Katie Noonan, Jack Carty @ Hindley Street Music Hall, Adelaide 20/9/2025
The air was thick with anticipation as people descended upon Hindley Street Music Hall on Saturday night. We were there to see Katie Noonan and to revisit a myth.
Jeff Buckley’s Grace still carries an aura thirty years after its release. It is an album that challenges genre conventions, explores emotional vulnerability, and showcases a complex and authentic musical approach.
But before Noonan, there was Jack Carty. His set was similar to a handwritten letter, quiet but insistent. He stood with his guitar and lyricised about simple things that end up mattering most. No big gestures. No tricks. Just clear words carried on melody. His voice was as warm as his disposition.
For a man with just a guitar, he was captivating. His short set included Oh! Imagination, Don’t Believe the Hype, Travelling Shoes, Pyramid, Fleeting, Honey, Do You Know the Way Back Home?, Why the Universe Expands, and others. It was moreish. Yet the spell was repeatedly broken by conversational murmur, dragging us out of the moment. Frustrating, because Carty was sensational. He deserved better.
Grace is an album that demands patience. Noonan masterfully delivered this.
The opening of Mojo Pin arrived with Noonan’s falsetto sliding in with absolute control. From the onset, it was apparent that she wouldn’t be imitating Buckley. She didn’t fight him either.
Grace was formidable. It was a passionate re-imagination that stirred something visceral, as it did upon first listen in 1994. The song’s sheer power made it a show highlight, but in truth, the entire performance was remarkable.
The production added another dimension. Lighting moved with the songs, a choreography of colour that intensified the atmosphere. In Last Goodbye, blues, purples, and whites cut through the space, mirroring the song’s ache. Lilac Wine arrived bathed in violet, and the mood collapsed inward. So Real uplifted. It was meticulous but not overdone.
Not everything ran smoothly though. There were technical difficulties along the way. Cables, sound, the kinds of interruptions that usually fracture momentum. However, Noonan took it all in stride. She laughed, appreciated the sound crew, and moved on. It humanised her and strengthened connections with the audience.
A hush fell with Hallelujah. The room stilled, giving Noonan space to illuminate the song. The familiar became strange again. She stripped it of grandeur and gave it intimacy. Only the quiet patter of tears hitting the floor disturbed the spell.
Noonan’s strength lay in her malleability. She bent notes without breaking their meaning and never let technique overshadow emotion. Lover, You Should’ve Come Over, Corpus Christi Carol, and Eternal Life highlighted the emotional resonance of the songs, carried by her soaring, classically honed voice.
The band also deserves mention: Sarah King (violin), Peter Koopman (guitar), Joe Fallon (guitar), Miles Thomas (drums), and the legendary Damo (bass). They didn’t drown the songs in embellishment. Guitar lines shimmered, drums pulsed, bass lines anchored, and the violin elevated the richness of the sound.
With Dream Brother, the night ended not with spectacle but with appreciation. The applause was long and the standing ovation warranted.
Grace is an album built on rawness, and this was honoured in this interpretation.
Katie Noonan reminded us that influence is not about duplication. It’s about transformation. We witnessed a voice of remarkable clarity re-imagining a voice that will never fade.
Live Review By Anita Kertes