MORCHEEBA, UNKLE Sounds @ The Gov, Adelaide 16/2/2026
This was the perfect sound track to a Monday night!
It was a hot and balmy night in Adelaide but it was easy to join the rest of the crew for a sold out show at The Gov featuring the marvellous Morcheeba and Unkle Sounds rather than sit in a gaze watching images flash by on TV. This show had been sold out for quite sometime and no doubt could have filled a bigger venue but there was definitely something about the charm of The Gov that complemented this show perfectly. No doubt that people who experienced Morcheeba at WOMADelaide were back for more and this was one of those shows that was just perfect.
The affinity between Morcheeba and Australia is clear by the number of shows sold out and that was returned to fans ten fold. The support UNKLE Sounds (aka DJ James Lavelle) was a top choice and really did set the tone getting this massive crowd ready for a great night of music. Oh my! Lots of memories from the 90s and early 2000s came flooding back delving back through the UNKLE back catalogue and mixing that up with contemporary tracks from the likes of the Sneaker Pimps (6 Underground), Portishead (Strangers) and Lamb (Gorecki). Good times! Top that with classic UNKLE tune Be There and we were already winning.
Morcheeba are elite musicians and with a bankable back catalogue they are unstoppable. Night’s like tonight are another reminder of the brilliance of this much loved band. Old songs or new songs, it didn’t matter, the set list was loaded with bangers. The vibe was buoyant and upbeat knowing that we were experiencing an incredible performance in such intimate surrounds. Overseas they are playing big theatres and arenas so this was really something.
As the band took the stage playing their grooves waiting for the heart and soul of Morcheeba Skye Edwards and Ross Godfrey to take their positions. Skye was sporting her signature bowler hat and a wry grin and right from the opening notes of Trigger Hippie the crowd was hooked playing in to the palm of their hands. It was almost hypnotic and it was one of those shows that the energy of the crowd was significant in terms of what the band gave back, they lifted suggesting that they were “splendid”.
Tight was an understatement, it was hard not to be in awe with the way the band went about it playing Friction, Call For Love and classic hit single The Sea with a great cameo from the crowd singing along. Ross laughed at the new saying he picked up saying “we are not here to fuck spiders” (i.e. one has serious business to pursue and should not be wasting time). That saying held true as it felt like a greatest hits compilation unfolding with Otherwise, We Live and Die and Never an Easy Way following.
Skye’s attire was a focus for a moment explaining that she made it herself asking the crowd what they thought and then drawing attention to her shoes that “can open bottles”. The good times didn’t stop there either going with the popular Blood Like Lemonade. Dawn Penn cover You Don’t Love Me (No, No, No) was stellar as was their iconic hit single Rome Wasn’t Built In A Day. The voice, the music made our collective hearts melt. Even with a average day at work, if you could not walk away from this with a smile and feeling infinitely better there is something clearly wrong.
Ross’ quote was gold “we have been doing this for thirty years, don’t remember any of it” but what they do remember is knowing what it takes to get a crowd excited and up and about adding the cherry on top with Never Undo, Blindfold and Blaze Away. The encore was fantastic with Skye wearing a feathered headdress asking the crowd to turn on their mobile phone lights to “shine a light for the rest of the world to see” rolling in to Col. Adelaide got something special with Skye “Perth didn’t get it, but you are gettin’ it!” David Bowie’s Let’s Dance got the Morcheeba touch up. Wowsers! Seriously good! Finishing on Bleeding Out brought a incredible night to an end. Let’s hope we can do this again some time soon.
Live Review By Rob Lyon