Her Majesty's Theatre becomes a four-decade love letter with Kate Ceberano

Kate Ceberano: Australian Made Tour 2026 Her Majesty's Theatre, Adelaide · Saturday 7 November 2026

Some artists tour a greatest hits show. Kate Ceberano tours a love letter. On Saturday night at Her Majesty's Theatre, the Australian Made Tour rolled into Adelaide and turned the heritage room into one long, joyful celebration of the songs that shaped this country's ears, and the woman who has been singing them for four decades. She had tough competition, too: the same night, Robbie Williams was kicking off his Britpop World Tour across town at Adelaide Oval. Didn't matter. Ceberano still packed out Her Majesty's and filled it with a transcendent energy that no stadium could match.

The 2026 run is a second lap after last year's sold-out tour and its ARIA Top 10 live album, but this is no carbon copy. Ceberano has reworked the setlist, opened up the arrangements and made more room for stories, and you could feel that looseness from the first song. I saw her on last year's tour too and walked out thinking it couldn't be bettered. It's hard to believe, but Kate Ceberano has somehow managed to outdo herself.

Kathleen Halloran: a guitarist to watch

Kathleen Halloran is a familiar and very welcome face on this tour. She was part of last year's sold-out run, she's back again for the encore, and she has also toured with John Farnham, which says plenty about the company she keeps. Her guitar playing is a genuine treat. Her technique is fluid and inventive, moving easily between delicate fingerwork and big, ringing textures, and she plays with a confidence that holds a theatre's full attention with nothing but six strings. After opening the night as the support act, she stayed on as guitarist for the main show, and her playing added colour and lift to every arrangement. It's easy to see why two of the biggest names in Australian music want her by their side.

“An Australian soundtrack deserves a voice with soul, swagger and something to say. Kate Ceberano’s Australian Made Tour 2026 has the right woman at the microphone.” - Monica Madon for On Your Markus

Lifting others up

It's also worth acknowledging how generous this is of Ceberano. Across the night she handed the spotlight to Lesley Williams, Kathleen Halloran and Dusty Lee, giving each of them a stage, a full house and a real moment to shine. That is exactly how established artists help the next wave break through: not with a quick mention, but by putting talented performers in front of audiences who will remember their names. It's a big-hearted move, and one more reason to love her. After four decades at the top, it would be easy for an artist of her stature to get caught up in her own glory. Instead, Ceberano embodies that true Aussie spirit of giving others a leg up, and it's exactly why she is so deeply respected, by audiences and fellow musicians alike.

There was a lovely hometown touch to it, too. Ceberano and Halloran both hail from Melbourne, but Dusty Lee and Lesley Williams are Adelaide locals, and there's something special about watching two of our own share a stage with an Australian icon in one of the city's grandest theatres. The pride in the room was palpable, and it was a reminder of just how much talent this city has to offer.

Above Photo Credit: Geoff Woodberry / GW Media - SEE FULL GALLERY HERE!

Kate in full flight

Ceberano was absolutely radiant from the moment she walked on stage, glowing with the kind of joy you can't fake. Forty years on, her voice remains the main event: rich, agile and completely at home in a room like Her Maj. She sings these songs like someone who was there when they were written, because often she was, having shared the bill on the original Australian Made tour in 1986-87 alongside INXS, Jimmy Barnes, Divinyls and Models. Her own hits sat comfortably beside reimagined classics, and the warmth between songs made a big theatre feel like a lounge room.

For me, four songs stood above the rest. Her take on The Easybeats' "I'll Make You Happy" came early and set the tone, bursting with energy and fun. Later, "Pash" was pure joy, and "Bedroom Eyes" was everything you want it to be: decades on, it still sounds as fresh and irresistible as ever, and hearing it live was the moment I'd been waiting for. And then there was "Everything's Alright" from Jesus Christ Superstar, the musical that made Ceberano a household name as Mary Magdalene in the 1990s. I saw a local production of the show for the first time this year, and this song is absolutely iconic. Hearing it sung by the woman so closely tied to the role was a genuine thrill.

“Homegrown songs, shared memories and that unmistakable Ceberano fire — Australian Made is an invitation to wear your musical heart loud and proud.” - Monica Madon for On Your Markus

A mid-show twist

Somewhere around the halfway mark, the show threw in something nobody saw coming: DJ and vocalist Lesley Williams took the stage with a slick, genuinely cool mix that lifted the energy in the room and had heads nodding all over the theatre. Weaving Samantha Fox's "Touch Me" into the remix was an inspired touch, and a brilliant curveball in a night of Aussie classics. Lesley is seriously cool, and she's someone I'll definitely be following from here. Dropped into the middle of a set so steeped in nostalgia, it was a clever change of pace and a nice reminder that Australian music is still very much a living thing.

The duet

Newcomer Dusty Lee was an absolute asset all night, a multi-instrumentalist with energy to burn. But the moment people will be talking about on the way home was his duet with Ceberano on John Farnham's "Burn for You". Their voices blended beautifully, with his gritty, blues-rock edge playing off her soulful power, and the chemistry between them was obvious. It was one of the highlights of the night.

The verdict

Australian Made works because it never feels like a museum piece. Ceberano treats these songs as living things, surrounds herself with exceptional musicians, and gives the audience permission to sing along without a shred of embarrassment. It helps that the setting was perfect. Her Majesty's is made for a show like this, and the production did it justice: the lighting was beautifully judged, shifting with the mood of each song, and the sound was on point all night, crisp and warm from the quietest moments to the full-voiced singalongs. Adelaide clearly loved every minute.

If the tour comes anywhere near you before it wraps in Shepparton on 20 November, go.

Rating: 5/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Here's last years review of Kate's tour!
https://onyourmarkus.au/reviews/kate-ceberano-australian-made-tour/

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Kate Ceberano: @therealkateceberano

Kathleen Halloran: @kathleen.halloran.music

Lesley Williams: @lesleywilliamsau

Dusty Lee: @dustyleeau

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On Your Markus: @onyourmarkus