Lion Art Factory
Adelaide Festival
Wednesday 16 February 2022
Words – Geoff Jenke
Photos – Geoff Jenke
Kate Ceberano is back playing live and obviously loving it. Kate is part of the Australian entertainment royalty, having released 28 albums and winning six ARIA/Countdown awards. With her latest album Sweet Inspiration making the ARIA Top Ten, she now has had top ten albums across five decades.
A very wet afternoon meant an imperative change from the Summerhouse outdoor venue on the Torrens to the Lion Art Factory. While it was a more intimate feeling venue, it meant many people were in the next room without a good view of the stage. It was also standing only, instead of seated and while I didn’t have an issue with that, judging by the age of a lot of the audience, it may have been an issue for them.
However, Kate hit the stage smiling and bouncing around telling us after the first song how good it was to be back in Adelaide where she (mis) spent a bit of her youth. Unfortunately, she didn’t elaborate, probably to protect some of the people who were in the audience.
Brave came early and still sounding great. Kate’s voice has only got better over the years, powerful and stronger. The title track from her new album Sweet Inspiration was soulful and beautiful.
We got the story of how great it was being on stage with John Farnham and Jon Stevens for Jesus Christ Superstar before her rendition on Everything’s Alright and I Don’t know How to Love Him.
All I Want is You showcased her voice in a new level. Boy, can this girl sing. A new song written for her daughter during lockdown, “and for all of you” she laughed pointing to us was the highlight of the night. It is a powerful rock song with BIG vocals and loud band backing. The song was called Hold On and is on her new album, but the live version is far superior to the album version (although that is good as well).
Kate then took us all the way back to I’m Talking’s, Love Don’t Live Here Any More, a song that still sends tingles down the spine.
“I am going to take you back to Westfield now” said Kate before launching into the two big hits, Pash and Bedroom Eyes. It was a reference to the days when pop stars would go to a shopping centre and sing a couple of their hits, usually to just a backing tape. Bedroom Eyes progressed into a reggae tune and led into a reggae tinged I Won’t Let You Down Again finale.
The band left the stage to rapturous applause. There was not way they were letting Kate go that easy and they were not disappointed. Band and Kate returned for a version of Que Sera Sera before acknowledging Australian music in general and tearing into the Divynls, I Touch Myself, the smile never leaving her face.
The closing song was Beautiful Life from the 2003 album The Girl Can’t Help It and it summed up Kate’s life, well beautifully. Kate has had a magnificent career and is still selling out venues every time she comes to Adelaide. And it wasn’t the hits that stood out in the set, it was the album tracks and covers that shone.
The band also shone and Kate was, rightly, proud of them. Let’s hope we see her back soon.
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