Kita Alexander @ The Gov, Adelaide 24/9/2026
There’s a reason fans keep coming back to a Kita Alexander show, and last night’s performance made it obvious all over again. Support act Toy Shaw warmed up the room first, setting a relaxed, welcoming tone for the night ahead. The crowd told its own story: teens and tweens clutching mums’ hands, twenty- and thirty-somethings singing every word, and a sprinkling of dads along for the ride. Kita’s appeal cuts clean across generations, and she plays to every one of them.
She walked out on stage with her signature long hair and a whimsical wardrobe, straight into Don’t Call Me Sunshine, as an upbeat, feel-good opener that set the tone immediately, full of energy and good vibes, a performer clearly delighted to be back on an Australian stage. Low Rise Jeans followed, its country twang a shift in gear from the opener. Damage Done, played on guitar, was the first proper singalong of the night, before Zodiac kept the energy rolling.
Kita touched on the impacts of tall poppy syndrome during Miss Australia, and used it as a springboard for one of several warm, easy chats with the audience about claiming your worth and power. Hotel brought the night’s most heartfelt moment, stripped right back to just keys before drums and bass eased in. You could feel the room shift. It’s a song that carries the weight of losing her sister, and that emotion came through unmistakably in her delivery, with support act Toy Shaw invited on stage, adding texture on banjo.
An unreleased track, Beach Umbrellas, brought out the harmonica. Kita admitted she’d had to learn the instrument specifically for the song. It is written as a duet with her usual sun-soaked coastal themes. Then came the mood swing only a great live performer can pull off. Rage, where she had the whole room yelling out their frustrations, delivered with a huge smile and bouncing energy that made anger feel like a party.
A run of new and favourites followed before playing Like You Want To blending into a snippet of Fleetwood Mac, and Between You & I folding in Tears for Fears’ Everybody Wants to Rule the World. Each song striking a chord with a crowd that spanned generations. Somewhere near the end, she jumped down into the crowd to dance and sing through I Don’t Wanna Go Home while dancing amongst the fans, and creating priceless memories for many before closing with Worth It.
Vocally strong from start to finish, endlessly warm with the crowd, and smiling the entire way through, Kita Alexander left the room upbeat and happy. There’s a reason I was looking forward to seeing her again. She’s one of those rare performers who simply exudes joy and she knows exactly who put her on that stage and never takes it for granted. She blew a kiss on her way off stage, leaving the crowd’s loud calls for an encore unanswered, and Adelaide already waiting for her return.
Live Review By Ilona Schultz