Report by Tania Graham-Brown. Photos: Vitor Duarte
The Bamboos brought their 25 Years tour to Sydney’s City Recital Hall and delivered a show that reminded the audience why they remain Australia’s most enduring funk and soul collective. With the lineup in full swing, the night was equal parts retrospective and celebration, pulling from their deep catalogue while reaffirming the band’s energy on stage.
The choice of venue was inspired, if unconventional. City Recital Hall’s pristine acoustics offered clarity rarely heard in funk shows — brass lines gleamed, percussion snapped, and Kylie Auldist’s vocals soared without distortion. At times, the formality of the space tamed the music’s physicality; the low end never quite rattled the room the way it might in a club. But what it lacked in grit, it made up for in other ways. Every groove was rendered with studio-quality precision, allowing the band’s meticulous arrangements to shine in full colour.
Auldist was the undisputed focal point. Her voice carried warmth and fire in equal measure, commanding the room from the first note. Alongside her, bandleader Lance Ferguson kept the ensemble locked tight, steering them through crowd-pleasers like On The Sly and Hard Up, while also reaching for unexpected turns that delighted long-time fans. The performance doubled as a reminder of Ferguson’s curatorial approach — the same instinct that recently saw him whittle two decades of The Bamboos’ music into The Bamboos Best, a career-spanning 20-track compilation pressed on striking gold marble vinyl with artwork by Kano, who designed the band’s very first single back in 2001.
The night wasn’t just about the hits. Ferguson’s setlist honoured the band’s full arc: from the raw funk roots of their early years through to the expansive, soulful songwriting that’s defined their later records. It was a living timeline, made all the more poignant as Ferguson has hinted that the next chapter of The Bamboos may strip things back to a groove-driven essence, chasing the spark that ignited the project in the first place.
By the closing numbers, the seated hall had transformed into a makeshift dancefloor, the crowd pulled from polite applause into full-bodied celebration. It was a fitting moment for a band that has spent 25 years keeping the groove alive while also encouraging their members to grow outward into solo and side projects — Kylie Auldist, Graeme Pogson, Rita Satch and more.
After a quarter of a century, The Bamboos are no longer just a fixture of Australian music — they’re an institution. This Sydney show captured their journey with a mixture of polish and passion, offering a masterclass in how to celebrate longevity while keeping an eye firmly on the future.
NEXT BAMBOOS GIGS
Sat Sep 13th
Moorooka Block Party, Brisbane Festival at Peggs Park, Brisbane
Free show, info here
Sat Sep 20th
Northcote Theatre, Melbourne – tickets + info here
with special guests Kurt Rainbow plus DJs Chris Gill, Miss Goldie.
Free afterparty at Northcote Theatre Mezzanine feat DJs Kano & Lance Ferguson