HEADLINER: KASEY CHAMBERS
SUPPORT: JENNY MITCHELL
DATE: SATURDAY JUNE 14TH 2025
VENUE: THE TIVOLI, BRISBANE
REVIEWER: HAYLEY TREADWELL
PHOTOGRAPHER: ANDREW TREADWELL PHOTOGRAPHY
As far as Australian Music goes, for me, Kasey Chambers is one of our most impressive artists. But it’s not just her raw vocals and powerful and passionate lyrics that make her so relatable, it’s the dead set, down to earth humbleness and kindness she shows every person she interacts with.
This was very telling in the words of opening act Jenny Mitchell (not Joni as I kept hearing with her incredibly thick kiwi accent), who told beautiful stories of her time growing up being a fan of Kasey’s, through to meeting her, playing festivals with her and now touring with her. And the beautiful stories didn’t stop there, they were in Jenny’s music and lyrics and in her performance. Joined by her sisters, The Mitchell Twins, and her father, Jenny and her family had an absolute blast on the stage and we had a blast dancing along with them. Jenny will be back in a few months in Montville and back in Brisbane and I would highly recommend checking her out.
We were well and truly warmed up for Kasey Chambers, and as the bell chimed for us to take our seats, the lights went dim, the stage black and then, almost without warning, Kasey roared the she how to life with the opening lines of ‘Ain’t No Little Girl’ and we were immediately in the palm of her hand. That first song is a much loved song that I am sure a lot of us in the crowd have sung our anger out to before and Kasey left it all right there on the stage. The most powerful opening to a show I have seen in a very long time. And with each song I was even more captivated. I have seen Kasey as part of a festival before, but never in an intimate setting like this and it really was a special night. She shared stories of her life and her songs and we delighted in humour Kasey so effortlessly delivers in her stories, and in hearing the classic songs the fans are there for.
I truly loved hearing songs off the new album title track ‘Backbone (The Desert Child)’, also the name of this tour had me singing along, such a strong and beautiful song. We also heard ‘The Divorce Song’ and ‘Arlo’ and ‘A New Day has Come’. It was great to hear stories of Kasey and ex-husband Shane Nicholson writing ‘The Divorce Song’ and also refreshing to hear someone talk about the good that can come from the hardest situations.
Throughout the night Kasey went back and forth through her albums, promising us we would hear more of the old than the new, but I loved all of it!
‘Last Hard Bible’ straight into ‘Runaway Train’ was something you just had to be there for. What a moment. Kasey, you guy’s definitely didn’t ‘fuck it up’ at The Tivoli.
Kasey gathering all the band around the mic for ‘We’re All Gonna Die Someday’ was some banjo’s bangin’ and knee slappin’ fun as was the moment following this song, when Kasey bought Jenny Mitchell out on stage to perform one of her songs ‘No Cash, No Meal’ with Kasey singing along! What an amazing artist to shine the light on her opening act, so so brightly! This was one of the moments of the night for me. Simple human kindness. Beautiful! And the song was an absolute banger!!
My favorite moment of the night was the performance of Kasey’s highly famed song ‘Not Pretty Enough’. It started with another beautiful story, this one about meeting a young fiddle player many years ago, to that young lady being beside her on stage today. And as Kasey invited her to sing with her, she also invited Jenny Mitchell back on stage, and her daughter Poet, and together these 4 ladies gave one of the most moving performances I have experienced.
Kasey followed this with a song I have loved for years, but now love in a new way, thanks to her. I saw Kasey sing ‘Loose Yourself’ live back in 2022 and was completely in shock at the incredible cover of one of Eminem’s classics. Kasey has breathed a new life into this song and she delivers it with such passion and conviction, it is almost hard to believe she didn’t write it herself. (And a little part of me wonders of some of the older folks in the crowd just think it is one of her songs lol)
The band came together on stage again at the end of ‘A New Day Has Come’ to sing with the crowd, ‘everything’s gonna be alright….’ as the band all embraced and took their bow for the evening.
But of course, we were treated to one more song which started with a great story of it’s origin, before Kasey’s plucked a member of the crowd onto the stage, preparing him to take a group photo at the end of the song and then handed him a tambourine and he joined Kasey and the band as they closed out the night with, ‘Barricades & Brickwalls’ before tambourine man Ben snapped a photo of Kasey and the band with the crowd, a quick selfie and our night of fun and celebrating an amazing Australian female artist had come to an end.
To one of the greatest, most genuine story tellers you will find, Kasey Chambers, we had an amazing night with you and your incredible family (band), and we look forward to doing it all again on your next tour! Thanks for having us along.
Until the next gig
Hayley
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