Review: KT Tunstall @ The Gov 27/05/26
Scottish singer-songwriter KT Tunstall returned to Australian shores to party “like it’s 2004”, leaving a lasting impression on The Gov crowd.
Words Brad Pine // Images Mitchell Jarett
KT Tunstall w/Germein Sisters @ The Gov 27/05/26
There were two moments in the mid-2000s that would shape KT Tunstall’s career. One was appearing on Later… With Jools Holland in 2004, with just a guitar and a loop machine. Next was the inclusion of ‘Suddenly I See’ in the opening credits to the 2006 hit film The Devil Wears Prada. Now here we are, twenty or so years on, with the Eye To The Telescope tour hitting Australia to celebrate the impact of those early moments and the legacy the album had on our lives.
After grabbing a drink from the very friendly Tom at the bar, we settled into our spot for the night. The crowd grew gradually in the lead-up to the support act. Many members of the crowd donned new merch and got their own prime position for the night.
In no time at all, the Germein Sisters were ready to kick the night off in fine style, both musically and with their shimmering attire. Georgia, Ella, and Clara were perfectly in sync from the outset. The harmonic siblings were overjoyed to perform the last date of the Australian tour in their hometown, even amping up their normal acoustic set for the occasion.
Their pop-rock melodies fit nicely with what was to come from Tunstall and her band. With a new album on the way, the Germein Sisters treated us to one of the tracks from the record, ‘It’s A Shame’, which was well received by the home crowd. At the end of their set, they had relatives help them remove their gear from the stage, which just added to the family aspect of the trio.
Before the main act, a gold sparkle bass caught my eye. Not only were the Germein Sisters glittering, but also Tunstall’s bassist, Joel Gottschalk. The band arrived with Tunstall asking us to “party like it’s 2004”, which we were more than happy to do.
As the set comprised Tunstall’s debut album Eye To The Telescope in its entirety, there were no real surprises throughout. The opener, ‘Other Side Of The World’, had the audience singing along from the get-go. During ‘Another Place To Fall,’ Tunstall, Gottschalk, drummer Jackie Barnes and guitarist Kathleen Halloran were in full voice. Tunstall mentioned how coordinated the band were from the outset, and it was unmistakable in that moment.
Tunstall took a quick survey of the number of Scots in the audience, and there were many. “It’s the same air here,” she quipped, professing her love for Australia’s weather. Speaking of which, the next song was ‘Under The Weather’, and the irony was not lost on Tunstall.
Following the track list of the album, softer moments like ‘Silent Sea’ showed how each song on the record hits differently. Tunstall, with a focus on cosmic forces (maybe because Professor Brian Cox was across the road), reminisced about the “wonder in all of it” and put forth the notion that tonight’s audience was like a fingerprint; no other gig will have this exact crowd. “It’s a one-off in the history of the world,” she explained. This context added another layer to ‘Universe & U’, bringing us all just that closer together.
“Everyone knows exactly what’s going to happen.”
It was time for that song. The one that featured in The Devil Wears Prada but was strangely absent from the soundtrack. Even though ‘Suddenly I See’ usually closed the set, Tunstall still delivered like it was the last song. She led us in a backing vocal-off – the Standers versus the Sitters. Both teams used all of their vocal power to pull off a great sing-along.
After the tear-inducing ‘Heal Over,’ the next track was introduced by Tunstall with a little backstory about performing on Jools Holland and how the song got to number one on the VH1 Country chart. But it turned out Tunstall was introducing the wrong song. Instead of ‘Black Horse And The Cherry Tree’, she performed ‘Through The Dark’ before circling back to “Black Horse”, which included an interpolation of Jimmy Barnes’ ‘Ride The Night Away’. The track brought an end to the set and received the largest reaction of the night.
“Forget the bullshit and get on with the music.”
We were to skip the formalities of the standard encore routine and go straight to the other songs not on the album. Tunstall shared another story, this time about Dave Grohl shouting out how “fuckin’ awesome” ‘Little Favours’ was. No better admiration than that. But in a genuine moment, it was Tunstall giving Halloran the spotlight again, this time to share one of her songs from her debut album. The band all came to the front with Halloran on vocals for ‘Wolves Like You.’
‘Look At Me Now’, a song Tunstall wrote as a sequel to her biggest hit ‘Suddenly I See’, was lapped up by the crowd – a real rock number with nods to the original song she contributed to The Devil Wears Prada. The band kept the good vibes going with ‘Canyons’ and finished with ‘Push The Knot Away.’ Instructor Tunstall got us into the mindset of ‘90s raving with a simple move called “The Bounce”. We did as we were told and loved every minute of it.
All in attendance were not just there for one or two songs. We were there for every moment. KT Tunstall’s Eye To The Telescope will always be her legacy. It pinpoints an era of British music that holds a dear place in my heart. Tunstall said she will see us soon – I know everyone tonight will be there again.
Want more pics of the gig? Check out our full photo gallery here.
