Paul Kelly Shares New Single ‘The Body Keeps The Score’

‘The Body Keeps The Score’ is the second single taken from Paul Kelly’s upcoming 30th studio album, Seventy.

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‘The Body Keeps The Score’ is the latest taste of legendary Australian songwriter Paul Kelly’s upcoming 30th album, Seventy, which arrives Friday 7 November via EMI (pre-order here).

Following on from the success of the album’s first single, ‘Rita Wrote A Letter’, the long-awaited sequel to the beloved Australian classic ‘How To Make Gravy’, Kelly’s new track is a contemplative guitar ballad exploring the hidden traumas we all deal with.

Kelly recruited acclaimed Australian musician and APRA Song of the Year 2018 winner Bill Miller to co-write and provide harmonies on ‘The Body Keeps The Score’.

“On a road trip, years ago, from Mullumbimby to Melbourne, I listened to the audiobook The Body Keeps The Score by Bessel van der Kolk,” Kelly explains. “It's an investigation into the complex effects of trauma, how it can become buried in our bodies. How it can surface unexpectedly and cause harm not only to the person who experienced the trauma but to those who love them. I carried the title with me ever since that drive until one day last year at Bill Miller's place, playing around with a tune, the words started to come out.”

Seventy takes inspiration from a wide range of sources, including Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales, Boccaccio's Decameron, W.B. Yeats, The Lord Of The Rings and the French Resistance, and features Kelly’s long-time band.

“Looking back on what we've done with these songs, it's really a band record,” Kelly reflects. “Peter Luscombe has been with me for more than 30 years, Bill McDonald and Dan Kelly for 20. Even the newbies Cameron Bruce and Ash Naylor have been with me since 2007.”

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Kelly has also been announced as the headline act performing at the next all-Australian edition of the Red Hot Summer Tour.

He’ll be joined by Missy Higgins, The Cruel Sea, The Cat Empire, Kasey Chambers and Jess Hitchcock.

“The band and I have many great memories from our last Red Hot Summer Tour. We’re looking forward to making some new ones!” says Kelly.

The Red Hot Summer Tour 2026 takes place from January to March and begins on Saturday 17 January at Warrnambool Racecourse in Warrnambool.

The festival then takes over Speers Point Park in Lake Macquarie (Saturday 24 January), Westport Park in Port Macquarie (Saturday 31 January), Broadwater Parklands in Southport (Sunday 1 February), Werribee Park in Werribee South (Sunday 8 February), Berry Showground in Berry (Saturday 14 February), Bella Vista Farm in Bella Vista (Sunday 15 February) and Gateway Lakes in Wodonga (Saturday 28 February).

The final three dates are Launceston Country Club in Launceston (Sunday 8 March), Bendigo Racecourse in Bendigo (Saturday 14 March) and Kent Reserve in Victor Harbor on Saturday 21 March.

The Red Hot Summer Tour pre-sale begins on Wednesday 24 September from 9am – 11:59pm AEST. General public on-sale commences on Thursday 25 September at 9am AEST. For full ticketing details, visit redhotsummertour.com.au.

‘The Body Keeps The Score’ by Paul Kelly is out now. Seventy is available Friday, 7 November via EMI (pre-order here). The Red Hot Summer Tour 2026 takes place at Kent Reserve in Victor Harbor on Saturday 21 March. For ticketing information, visit redhotsummertour.com.au.

Red Hot Summer Tour 2026 Lineup and Dates

Lineup

Paul Kelly, Missy Higgins, The Cruel Sea, The Cat Empire, Kasey Chambers and Jess Hitchcock

Dates

Saturday 17 January – Warrnambool Racecourse, Warrnambool, VIC

Saturday 24 January – Speers Point Park, Lake Macquarie, NSW

Saturday 31 January – Westport Park, Port Macquarie, NSW

Sunday 1 February – Broadwater Parklands, Southport, QLD

Sunday 8 February – Werribee Park, Werribee South, VIC

Saturday 14 February – Berry Showground, Berry, NSW

Sunday 15 February – Bella Vista Farm, Bella Vista, NSW

Saturday 28 February – Gateway Lakes, Wodonga, VIC

Sunday 8 March – Launceston Country Club, Launceston, TAS

Saturday 14 March – Bendigo Racecourse, Bendigo, VIC

Saturday 21 March – Kent Reserve, Victor Harbor, SA

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