Kate Miller-Heidke’s music has soundtracked so many special moments in the Australian pop music world for over 13 years. From the release of her debut album ‘Little Eve’ to the recent release of her fifth studio album ‘Child In Reverse’, the singer-songwriter has continued to connect with listeners through her intimate storytelling, powerhouse vocals and playful quirks.
Finding herself in Melbourne during the lockdown, she recently returned to Brisbane with her husband and son in tow, and to celebrate Valley Fiesta (and surviving the two week hotel quarantine) she has returned to the stage for three special shows at the Fortitude Music Hall.
The intimate cabaret styled show saw her performing on keys with her husband Keir Nuttall on guitar and vocals, as well as longtime band member Emma Dean on violin and vocals. Opening the show softly with just the accompaniment of Nuttall for ‘A Quiet Voice’, she then welcomed Dean on stage for the theatrical contrast of ‘O Vertigo’.
“Welcome to our world tour, our world tour of Brisbane” she jokingly quipped as she thanked the crowd for coming out on a Tuesday night to see her. Promised to be a night of stripped down hits, fan favourites and requests, she didn’t disappoint with a packed setlist that left you in awe of her pure musicianship. ‘Caught In The Crowd’, ‘Ernie’, ‘You’ve Underestimated Me, Dude’, ‘Rock This Baby To Sleep’ and ‘Can’t Shake It’ continued the deep dive into her discography and encouraged people to sing and sway along to these beautiful renditions.
In-between each song she was candidly telling little anecdotes that kept you simultaneously engaged, and wondering what she was going to say next. One of the nights greatest one liner’s came from when she was talking about how she actually won The Masked Singer Australia. “I actually won that show if they only counted the legal votes” she jokingly stated.
Taking a moment to dive into her new album ‘Child In Reverse’ she performed ‘Deluded’, ‘You Can’t Hurt Me Anymore’ and ‘Born Lucky’ which showcased the strong presence this album is going to eventually make on the live stage.
Continuing the deep dive into her discography, Nuttall incorporated some live looping for ‘Humiliation’ before Dean and Miller-Heike performed the duet ‘Amazing’ from Muriel’s Wedding The Musical.
Wrapping up the show with ‘Sarah’, ‘Last Day On Earth’ and a medley of ‘Words’ and ‘Paint, It Black’ from The Rolling Stones (which she made sound like a Disney villain song), she deservingly had the whole audience in a standing ovation. Returning to the stage for an encore, she performed the goosebump inducing Eurovision anthem ‘Zero Gravity’, as well as the fan favourite ‘Space They Cannot Touch’.
The 90 minute show was an intimate and captivating walk down memory lane as she performed all of the special songs that have impacted your life in one way or another. The stripped back and candid nature of the show enhanced this magical feeling, and left you walking away in pure awe of her artistry.