘Dreaming My Dreams With You’ and ‘Walkin’ After Midnight’, a lovely bookend to the opening two songs of the night.

Tonight was thoroughly enjoyable, strong and powerful music not due to the volume but for its quality of composition and delivery. Prior to the night, I was hoping for just one song off Pale Sun Crescent Moon, my entry point to the band and still a favourite album of mine. Though this did not materialised, I can say that I’m not overly disappointed. It was simply a great night of beautiful music.

Cowboy Junkies

Keith Urban [Newcastle]

On August 15, 2025 0 Comments - Live Music 2025

Newcastle Entertainment Centre
13 August 2025

The Newcastle Entertainment Centre was full to the brim this Wednesday night to catch the opening night of Keith Urban’s High and Alive Australian tour, and I arrive to be greeted by hundreds of punters attempting to take a breather following Chase Matthew’s opening set. Sorry mate, I’ll need to catch you another time but I found myself elbow’s deep into the Norther Star’s $25 rump steak special. Boots, hats and a general ‘country’ dress code was prominent, even some sequins were dusted off for this special night, just to ensure you’ve been noticed.

Introducing himself with guitar in-hand, silhouetted by a flashing white spotlight behind a sheer stage-high curtain, the band is revealed with Keith launching into the opening guitar lead of ‘Straight Lines’. Then you realise that the overhead lighting panels are descending, tilting, to be hovering just over the artist’s heads. OK, I did not expect that but damn, that looks great. With a nice clean stage and a full width rear video screen, lighting and production is next level and was used throughout the night with great effect.

There was a big, two hour show ahead of us, and one which touched nearly each of his albums, stretching way back to the 1999 self-titled. A good indication as to just how strong his catalogue is. Songs from last year’s release, High, featured strongest (as expected), with the energy of ‘Heart Like A Hometown’ being illuminated by 100s of overhead lighting cans, it gives me throwbacks to ’80s arenas. This lighting rig never stopped delivering. Twenty year old ‘Somebody Like You’ received solid approval with 1000s of voices joining Keith. Clearly a big highlight not only for myself, as was Pink’s appearance via video to duet with Keith on the following ‘One Too Many’.

Keith is a wonderful guitarist, a joy to watch. Just put him at the end of the thrust stage, light him up, some smoke rising from underneath and let him rip. That’s just what he delivered with ‘Parallel Line’ along with a room full of lasers. It was quite a sight to behold.

A late set visit to a small second stage, quietly positioned at the rear of the arena floor, was a wonderful surprise and set the punters scrambling… for their phones. A couple of “up close and personals”, ‘Pink Pony Club’ (Chappell Roan cover) and ‘You’ll Think of Me’, were very special, lit softly, and a true highlight. As was the acoustic guitar he betrothed onto one lucky punter, signed and all.

To be frank, this was a great show, one with all the production qualities that you were probably not expecting. Keith was chatty and damn right funny at times. His six piece backing band, one that included Rathmines local Gabi Louise on fiddle, were on the money for two hours. With a little cherry to close the night, a great cover of the New Radicals ‘You Get What You Give’, it was a big night for all involved.