LIVE REVIEW: NIGHT AT THE BARRACKS 2025 HIGHLIGHTS: ICEHOUSE & KATE CERBERANO
- How Good! Chronicles
- 5 hours ago
- 3 min read
"Thank god the rain stopped" - Iva Davies
Night at the Barracks returns for its 4th consecutive year with a huge line of home grown acts across 3 long weekends of September including Cut Copy, Icehouse, Kate Ceberano, Hoodoo Gurus, Lime Cordiale, Amy Shark, Ian Moss, Mark Seymour, Furnace and The Fundamentals, Yesterday's Gone, James Johnston, Grinspoon and Missy Higgins. The yearly event continues its goal of preserving the historical site and minimising our carbon footprint for generations to come.
Night at The Barracks (North Head Sanctuary, Manly) is shaping up to be yet another magical iteration of this outdoor concert series. The setting is beautiful — historic, atmospheric, with sweeping views, and under‑the stars.
Icehouse — Saturday 13th September
Icehouse is a landmark Australian band and institution with a back catalog of timeless hits. Their set drew heavily on their classics, of which the audience danced to each track. Given the ambiance of Night at The Barracks, these songs resonate strongly in the Australian outdoor, open skies setting.
Fans relished hearing signature tracks like Crazy, Electric Blue, Hey Little Girl; the production of Icehouse has always leaned into nostalgia and Australiana but with enough polish so it doesn’t purely feel retro. Given support from the psychedelic and Britpop sound of Rolling Holy, there was a nice contrast & pacing in the set.
Their biggest hit Great Southern Land was dedicated to Mercury Psillakis who sadly passed away after a shark attack at Long Reef Beach last week. As it was Mercury's favourite song, the Australian anthem a was touching tribute to the Aussie surfer, husband and father.
In summary, Icehouse is one of those bands that no matter how many times you see them (and I've seen them 3 times), they are perfect. What you hear on the albums is what you get live and more!
Kate Ceberano — Sunday 14 September
Kate Ceberano is one of Australia’s music royalty and most versatile vocalists, with a career spanning pop, jazz, soul and musical theatre.
Her current “Australian Made” Tour not only revisited her own hits with I'm Talking but also honouring bands and her friends that have shaped the Australian pub music scene like INXS, Jimmy Barnes, Models, Divinyls, The Church, Spilt Enz and more.
She brought with her very special special guests Mahalia Barnes (daughter of Jimmy Barnes) and Gypsy Lee (Kate's daughter) to open as her support. Australian music royalty without going into details about the significance of their families, but you knew. Mahalia Barnes was Kate's surprise guest and the pair sung Russell Morris' (and Molly Meldrum) track The Real Thing. That promised some powerful vocal textures, harmonies, and a collaboration.
It was great to see the crowd get up and dance to the guitar & drum tracks like Boys N Town, Joker & The Thief, Out of Mind Out of Sight, Burn For You, Eagle Rock and I Can't Help Myself. My personal favourite was her intimate cover of The Church's Under The Milky Way which is better than the original!
I must give credit to her band, in particular Kathleen Halloran and Harts. Kate mentioned during the set that Kathleen just returned from playing a led zeppelin tribute show in Adelaide. That explains the gravity and her impressive guitar work. Hart continues to grow and receive praise national and international praise, while rubbing shoulders from the likes of Prince. Together with Kate, the make The Dirty Three
Given her reputation for stage presence, connection with the audience, rancy sense of humour and story telling, this show had the ingredients to feel very intimate and a sense of belonging under the sky. The mix of her catalogue + the tribute aspects evokes nostalgia, national pride, unity and warmth.
As all elements align — sound, setlist pacing, crowd energy, sunset/lighting were satisfying for longtime fans and accessible enough for casual concertgoers looking for a beautiful night out.
Do yourself a favour and tune in next week for our review and photos at Night at the Barracks including Hoodoo Gurus and Lime Cordiale!
Wanna see any of the upcoming shows? Click the link below to grab tickets
Special thanks to Second Sunday and Revolutions Per Minute for inviting us to this great cause and supporting live music.
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