LAUFEY ‘A MATTER OF TIME’ – ROD LAVER ARENA, MELBOURNE, 31 JULY 2026
Review: Mun and Bella Rosewarne. Photos supplied: Nicole Mago
Known for her witty and emotions-led song making, Laufey’s 2026 tour ‘A Matter of Time’ is a lavish orchestrated theatre show in five Acts exploring the internal drama of romantic infatuations and show biz.
The concert’s media release promised a musical journey as ‘whimsical’, which undersold it by a bossa mile.
The first act began with a vintage cartoon clockface dialling suspensefully in the background, which set up the dramatic entrance for the first swing-style big band ‘Clockwork’. Abruptly, the stage flashed with vibrant colours of dusky blues, pinks purples and yellow and the dreamy sequence began, with her signature, velvety contralto voice enveloping the room, supported by a part orchestra and band to the back left and right of the stage.
Guitar in hand, Laufey’s tiny figure sparkled in a tangerine 1950’s inspired party dress, encircled by energetic cabaret dancers Her devoted audience immediately responded wildly to the gorgeous production. Popularised by social media, the room playfully clapped 10-beat rhythms to the light bouncy bossa nova shuffle ‘Lover Girl’.
Laufey brought out her signature red Gibson ES-335 guitar for the slower paced retro-charm ‘Silver Linings’, a song that melds both longing and wicked confessions.
After a softly delivered introduction, Act II transformed the stadium venue into an intimate jazz club. The audience and most of the stage disappeared into shadow for a spotlight focused on the jazz trio front and centre. From Broadway musical Finian’s Rainbow, Laufey’s rendition of ‘Old Devil Moon’ was light and lively, reminiscent of Chet Baker’s 1958 version.
The thematic aperture widened again for ACT III’s blend of nostalgic childhood motifs of the fairground and classical ballet. ‘Carousel’ and ‘Forget-Me-Not’ was followed by a three-minute interlude of ‘Cuckoo Ballet’, a piece co-written with producer Spencer Stewart, which featured her beautiful solo on the cello. Laufey’s most ardent fans would know of her background as a teen solo cellist in the Icelandic Symphonic Orchestra. With a nod to her classical music roots, the interlude marked a change in dramatic mood.
The girly dreamy smoke screen lifts in Act IV, for pointed songs like ‘Mr Eclectic’, ‘Mad Woman’, and the heart breaking ‘Promise’ and ‘Goddess’. ‘Tough Luck’s’ defiant dancy end sounded decidedly Abba-esque.
Between songs and set changes, Laufey spoke to the room, sometimes to catch her breath and often catching herself speaking in cliches, then earnestly disclaiming how ‘fake’ it sounded and apologising for ‘waffling’. The painful self-awareness on stage is the same intelligence that writes such brilliant lyrics.
Her audience was treated at the end of the Act with the long awaited ‘From the Start’, lead single from her Grammy award winning studio album Bewitched.
‘Sabotage’ of the Final Act brought the concert full circle, back into theatrical drama, rock opera style.
After such a highly choreographed, visually rich show, it was beautiful to witness in the encore, Laufey with just her guitar, playing ‘Castle in Hollywood’ and ‘Letter to my 13 year old Self’, a reminder that behind all the colour and motion, is a girl.
SUPPORT ACT
Leonie Biney (Australia & New Zealand)
REMAINING DATES
· August 3, 2026: Brisbane Entertainment Centre — Brisbane, Australia
· August 7 & 8, 2026: Qudos Bank Arena (Afterpay Arena) — Sydney, Australia
· August 12, 2026: Spark Arena — Auckland, New Zealand
https://www.frontiertouring.com/laufey