Review: Greg Phillips. Photos: David Harris Photography
Thankfully another of the headline acts from the failed Bluesfest 2026 made it to Melbourne this week and music fans showed their appreciation by packing every inch of the venue. For Atlanta’s favourite sons, The Black Crowes, the Forum gig was their first workout for 2026, returning to the touring circuit with a sweat-soaked, swaggering show to a rock-hungry crowd. On Thursday night the band delivered a set that balanced grit, nostalgia and just enough new blood to keep things unpredictable.
First up however were WA’s finest, the Southern River Band, who used every moment of their short half hour set to represent what modern day Australian rock ’n’ roll sounds like. As always, frontman Cal Kramer held court, possibly cutting back on his usual extended, playful banter to allow as many tunes into the set as possible.
The punctual Black Crowes hit the stage close to the advertised starting time of 9pm. Opening with the brooding, slow-burn of “Profane Prophecy,” from their new album A Pound of Feathers, this was the debut live performance of the song. The Crowes wasted no time settling into a groove that felt both loose and locked in. Unfortunately, the band suffered from a poor front of house sound early that did improve but never made it to optimum resonance. New recruit Mark “Muddy” Dutton (of Burning Tree) slotted in seamlessly on bass, adding muscle to a rhythm section that powered through a set heavy on vintage Crowes gold.
Rather than overloading the audience with fresh material, the band showed restraint, airing just a couple of new cuts including “Pharmacy Chronicles,” while leaning into the catalogue that built their reputation. Early punches like “Sting Me” and “Thick n’ Thin” set the tone, before the familiar triple threat of Shake Your Money Maker staples, “Twice as Hard,” “She Talks to Angels” and “Jealous Again” drew some of the loudest responses of the night.
There was also a welcome sense of occasion. “Movin’ On Down the Line” resurfaced for the first time in over a decade, its ragged groove slotting neatly among more celebrated material, while deeper cuts like “My Morning Song” (including a stab at the “giant bag of shit” that’s currently running his country) and “Wiser Time” stretched out into expansive, jam-heavy territory. Although, once again the quality of sound coming out of the PA made it difficult to fully appreciate the nuances of these talented musicians. Throughout it all, guitarist Rich Robinson remained the band’s sonic architect, his instinctive playing style as idiosyncratic as ever. Robinson’s solo on “Sometimes Salvation“ was sublime.
Frontman Chris Robinson was in commanding form, equal parts preacher and ringmaster, guiding the band through soulful turns like “Soul Singing” and “Thorn in My Pride” before lifting the energy again with a vibrant take on Otis Redding’s “Hard to Handle.” That rock ’n’ roll voice has lost none of its venom.
By the time they tore into “Remedy,” the Forum felt fully converted. But the biggest surprise was still to come. Returning for the encore, the band dusted off Faces’ “Three Button Hand Me Down”, a song they hadn’t touched since 1990 and turned it into a loose, rollicking finale that perfectly captured the spirit of the night.
SET LIST Thursday April 2, 2026
Profane ProphecySting Me
Thick n’ Thin
Twice as Hard
Movin’ On Down the Line
Pharmacy Chronicles
My Morning Song
Soul Singing
She Talks to Angels
Bedside Manners
Wiser Time
Hard to Handle
(Otis Redding cover)
Sometimes Salvation
Thorn in My Pride
Jealous Again
Remedy
Encore:
Three Button Hand Me Down
