Holy Holy, Rowena Wise @ Hindley Street Music Hall, Adelaide 9/5/2025

Earlier this year Holy Holy delivered that message every fan dreads—the announcement of an indefinite hiatus. On Friday night, the time came for them to ascend the stage for their final show in Tarntanya/ Adelaide. It was a farewell that felt both momentous and meaningful.

Naarm/Melbourne-based Rowena Wise opened the night with a six-song set that perfectly set the emotional tone. Dripping with the anguish of heartbreak, her vulnerable lyrics, candid storytelling, and subtly powerful performance mirrored the atmosphere already settling over the crowd. As we braced ourselves for the bittersweet hum of farewell, Wise harnessed that swelling emotion and funnelled it into something tender and grounding in a moment of shared reflection.

Under the soft glow of stage lights, Oscar Dawson and Tim Carroll launched into Elevator. From the very first riff, the crowd was lifted. The energy surged as That Message and Stand Where I’m Standing followed. Songs that felt like old friends stopping by one last time.

“We’re looking forward to spending this evening with you,” Tim declared. The feeling was mutual. The set list allowed us to time-travel as we were invited into every era of Holy Holy’s journey. Gilded Age shimmered with its usual cinematic flair before the room sank gently into the dreamy tones of Believe Anything, the first of many highlights.

Love You Still, from the band’s sixth album and “love letter” to fans Sweet Bitter Sweet—ironically released the same day—became one of the night’s most tender moments. As Tim sang, “’Cause I love you still” with quiet sincerity, those five simple words landed like a weight in the chest, echoing with all the unspoken emotion of a long goodbye.

When they moved into If I Were You with a phenomenal Ryan Strathie drum solo, and History, time felt elastic, stretching, folding back on itself. There was a sense that every lyric was landing with extra weight, each chorus a little louder, each guitar line a little sharper.

Oscar gently broke the spell with a heartfelt reflection on the origins of Holy Holy. A story that wasn’t just about the band, but about the enduring friendship between him and Tim. It was a moment layered with nostalgia, of musical milestones and the quieter, more personal journey that led them to this stage, saying “see-ya” to each other once more. The emotion was unfiltered and set the stage for the song that first etched their names into the hearts of so many, Impossible Like You. Then came I.C.U. and its haunting Coda.

The My Own Pool of Light (2019) chapter turned up the energy and lit a fire under the room. Maybe You Know, Faces, and Flight flowed seamlessly into Sandra. Each track building momentum as the crowd surrendered to the rhythm, singing, dancing, and losing ourselves in the euphoric rush. Then The Aftergone with long-time collaborator Grace Richardson of CLEWS, Ready and its powerful Coda felt like the turning of pages in a book we didn’t want to end.

When they played You Cannot Call for Love Like a Dog there was a palpable ache in the room. Also, appreciation for the Holy Holy musical landscape of the last fourteen years. Teach Me About Dying, another highlight, was a pure celebration—”Teach me about dying/ So I can learn how to live” we sang at the top of our lungs.

The encore began with St Petersburg stripped down to its acoustic bones. Then came Sentimental and Monday, and finally, True Lovers, with Oscar shredding, Tim singing and just a room full of people who had come to say thank you. Thank you for the songs that soundtracked our late nights and long drives, our breakups, our new beginnings, our calm moments and the chaotic ones.

Thank you, Holy Holy, for the music. For the magic. For even making goodbyes sound beautiful.

Live Review By Anita Kertes