Review: Greg Phillips . Photos: Jason Rosewarne
The Wainwright family are no strangers to Australian music fans. One of the most famous family footprints here is the acclaimed 2005 concert film Leonard Cohen: I’m Your Man, a tribute to Cohen which was recorded at the Sydney Opera House. It features Canadian sisters Kate and Ann McGarrigle, Kate’s son Rufus Wainwright and daughter Martha. The family father Loudon Wainwright III also had some success here, particularly with his hit single Dead Skunk. It was only last May that sister Martha, a regular Australian tourist stood on the Melbourne Recital Centre stage delivering a reflective and emotional performance. And now in 2025, her brother Rufus has returned for the first time since 2019. To learn more about the drama which has engulfed the Wainwright family, one needs only to listen to the lyrics from their extensive individual discographies. The Wainwrights have no trouble spilling their guts on family issues.
Rufus strode onto the Recital Centre stage with purpose and sat down at the Steinway piano, opening proceedings with his song Grey Gardens, based loosely on the documentary about the lives of Edith Ewing Bouvier Beale and her daughter, Edith “Little Edie”. The song is considered a gay anthem. Personally, whenever I hear the name Grey Gardens I can’t help thinking of Bill Hader and Fred Armisen’s hilarious pisstake from their series Documentary Now, which savagely mocks the original film. However, there was nothing amusing about Rufus’ song and its extraordinary performance tonight.
Playing solo with just voice and piano, Wainwright’s powerful tenor voice shines, especially on his second song Vibrate, utilising just one hand on the piano to play the simple melody. During the song introduction he admitted to being distracted, thinking of his home in the Los Angeles hills which just survived being burned down in the current devastating wildfires.
He tells us of his love of wildlife and his visit to the Healesville Sanctuary earlier in the day but can’t recall the name of the animals he enjoyed seeing. Picking up a beautiful Gibson Hummingbird acoustic guitar, he launched into Out of the Game, the title track of his 2012 album and another fan favourite.
Spruiking his merchandise items, Rufus introduced He Loved, a track from his second opera Hadrian, modified into a folk song and included on a limited edition vinyl version of his new album Roadtrip Elegies, available to purchase from the venue foyer and available digitally worldwide on January 17.
The Art Teacher from 2004’s Want Two album showcased Rufus’ piano playing skills and penchant for dramatic note fluctuations.
Melbourne’s own Folk Bitch Trio did such a superb job of warming the crowd earlier in the evening with their incredible harmonies and were rewarded by Rufus by being invited back on stage to accompany him on the next four songs, mainly from his most recent Grammy nominated album Folkocracy. Jeanie Pilkington, Gracie Sinclair, and Heide Peverelle slotted into the performance with ease (although deep down I’m sure they were anxious), contributing their pristine voices to Down in the Willow Garden. Introducing the Neil Young song Harvest Moon, Rufus related the story of how he consulted Neil about what kind of acoustic guitar he should buy, deep down hoping that Young might gift him one. Sadly, he informs us that embarrassingly never happened!
Approaching Going to a Town with a degree of dread, he suggests he’s played the song so many times he’s run out of interesting introduction anecdotes. However the Folk Bitch Trio added a freshness and deep beauty to one of his most revered tunes inspiring Rufus to put his total heart and soul into the piece.
Go Or Go Ahead highlighted Wainwright’s incredible vocal range and his ability to hold notes eternally. The immaculate acoustics of the room also magnified the unique character of his voice. So Long, Marianne acknowledged his family connection to the legendary Leonard Cohen. Placing his guitar in the rack and returning to the piano, Rufus then performed Poses from the album of the same name, written during a six month stay at New York’s infamous Chelsea Hotel.
He then delivered a heartfelt version of Dinner at Eight, a song dedicated to the challenging relationship he has had with his father but ultimately a “love song” he says. Cigarettes and Chocolate Milk, a tune he told Rolling Stone magazine was “a song about walking a tightrope, but it’s more between having a grand time and losing yourself in the gutter” followed, ending the main part of his set and earning him a standing ovation.
Welcomed back to the stage with a spirited greeting from the crowd, he sat back at the piano to revisit Cohen with the highly emotional classic Hallelujah. Reminding us of his many connections to Australia, Rufus finished the evening with the French lyric version of La complainte de la butte, a Jean Renoir cover, which he recorded for the Australian made film Moulin Rouge. While his silver sideburns indicate a passing of time and a life well lived, Wainwright’s voice remains one of the most unique and striking in contemporary music. Everyone should witness a Rufus Wainwright performance at least once in their lifetime.
