Rosemount Hotel, Friday May 29, 2026
It’s good to see Katy Steele is still at it. After a mix of solo tours and Little Birdy shows, she’s at the Rosemount launching her latest album, Undressed. Her reputation as one of the great front-persons out of this isolated city precedes her, and she did nothing to quell this in front of a packed house.
Anna Schneider opened the evening, and her choice to start with an a cappella version of the Elvis classic Crying in the Chapel really showed off her strong voice. It’s a clear indication you are watching something special when the crowd goes quiet. With just her and an acoustic guitar, she entertained with love songs about share houses and overgrown weeds; both musically interesting and relatable lyrically.
She then moved to love songs one assumes are directed at people, with kisses into the microphone a nice touch. Sun was a highlight of the set – Schneider transcending with her vocal melodies, before reminding us to not miss the catchy guitar riffs. You could feel the hushed crowd were along for the ride; it’s the reason we go out and see live music. Singing songs from her upcoming album, and ending with Favourite Colour, inspired by the colour palette of clothing on a hills hoist (in the share house, one assumes), it was a lovely warm-up to the main event.
Katy Steele took to the stage with the venue filling to capacity and the atmosphere building, the crowd eager to see what songs would be included in the latest performance. The noisy chatter went quiet as she took to the stage; her appeal still strong after twenty-odd years at it.
After an honest admission of nervous excitement and a few goes getting started, she locked into Signal to You and shed any doubts about her abilities. From there Steele’s powerful voice and knack for melodies kept the audience engaged and happy. A particular highlight came when she played the Little Birdy classic Beautiful to Me, with a lovely harmony from the accompanying keys complementing her vocals.
Rescue Boat followed – it must be close to the best of her solo material. She then powered through a mix of Little Birdy, solo, and cover songs. From Hit Me Baby One More Time to Perfect Day and Michael Jackson’s Ben, it was an interesting mix which showed off her range and influences. The occasional shaky start only reinforced the honesty of the performance, Katy happy to take another run at a song until it felt right. There is no better reminder of what she’s capable of than Relapse, still one of the finest songs in the Little Birdy catalogue.
It was an evening of both nostalgia and new music, with Anna Schneider a great choice for support to showcase that this city still has plenty to offer. The reception throughout the night made one thing clear: Perth/Boorloo’s affection for Katy Steele has not faded.
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