PerthZine

Tag: Katy Steele

  • Gig Review – Katy Steele with Anna Schneider

    Gig Review – Katy Steele with Anna Schneider

    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.

  • Gig Review – 40 Years Of Xpress Magazine

    Gig Review – 40 Years Of Xpress Magazine

    Astor Theatre, Wednesday, April 18, 2026

    There was a time when Xpress was the go-to magazine for music and culture in Perth. After 40 years since it hit the stands, former editor Bob Gordon created Rewind – a coffee table book documenting the history of the free magazine. To launch it and celebrate the anniversary, the team gathered musos past and present to play and have a chat.

    After a heartfelt intro from MC Gordon himself, the music kicked off with Dave Hole and band. The veteran guitar man, now nearing eighty, showed he could still shake it as he slid his way through a couple of blues classics and pulled out all the stops.

    Kav Temperley came next with acoustic renditions of Eskimo Joe hits sandwiching his solo song Pollyanna. The frontman read the room well and was happy to share anecdotes between songs. Kav contemporary, Katy Steele was next and gave the front row more than they were expecting. Aside from the view, her unplugged version of Rescue Boat from 2016s Human album was melodic beauty.

    Katy had a chat with MC Gordon and shared her stories about growing up in Perth with the mag, before founding editor Joe Cipriani took to the stage for a deep dive into how it all began. For an audience who grew up with the magazine this was insightful, and a little slice of local history worth listening to.

    Aside from the live performances, the night was really about getting together and celebrating the cultural legacy of the mag. The intermission gave everyone a chance to gather and reminisce, soaking up the peak-era nostalgia. It felt like a room full to the brim, flooding with memories of nights out in the nineties and beyond (I met one of my heroes in the lobby, 3-time soap box derby champion Mike Wafer, and had the sudden realisation that he and other writers for Xpress had a huge influence on my work).

    Bicton punk-rock royalty Dave Warner came next and played his ode to the suburb’s opus, Suburban Boy. Warner was as energetic and animated as ever, and gave way to the next generation of punks, Gyroscope, who went all out with a full-blown rock show.

    Next up was the younger generation rep, Cal Kramer, of Southern River Band fame. Cal played a few tunes on the acoustic then had a chat with Gordon. It was good to see someone from the modern era of local musos up there along with the oldies, and you can’t go past SRB for the hardest rocking band actively pursuing the rock n roll lifestyle.

    Donna Simpson had the crowd suspended as she sang Rowena and Wallace. She’s one of the best voices to come out of Western Australia and another who came up in the Xpress heyday. The section was a highlight of the night as fellow Albany royal family member Carla Geneve also had the house hypnotised.

    More memories flowed between Bob and the guests, and the audience were treated to another dose of modern WA music with Boox Kid; a Noongar star on the rise and showing the polish to prove it. To conclude, none other than Dom Mariani to share his stories and rip it up with the full band performance. The power pop pioneer has lost none of the creative energy that has possessed him since the 80s.

    With plenty of fond memories to fill the evening, the only question remaining is will Xpress continue on? Now owned by Vanguard Media, the mag has a strong online presence (physical stopped long ago) and still getting plenty of press passes and free stuff, so perhaps the future is bright. Or maybe it is time that someone else took the reins and offered up exposure and experience for artists in this remote city. Don’t worry, PerthZine is here, and we will take some of those press credentials thank you very much.