THE WATERBOYS – PALAIS THEATRE – MELBOURNE

THE WATERBOYS supported by Ella Hooper – PALAIS THEATRE – MELBOURNE – 16.05.2026
Review: Craig Eriksson. Photos: Jason Rosewarne.

Australian Musician attended the historic Palais Theatre in St Kilda to see The Waterboys perform on their Australia & New Zealand 2026 tour with special guest Ella Hooper. This is their first tour down under in over a decade, this time in support of their latest album, Life, Death and Dennis Hopper.

Australian singer-songwriter Ella Hooper was the support and is well-known as the lead singer of Killing Heidi. Ella’s solo career has seen her go a wee-bit country and she played a wonderful acoustic set accompanied by Lucy G Rash on keyboards and fiddle. Ella’s velvety vocals are made for country music, as she sings warm and heartfelt lyrics about growing up in a small country town and the hardships of life. Ella projects a feel-good vibe which connects deeply with the crowd. They performed SMALL COUNTRY TOWN, Ella’s latest single I GOT EYES (ON YOU), GROWING UP IS HARD, SLOW MORNING, WHEN THE SHIT WENT DOWN, COWBOY MAN and BAD WORD. Ella was an ideal choice to kick start the evening.

The Waterboys formed in London back in 1983 by Scottish singer-songwriter and musician, Mike Scott. As with any Scott show, this was an authentic and spiritual rock and roll concert with the music as the central focus. The stage setting featured a large, mystical backdrop of their Modern Blues (2015) album cover, which includes a photograph titled “The King of Weeds”. It depicts a plush, faceless, moss-covered figure made entirely of overgrowth and weeds. Effective colourful stage lighting changed the colour and mood of this Green Man throughout the show.

Frontman and lead guitarist Mike Scott led a 5-piece, highly versatile band featuring James Hallawell (keyboards), Brother Paul Brown (Hammond B3 organ and keyboards), Aongus Ralston (Bass) and Eamon Ferris (Drums). The band played with a profound sense of camaraderie, moving through the intricate tempo changes as if they shared the same mind. Their musicianship was outstanding as they performed a smorgasbord of material during the night, ranging from laid-back folk rock, Celtic soul, gospel and Americana to energetic rock and roll.

They opened with their latest single, DON’T EVEN HAVE TO SAY HIS NAME, which is a politically charged protest rock song with scathing commentary aimed at current U.S. President featuring lyrics that highlight fascism, insurrection and bullying without uttering his name. The charismatic frontman Mike Scott stands centre stage decked out in his signature cowboy hat and sunglasses. Scott’s vocals are the centrepiece evolving from a raw, post-punk bark to a mature, soulful and remarkable expressive croon. He played a mix of electric and acoustic guitars along with keyboards during the show.

The Waterboys have a ‘double keyboard wizard’ dynamic. Hallawell provides the steady, elegant anchor on acoustic piano and additional synth sounds, while Bro Paul Brown typically handles the fiery, soulful Hammond B3 organ parts and brings a Memphis-style soul energy to their show. The dual-keyboard setup grants the band an enormous sweep, allowing them to effortlessly transition between the rock anthems and the rootsy, folk-driven songs.

The Waterboys played a wonderful set of their back catalogue including two songs from WHERE THE ACTION IS (2019) with the title track along with the soulful LADBROKE GROVE SYMPHONY and its smooth organ-driven groove. The anthemic, guitar-driven rock track GLASTONBURY SONG showcased the bands diversity and the timeless acoustic love ballad HOW LONG WILL I LOVE YOU? was stunning. Scott switched from guitar to electric piano on A GIRL CALLED JOHNNY as they experienced some technical issues with a sudden piercing microphone screech. It took several attempts for the technician to get this audio feedback issue sorted before Scott and the band kicked on delivering a vibrant, honky tonk, piano-driven song that had the crowd up out of their seat.

FISHERMAN’S BLUES was one of the most popular songs of the show and had the crowd participating vocally while dancing. STRANGE BOAT showcased Hallawell performing a wonderful solo on electric piano. Other standout songs and fan favourites in the set were from their acclaimed This Is The Sea (1985) album. The thunderous, foot stomping, rock and roll anthem MEDICINE BOW was incredible with Scott performing a soaring guitar solo. The title track THIS IS THE SEA was epic and was one of my personal favourites, highlighting the incredible musicianship of the band as it built to a tremendous climax.

The Waterboys played five songs from Life, Death and Dennis Hopper, giving us a taste of their latest album with Scott providing running commentary about each song relating to various films and stages of Dennis Hopper’s life. THE TOURIST was Hopper’s nickname given to him by his friends as he loved photography and was regularly wearing a Nikon camera around his neck. HOPPER’S ON TOP (GENIUS) documents the Easy Rider film and GOLF, THEY SAY is about Hopper playing golf in his latter days and was apparently taught by Willie Nelson.

During DON’T BANG THE DRUM we saw a number of attendees run down to the front of the stage to dance. One very drunk woman (Editor note: ie fuckwit) jumped up on stage and totally disrupted the show as she attempted to kiss Scott and refused to leave. The feeble security guards were way too polite in this situation. The stage area is sacrosanct and strictly reserved for the performers and crew. It was an ugly scene as Scott tried to push on with the show but eventually had to stop until security finally did their job and removed her. Once the song resumed, the crowd erupted with applause and were up out of their seats, as it turned into a triumphant finale to end the main set.

The band returned for a shortened encore opening with SPIRIT and then performed an epic version of THE PAN WITHIN, which was spellbinding. The show concluded with their most famous and successful song WHOLE OF THE MOON, which was an enrapturing and a fitting song to end an incredible, eventful evening.

For more about the tour and an insight to the show , check out the Australian Musician interview with Mike Scott

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