Live Review: Paul Kelly – Fever Longing Still Tour in Perth 2025
Review and Photography by Erica Lorimer Photographer
Edited by Angela Frodsham
Singer, songwriter and musician Paul Kelly’s latest hit just might spark a houndstooth revival. Once the fabric of choice in North Perth when Kelly was cutting his teeth at the “Sunday Sesh” at the nearby old Fitzgerald Hotel, it makes a fitting metaphor for his enduring style. Tonight, four decades on, the crowd is far larger than those early pub audiences, but no less eager and this is a testament to his staying power. Back in town to play his biggest show ever on the Fever Longing Still tour, Kelly fills the RAC Arena Perth with around 15,000 fans, easily eclipsing the 1,700-strong audience at his last Perth show at the Concert Hall.
Kelly is often named as the quintessential Australian voice and storyteller, and few would dispute that. The songs he crafts blend talent, raw honesty and a surprising touch of sweetness like tomato sauce in gravy. He resonates with us so deeply because he doesn’t just sing of relatable triumphs and celebrations but gives voice to our vulnerabilities in a surprisingly honest way. That balance places him firmly in our collective memory, and his music has become part of who we are, and no doubt has long been a source of comfort for many in all circumstances of life.
Kelly opens the night with the irresistibly sultry song “Houndstooth Dress”. A single taken from the 2024 album “Fever Longing Still” which gives the tour its name and artwork, the track slowly teases the crowd with two simple chords that gather momentum on a stage awash in the tour’s signature orange glow. Kelly, in a sharp suit and framed in a piano spotlight is an unexpected delight. We know and love the cheekier, sultry side of Kelly, and he follows through with the smouldering “Firewood and Candles”. In no time, it feels less like a performance and more like a reunion with old friends. With nephew Dan Kelly on guitar and a band of long-time collaborators behind him, Kelly’s music stretches across four decades, an Order of Australia, countless ARIA Awards, over 350 songs, and a legacy that has shaped the sound of Australian music itself.
Kelly reminds us that it has been 40 years since his first song hit the airwaves, debuted on Perth’s own 96FM which was then the city’s popular station for new music. With that milestone in mind, he eases into “Before Too Long”, and his choice of launching the “Fever Longing Still” tour in the West pays homage to where his remarkable voice first found its audience.
Everyone knows Paul Kelly’s gravy recipe, and more than two decades on, “How to Make Gravy” has only grown in popularity, quietly becoming a national classic and Christmas playlist staple. This year, Kelly surprised fans with its long-awaited sequel “Rita Wrote a Letter”, which debuted last night live. Introducing it as his own version of “Peggy Sue Got Married” Kelly flips the perspective on the original which gave us Joe’s unforgettable voice from behind prison walls, instead shifting the sequel toward Rita’s point of view. In Kelly’s new track, Joe speaks from beyond the grave, brushing off death as lightly as he once broke rules, and still making everything about himself. At its heart, though, the song is about joy, love, and the inevitable tensions of families gathering together.
After years in gestation, the track finally found form with a nudge from his collaborator and nephew Dan Kelly. Playful, poignant and true to character, it wins instant approval on its debut. As the final notes fade, Kelly grins and asks the crowd, “What do you think?” He already knows. The cheers and wolf whistles say it all.
Threads of lyrics about love, loss, and family weave through Kelly’s rich catalogue, creating a tapestry of songs and stories celebrating life’s beauty and occasional mess. Highlights include “When I First Met Your Ma”, in which he tells us is “a love story told by a father to his child”. Talented vocalist and singer songwriter Jess Hitchcock is touring with Paul and accompanies him on “Everyday My Mother’s Voice”, with striking visual of AFL legend Adam Goodes and his mother shown on the screen behind. Kelly, who we know is a lifelong Shakespeare fan, brings poetry into the night with Sonnet 18, (Shall I Compare Thee To A Summers Day) with the screen behind echoing life’s seasons. Throughout the night, he acknowledges the people who make it possible; crew, collaborators, and past colleagues whose work remains embedded in songs like “From St Kilda to Kings Cross”, reminding us of the familial and enduring nature of his music.
Kelly introduces a song that, he says, “seemed to spring fully formed from the amazing brain of Dan Kelly”, featuring an impressive instrumental section with longtime band member Ash Naylor. “Harpoon to the Heart” follows, a tribute to American country pioneers of the 1950s and featuring “spacey, experimental guitar duets”. Kelly then performs on the original guitar he tells us he bought with his first royalty check in 1989, and which also happens to be of the striking orange colour of the tour branding. A slip on the opening notes prompts Kelly to say, “This is our first show of the tour, so shaking out…”. The crowd loves it.
Powerhouse singer Jess Hitchcock cites Paul Kelly as a “massive mentor”, collaborating with Kelly in 2019. Jess’ performance on stage with Kelly is an impressive standout, delivering Kelly’s songs with a strength so impressive it almost takes your breath away.
Kelly’s setlists are never casual, but carefully curated. The “mix tape” from his rich library kicks on with hit after hit, notably the popular “To Her Door” and “Dumb Things” ranging across themes such as childhood, breakups, drinking and songs stitched in with tales and characters flaws, heartbreak, breakup and beauty. The metaphor of rivers and water feature throughout his work and his concerts take us down endless streams of enjoyment. The crowd loudly cheers when Paul’s signature song “How to Make Gravy” and its flawed everyman, arrives. “It’s Joe again”, reminding us why Kelly endures, complicated and fallible yet all the more endearing.
Co-written with Kev Carmody “From Little Things Big Things Grow” is accompanied by the famous photograph of Gough Whitlam and Vincent Lingiari before the show finally pivots to the all-time Melbournian anthem “Leaps and Bounds”, complete with a stylized Nylex Plastics sign (showing 11 degrees of course) – a nod to the famous original song video produced in 1986.
The evening’s encore is “Down to the River with Dad” with a striking visual of a quintessential Australian river scene behind the stage. This is followed by a five-piece gathering in a voice harmony “Middle of the Air”.
As the lights dim on a stellar night, gratitude between musician and audience is mutual. Thank you, Paul, and band for taking us on a magical ride back through a vast and nostalgic songbook of endless musical depth. The old anthems still arrive charged with the same raw energy and heart and meet the audience’s hopes head-on. To quote the great PK himself: “It’s been a thrill”!
Paul Kelly and his collective are heading next on to Brisbane, Sydney, Hobart, Adelaide, Melbourne, Christchurch, Wellington and Auckland. Tickets are available from Frontier Touring. His latest album, “Seventy,” is due for release on Friday, 7 November, but is available for Preorder now.
Sheldon Ang Media wish to thank Frontier Touring and Paul Kelly for the Media Accreditation.
Support – Fanny Lumsden and Lucinda Williams
The evening was opened by country-folk talent and two-time ARIA winner Fanny Lumsden, whose energetic, fun and humble nature and accomplished acoustic performance set the perfect tone for the night. Commanding the large venue and charming the crowd, she was met with an enthusiastic reception. Legend and multiple GRAMMY winner Lucinda Williams took the stage with brilliance and courage, her talent still radiant. Watching her perform was a rare privilege – a truly special moment with a living legend – a fitting precursor to Paul Kelly and his band.
Paul Kelly Setlist Perth 2025:
Houndstooth Dress – Fever Longing Still (2024)
Firewood and Candles – Life Is Fine (2017)
Before Too Long (Paul Kelly and the Messengers) – Gossip (1986)
Rising Moon – Life Is Fine (2017)
Careless (Paul Kelly and the Messengers) – Gossip (1986)
Rita Wrote a Letter (Live debut) – Seventy (2025)
Double Business Bound – Fever Longing Still (2024)
Love Never Runs on Time – Wanted Man (1994)
When I First Met Your Ma (Paul Kelly and the Messengers) – Comedy (1991)
Harpoon to the Heart – Fever Longing Still (2024)
Every Day My Mother’s Voice – Songs from the South: 1985–2019 (2019)
Sonnet 18 – Seven Sonnets & A Song (2016)
If I Could Start Today Again – …Nothing But a Dream (2001)
They Thought I Was Asleep (Paul Kelly and the Stormwater Boys) – Foggy Highway (2005)
From St Kilda to Kings Cross – Post (1985)
All Those Smiling Faces – Fever Longing Still (2024)
To Her Door (Paul Kelly and the Messengers) – Under the Sun (1987)
Northern Rivers – Rivers and Rain (Compilation, 2022)
Josephina – Life Is Fine (2017)
Deeper Water – Deeper Water (1995)
Dumb Things (Paul Kelly and the Messengers) – Under the Sun (1987)
How to Make Gravy – How to Make Gravy (EP, 1996)
From Little Things Big Things Grow (Paul Kelly and the Messengers) – Comedy (1991)
Encore
Going to the River With Dad – Fever Longing Still (2024)
Leaps and Bounds (Paul Kelly and the Messengers) – Gossip (1986)
Meet Me in the Middle of the Air (Paul Kelly and the Stormwater Boys) – Foggy Highway (2005)
About the Writer and Photographer – Erica Lorimer
Erica is a freelance photographer who loves capturing images of live music and travel photography. She enjoys shooting film with vintage cameras and making prints in a home darkroom. She has lived in Japan, the UK and Nigeria. Erica holds a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) from the University of Western Australia (UWA), majoring in English Literature and Economics, and a Certificate IV in Design.
About Sheldon Ang Media: Sheldon Ang Media (est. May 2022) have been accredited to more than 200 of the hottest acts including Taylor Swift (ERAS Tour in Sydney), Coldplay, KISS, Iron Maiden, RHCP, P!NK and The Kid LAROI with reviews shared by the likes of Belinda Carlisle, UB40, Delta Goodrem, The Wiggles and Toni Childs on social media. The founder has interviewed rockers Suzi Quatro, Ace Frehley (KISS), John Steel (The Animals), Frank Ferrer (Guns N Roses), Phil X (Bon Jovi), Andrew Farris (INXS) plus over 70 artists. SAM is also a music journalist on the Triple M Radio network.
