At the Lansdowne Hotel in Sydney, the room feels like it might burst. Tickets for Audrey Hobert’s fleeting Australian debut disappeared in a ballot system, the only way to manage demand for a venue that has already proven a launchpad for artists like Billie Eilish and Wet Leg. By the time the lights dim, the crowd is shoulder to shoulder, pressed up against the stage and bar, buzzing with the kind of anticipation that makes every word of pre-show chatter feel amplified. Tiaras twinkle, phones hover mid-air, and the temperature rises with the collective breath of a room that knows it has lucked into something rare.
Long before the release of her debut album Who’s The Clown?, Hobert had built her craft as a songwriter alongside her childhood friend Gracie Abrams, whom she met at their fifth-grade graduation. The pair co-wrote much of Abrams’ 2024 album The Secret of Us, with Hobert contributing direction to several music videos and lending her voice to the international hit That’s So True. That track, which Hobert co-wrote and sang backing vocals on, went on to top the UK singles chart for eight weeks and became a global anthem, even spawning an explicit reworking the two wrote on the roof of Electric Lady Studios. Hobert also joined Abrams for live performances of the song, sharpening the stage instincts she brings to Sydney tonight.
Hobert takes the stage to Madonna’s “Get Into the Groove,” a sly wink at the room’s anticipation. The crowd is a strange mix — effortlessly tech-savvy, yet clutching digital and film cameras alike, eager to preserve the moment. Hobert is alone up there, strumming a guitar, kicking off with “I Like to Touch People.” Between numbers, she is disarmingly engaging, quick with banter, the kind that makes a sold-out room feel like a living room. She laughs about her jet lag, reminding the audience that this year marks the first time she has ever been out of the USA. Her stories, like her songs, crackle with wit and insight, underlining the same qualities that animate her lyrics.
It’s not lost on the audience that this may be their last chance to see Hobert up this close. Frontier Touring have already announced she’ll return in 2026 with The Staircase To Stardom Tour, hitting larger stages like the Enmore Theatre, The Fortitude Music Hall, and Melbourne’s Forum. Tonight though, she’s ours—leaning into a set that feels intimate, electric, and more than a little prophetic.
Head HERE for ticketing information on Hobert’s 2026 tour.
Check out our gallery from tonight’s intimate show below.
Images Deb Pelser.
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