Review Greg Phillips. Photos: Jason Rosewarne.
Celebrated Mutti Mutti, Yorta Yorta and Nari Nari Songman Kutcha Edwards has long stood as one of Australia’s most moving and resonant voices. Since first coming to prominence in the 1990s, he has forged a remarkable path where music and activism are deeply intertwined. Through song, storytelling and his gift for connecting with people, Kutcha continues to bring forward perspectives and truths too often left unheard.
On Friday April 17, 2026, fans gathered at the Melbourne Recital Centre to help Kutcha celebrate his 60th birthday (even though his 60th birthday officially occurred in late 2025). Billed as “60 cycles around the sun,” the evening was presented in two distinct halves. The first, hosted by Kutcha’s longtime friend Brian Nankervis, included intimate conversations and duets with artists who have been significant in Kutcha’s life. The second half featured the great man singing with the amazing Cash Savage & The Last Drinks.
The evening commenced in a wonderful fashion with Kutcha’s granddaughter Reggie reciting the welcome to country. Then with both Kutcha and Brian sitting on stools at the front of stage, the stories began to flow, from the poignancy of meeting his with mother for the first time at six years old to the lighthearted tales of being a potential ruckman for the St.Kilda Football Club and being courted by many of the major VFL teams of the day. As Kutcha told Australian Musician in our recent interview, the first concert he attended was American bluesman Robert Cray. The experience made such an impact on him that he went straight home and wrote a blues-inspired song ‘Roll With the Rhythm’. The first guest for the night, Bumpy told the audience that Kutcha had been ever-present in her life and was honoured to sing that slow burning song with her Uncle on the Recital Centre stage.
Nankervis proceeded to talk Kutcha through a series of childhood photos and stories with various family members yelling out from the crowd to finish sentences for the man when he couldn’t recall certain details. There was a photo of Carlos Santana and Kutcha together and he explained that while he was on stage with Santana in Melbourne, Carlos had thrown to him to sing the second verse of The Wailers’ tune ‘Exodus”. ”But I don’t know it Carlos,” Kutcha said. “Make it up” was Carlos’ reply and so Kutcha did! He spoke of the myriad musician friends he has made along the way, many who are no longer physically with us and suggested that “the don’t play music with or for me but walk with me.”
Rapper Tjimba Possum-Burns, was the next guest, son of Backfire guitarist Selwyn Burns and grandchild to Clifford Possum. After Tjimba recounted his time with Uncle Kutcha growing up, he then performed “Stand Strong” with him, a reggae flavoured tune from Edwards’ 2007 Hope album.
In between guests, the stories kept coming. While Robert Cray might have been Kutcha’s first full concert, his first actual live music experience was watching Renee Geyer at an ABC recording of Countdown. As always a Kutcha show contains laughter, thought provoking tales and often tears. One amusing fact Kutcha made us aware of was that the word ’Moomba’ in essence means “arse-up”!
Aaron Choulai followed, founding member of Australian Art Orchestra, who toured with Kutcha overseas. After recalling his tales, Aaron played piano as Kutcha performed the poignant ‘Is This What We Deserve?’
Brian Nankervis had been asking each guest for a birthday message for Kutcha. Rebecca Barnard wished Kutcha “a long and happy, creative, inspired life and to keep rockin’.” Kutcha told of a recording session with Rebecca, in which Jeff Lang had come along and played what looked like “a rice steamer on the end of a guitar neck.” “An oud, you mean Kutcha,” she replied! The pair then played ‘A Little Bit Of Love’, a rockin’ tune about “all the different kinds of love in my 60 cycles around the sun”.
In Mo’ju’s guest spot, they remembered performing on stage at Hamer Hall with a huge orchestra and rock band. Suddenly cutting through all of that was “a voice deeper than the ocean rising up out of the ground,” Mo’ju said. It was Kutcha sitting in the bleachers being taken by the moment and not being able to hold his emotions or voice in! They then performed the soulful ‘I Know Where I’m Going,’ to huge applause.
Earlier in the evening, Brian had asked that the 400 Kutcha masks left on seats, be placed in front of faces for a photo opportunity. At this point the successful photo was shown to the crowd to a great reception. In typical Kutcha fashion, the first half had stretched way overtime … the man loves to chat. Consequently, there was a sense of sharpening the pace with Boom Crash Opera member and solo artist, producer Richard Pleasance hustled on stage as the final guest. Kutcha invited granddaughter Reggie back, and soon after the entire cast to help perform the joyful ‘You Are A Friend Of Mine’ with Richard to end the first half. Throughout the first set Kutcha and guests were backed fabulously by his talented band consisting of Jay Jarome, Nicola Bell, Linc Yow Yeh, Phoebe Elsworth and Nick Larkins, bringing his songs to life with depth, power, and soul.
Beginning the second half with an ominous hum of feedback from Cash Savage and The Last Drinks, Kutcha strode on stage to pick up a pair of clapsticks to tap out his arrival and connect with his ancestors. Soon after his searing wail pierced through the droning guitars, leaving the hairs on the back of our necks standing up involuntarily. Segueing into a stirring ‘Singing Up Country’, it not only highlighted the power of Kutcha’s voice but also the majesty of this band’s atmospheric punk sound.
Prior to ripping into a formidable ‘Scars’, Kutcha told of the pain that all aboriginal people carry, the emotional scars felt by himself and all affected by the Stolen Generation days. The Last Drinks strummed intently, building a storm and eventually broke into a glorious psychedelic haze. This was Cash Savage, Rene Mancuso, Nick Finch and Joe White doing what they do best, providing an olympian soundtrack for significant times like these.
Acknowledging his family in the crowd Kutcha then turned his passion toward a very special song ‘Mrs Edwards’, a song about meeting his biological mother for the first time, with the band giving the song the deep amount of fire and potency that it deserved. It was impossible not to be moved by the weight of the moment.
Cash Savage was asked by Kutcha to introduce the next song ‘Better Than That’. It was written by Cash after the intrusive marriage equality survey in 2017, which hurt a lot of people in the LGBTQI community greatly. Kutcha is no stranger to injustice and both he and Cash bonded strongly over the sentiments of the song.
“Field your questions, if you’re really gonna ask them
There’s a lot of people out there thinking
I’m up for discussion
I’m not thinking of myself when I tell you I’m glad to do it
But your questions hurt
Secretly I’d hoped you were better than that”
Kutcha reminded us that he and Cash Savage and The Last Drinks had recorded that song and others at The Forum last year and vinyl versions of the album “Live At Forum II” were on sale outside at the merch stand.
With the full cast back on stage Kutcha told the crowd, who were now all standing, “ All I ever wanted to do was tell my family’s stories,” as he eased into the beautiful “We Sing’, and sing we all did.
“We sing for love
We live for justice
We long for freedom
We dream of peace”
And as for our birthday wish … “To the beautiful songman, Kutcha Edwards. May you continue to spread your joy, tell your stories and remind us what’s most important in life and enjoy many more cycles around the sun.
Watch our recent interview with Kutcha HERE.
Purchase Kutcha music and merch HERE
