Perth is often that poor cousin sitting way over on the left-hand side of the map, watching national tours mysteriously run out of fuel somewhere around Adelaide. Thankfully, Kate Ceberano has never treated WA like the bit of Australia you fold underneath. So it seemed fitting that Perth’s Astor Theatre kicked off the Australian leg of her Australian Made Tour 2026, an expanded encore following last year’s sold-out national run and the release of Australian Made: Live.
Opening the night was Kate’s good friend — and, according to the night’s banter, flatmate — Kathleen Halloran. We had only recently caught Kathleen on the national tour for her debut album “Nobody’s Baby“, so hearing a few of those tracks stripped back acoustically was bloody good. The album arrived in May and was followed by Kathleen’s first national headline tour, but anyone who has seen her play already knows the guitar is rarely going to sit quietly in the corner.
Kathleen held the stage tight. The guitar work was on-point, effortless and ridiculously clean, but once that voice stuck its head out from behind the guitar, it was almost impossible to miss. Sometimes you forget there is a genuinely beautiful voice sitting behind all that six-string wizardry… usually accompanied by that cheeky grin. A real pleasure watching her perform — even if the boss wasn’t technically on stage yet. LOL.
After a short interlude — just enough time to grab a beverage, stretch the legs and prepare ourselves for the massive task of being entertained — it was time for Kate Ceberano.
The word ICON gets thrown around pretty easily these days, but every now and then somebody actually earns it. Kate’s career now spans more than four decades, 31 albums and 57 singles, with five ARIA Awards from 22 nominations. In June she was officially inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame, joining a pretty bloody exclusive club. She has also achieved Top 10 albums across five consecutive decades. So yes… I reckon we’re fairly safe using the word ICON here.
Alongside Kate were Dusty Lee — killer guitarist, multi-instrumentalist and owner of a voice that has absolutely no right being that good — and Kathleen Halloran. Between the three of them, the foot went flat to the floor and pretty much stayed there. Official tour material promised a journey through Australian music with Kate’s own catalogue mixed alongside reworked classics, and that’s exactly what we got.
Across more than two hours and 27-plus tracks, we revisited some previous offenders from the Australian Made: Live album — which, by the way, you should own. Vinyl is available. Christmas is coming. You’re welcome.
But this wasn’t just a greatest-hits exercise. It was a celebration of youth, influence, excitement and the absolute joy of Australian music. INXS, Divinyls, Joe Camilleri, Midnight Oil, Models and plenty more were woven through the night alongside Kate’s own songs, with stories connecting everything together. One Joe Camilleri story in particular? I’m not ruining it. Buy a ticket and let Kate tell you herself.
That’s what makes this show work. You’re not simply getting songs. You’re getting the stories behind them, the people who influenced Kate, the moments that shaped her and those candid glimpses of what it was like growing up in Kate Ceberano’s shoes.
When performers are this connected, driven and genuinely loving what they do, it creates an aura that’s difficult to describe. Sometimes you just have to be there…… and side note – how beautiful is that handmade backdrop.
I always walk into a Kate Ceberano gig with ridiculously high expectations — which is entirely her fault for setting the bloody bar so high.
Kate plays for the fans. She plays for Australian music. Most importantly, she plays because she absolutely LOVES it.
And that’s exactly why we love her for it.
Get a ticket. Be part of the experience. Be part of the music. You’ll be better for it.……… Keep supporting LIVE MUSIC – ticket details and locations in the link below
A massive thank you to Kate and Lee for the access, to Dusty and Kathleen for their support, to the Astor Theatre, and especially to the fans who continue to make nights like this so bloody special.
This is why I love music.
