Last Friday, 4th of August, The Workers Club hosted the cult following of the captivating Katy Steele, formerly of the ARIA nominated band Little Birdy. The West Australian pop singer who is currently touring her latest album Big Star (2023) was supported by the duo Moreton.
Katy definitely has a loyal following here in Melbourne. It was heartwarming to see a shoulder-to-shoulder packed crowd coming together in true Fitzroy fashion. People young and old joined in small groups or alone rocking the hipster attire to support Aussie live music.
The night kicked off with the support act, Moreton: the singer-songwriter Georgia James on vocals and guitar accompanied by Myka Wallace on drums.
Georgia, who was wearing a romantic blue princess dress won us over with her gentle and quirky persona as well as her minimalist sound. Moreton exhibited some of their not yet released material as well as songs from the 2023 EP The Dog Years.
Humble Georgia admitted that Katy Steele is one of her idols and she feels blessed to join her on tour and enjoy her fans. Judging by the many claps, whistles and the decent crowd showing up early for the gig, Moreton may have made a fair bit of fans of their own. Katy later thanked Georgia saying she reminded her of PJ Harvey. It was a great showcase of women supporting women – love it!
During the break between the acts the room fills up and the anticipation grows. Katy Steele is sure to deliver the big entrance in her statement red sparkly outfit, Lady Gaga style, and radiant green nails to match. This is Katy’s signature outfit featured in her latest single’s ‘LMK’ clip. She is met with a big roar and has the room dancing and singing along from first chord.
Throughout the night, Katy was backed by a three-piece band and showcased her talent on guitar, keyboard and of course her unforgettable vocals. What a performance by a multi-talented artist!
Katy delivered some of her older Little Birdy songs such as “Hairdo” and “Stay Wild”. The 2004 hit “Beautiful to Me”, which she chose to perform as a solo acoustic, got a particularly huge reaction. The emotion in her voice shined bright and the crowd was going bananas.
For most of the night though, Katy focused on her solo material, showcasing songs from her recently released solo album, Big Star, which presented many crowd favourites including “Big Star”, “Right Side Of The Road” and “Everywhere with You” (from Human) to name a few. Some of my favourite moments were the epic drum outro for “End Is Near” and the dancefloor banger “LMK”.
Katy Steele gave us a show to remember and was much loved by the audience here in Melbourne.
FOUR STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
Don’t miss out on Katy’s upcoming shows HERE
Listen to Katy’s 2023 album Big Star HERE
All photos by Aj Riley
