Vika & Linda @ Thebarton Theatre, Adelaide 4/7/2026
“When I was sixteen and still at school, I got to introduce Jo Camilleri and The Black Sorrows to the school stage. Two years later I was singing in the band”. Linda Bull was reminiscing about her and Vika’s remarkable start of their musical career. She also bought the conversation up to date with “It’s nice to have a new album in Where Do You Come From? at our age, that makes number one on the Australian charts. Thank you for buying it.”
Vika & Linda hit the stage to enthusiastic applause before launching into the Paul Kelly song, Be Careful What You Pray For from 1999. The unblemished vocal harmonies are immediately apparent. With a “Good to see you supporting live music” from Linda, it was straight into a reggae influenced We’ve Started a Fire, sung by Linda which morphed into a rocking Hard Love.
Not only are Vika & Linda exceptional singers, they are also gifted storytellers. Every song came with an introduction that added depth and meaning. Raise Your Hand, was written by Kasey Chambers, and apparently Kasey told Vika and Linda, she saw them live as a little girl in some outback Australian town.
Vika & Linda were here to promote their new album, Where Do You Come From? and Vika told the audience “We are going to play tracks from the album, but will still include some of the old ones, if that is alright.” From the response it was obviously alright.
Before recording the new album, the sisters attended a songwriting workshop in Queensland, where they were paired with Toni Childs. Although they admitted feeling intimidated, the collaboration produced the beautiful Little Baby. Another new song, the soulful That’s How I Pray, followed. Inspired by the sisters’ love of swimming, the song proved every bit as refreshing as a dip in the ocean. Linda went on talk about singing and declared “we will sing till we die”, with a “That’s pretty morbid” from her sister Vika.
The opening chords from Ben Edgar of When Will You Fall Me naturally sounded like a Hunters & Collectors song, not surprising as it was written by H&C main man Mark Seymour. It was arousing and had some of the audience dancing in the aisles.
Taking stools to the centre of the stage Vika said, “this is our fourteenth concert of the tour and these are the fourteenth stools we have sat upon. They are all different.” Grandpa’s Song is a heartfelt letter to their grandfather. It tells of a visit from Vika’s grandfather from Tonga and his attempt to pick her up from school. Vika ignored him because she was embarrassed about being half Tongan and half Australian. It is an act she regrets to this day. The song serves as a moving and deeply personal apology.
Waiting On The Kid explores the sacrifices touring musicians make when leaving loved ones behind. Although it appears on Mark Seymour’s latest album, The Boxer, Vika & Linda have truly made the song their own. Richard Bradbeer’s rich bass lines added another layer of warmth to an already beautiful performance. I Hit Pause gave us the soaring vocals the sisters are famous for and Pigface and Calendula had the swagger and gritty sound of The Rolling Stones and just may have been the highlight of the evening.
Bliss briefly eased the tempo before the uplifting title track, Where Do You Come From?, brought the energy back up to close the main set.
Coming back out for the encore, Vika posed the question, “there have been arguments on the radio about encores. Should they still be a thing? What do you say?” Naturally the answer was a resounding yes. Ben Lee may believe encores have had their day and artists should simply stay on stage to finish the show, but judging by the crowd’s reaction, that opinion remains firmly in the minority—even if this reviewer quietly agrees with him.
What a Beautiful Thing commenced the encore before the song; The House of Love was played. Vika told us “We haven’t sung it in years but pulled it out today. We did practice it four times though”. The song was inspired by a Coopers Home Brew kit exploding in a cupboard. The song sounded anything but under-rehearsed, and delivered with the confidence of a long-time setlist favourite.
Back sitting on stools, the duo finished the night with a beautiful rendition of Return to the Sea, from their new album, a song for their mother. The girls took a bow with their band, The Bullettes, before then heading out to the foyer to meet the fans and sign merchandise.
Vika & Linda are currently undertaking a grueling forty six-date national tour in support of Where Do You Come From?, with another ten or so Red Hot Summer Tour appearances still to come later this year. Few Australian artists would attempt such a demanding schedule.
Vika & Linda remain one of Australia’s most treasured live acts. Their concerts are filled with outstanding songs, effortless harmonies and engaging stories that make audiences feel as though they are spending the evening with old friends. If this performance is any indication, their passion will still be burning brightly on night forty six.
Live Review By Geoff Jenke