The Audreys

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Audreys

Street Theatre

11 June 2026

 

A few years ago, I had ambitions to be a published music critic. I wrote a review about the Audreys and submitted it to the local music press. As is my style, in my review I wrote something along the lines of “The Audreys are one of Australia’s best blues and roots bands (whatever that is)” and received a “thanks but no thanks” letter  from the publication. No big deal.

 

What was a big deal though, was the feedback from the editor that came with the rejection. “When writing about music it helps to know what genre you are writing about”. Ouch. The words still sting. I know that criticism sticks with you more than praise, but I couldn’t shake that. I have rarely been so completely misunderstood. I was going for humour and a bit of levity, not just a straight report of the gig. They completely missed that. But also – does anyone really know what “Blues and Roots” music is?

 

Vindication of my view on that the definition of Blues and Roots is a bit vague came from perhaps the greatest source. A few years later, on winning an ARIA award, the Audreys themselves said in a social media post “we won an ARIA for Blues and Roots … (whatever that is...)” Ha! In your face local street press editor!   

 

Celebrating the 20^th anniversary of their debut album, the Audreys didn’t play the album in order as so many bands do, instead they played a selection of songs from their career. Highlights obviously included tracks from their debut album, such as You & Steve McQueen and Oh Honey but they also included recent single Beatles vs Stones a recent International Songwriting Competition award winner, Sometimes the Stars (a rarely played track due to a strange guitar tuning) and Beyond Compare – a song dedicated to Audreys founder Tristan Goodall who passed away aged 48.

 

In her own words, lead singer Taasha Coates is a big oversharer (but admits that because she’s a songwriter that comes with the territory). She writes sad songs, however, the songs have a lightness to them. Sad but never depressing. The gig was like being in the company of a really cool friend. Her stories are fun, she makes you feel good about yourself (even if sometimes that’s at her own expense) and then she breaks into a song. It’s perfect really.

 

No Audreys gig would be complete without their cover of the INXS classic Don’t Change. A song they have made their own. Taasha Coates told the story that at their early gigs they had an EP for sale. People would come to the merch desk and ask if the cover was on the EP. When they received a negative answer they wordlessly walked away… so they decided to put it on their debut album! A good choice.

 

It was a highlight of the night, but it was one of many.   

 

The Audreys are still one of Australia’s best blues and roots bands.

 

Boom Crash Opera / James Reyne

 

Boom Crash Opera / James Reyne

Canberra Southern Cross Club

2 April 2026

 

“We’re going to play a new song”.

 

Is there a any phrase you dread to hear more coming from the stage than that one?

 

Boom Crash Opera even made a joke about it. James Reyne pointed people to the bar.

 

There must be something so disheartening when you’re nearly 60 to know that all people want to hear is work you did in your early 20s, so it’s understandable wanting to play a new song or two. You have lived a life and want to write about it. Surely that’s one of the reasons you formed a band in the first place.

 

On the other hand, there must be something satisfying seeing a thousand people singing your song lyrics back to you. You don’t get that in an office job! So understandably both Boom Crash Opera and James Reyne stuck to the hits.

 

It’s self-evident, but the reason why the songs are hits is because people like them. You could see it in the artist’s faces the joy and appreciation when the crowd sang the lyrics back to them that were written when they were young men. The songs had woven their way into the audience’s lives and they were happy to be reminded of when they first heard them, or special moments, or who they were with. It’s a rare treat for musicians. 

 

Both artists started off with a big hit (Great Wall and Boys Light Up respectively) which is only something you can do if you have enough big hits left in your bag to play later. And they did! James Reyne was celebrating 40 years of Australian Crawl and played most of their big hits and some hits of his own. Boom Crash Opera mainly stuck to their heyday of the late 80s, but no one was complaining!

 

Unfortunately, both artists were let down by a terrible mix. It flattened the songs, removing all subtlety. A side note, but one that is relevant, is that Canberra really needs a good venue for mid-sized bands to play. Playing in what was essentially a conference venue (you could almost see where the conference tables had been removed) wasn’t ideal.

 

Both bands overcame these obstacles and put on a show which delivered exactly what the audience was after.

Pulp - Sydney Opera House

 

Pulp

Sydney Opera House

6 March 2026

 

 

If push came to shove, I think Britpop is my favourite musical genre. Even beyond the usual Oasis verses Blur debate, there was lots of music that I really liked. It was melodic, it was guitar driven (but not too heavy) and it was exciting.

 

However, while the music of Britpop was great, there were some definite downsides. The lad culture, the low-key misogyny and the boozy louts were all things that are best left behind in the 90s.   

 

Pulp (along with my favourite Britpop band Suede) mostly stood outside of much of this. They wrote little vignettes stories of everyday life. Jarvis Cocker was always a chronicler of human stories and emotions.

 

In 2025 Pulp recorded a new album (24 years since their previous one) called More. Jarvis continued his kitchen sink dramas, but this time he was telling stories of middle age. Farmers Markets feature for god’s sake! Commuting and worrying about wrinkles do too, for that matter. But he was older so had some wisdom to share. It was an album for older people. But not old people. It was excellent.

 

The concert itself was incredible. A fair section of More featured, but the bulk of the set was drawn from their classic Different Class album. They also played other hits and deeper cuts. In fact, they played pretty much every song that you would want to hear. The opening of Sorted for E’s and Wizz and Disco 2000 was as good an opening of a concert as I’ve seen and they kept the momentum up for the whole set.

 

Unfortunately push did come to shove at various points in the show. Some of the crowd may have had a few too many drinks before Pulp arrived on stage. Maybe they were trying to reclaim their youth (there’s nothing sadder than a bunch of middle-aged men who still think they are still 20 and can handle their drink like they used to). Or maybe they were just dickheads. A few idiots shouldn’t ruin the show, but it did take me out of the performance for a couple of songs.

 

It makes me wonder if these people actually listened to the songs that were being performed or were they just singing along to the catchy choruses. They were definitely the worst part of Britpop culture personified.

 

But in the end, it didn’t matter. Pulp were excellent. And you can’t do much about dickheads.

 

Pulp = 5 stars. The audience (where I was standing) = 1 star.