Live Review: Bachelor Girl @ The Gov 28/08/26

What might seem a blast from the past band to many readers, Bachelor Girl graced The Gov's hallowed stage on Friday night.

The duo of Tania Doko and James Roche have revived their career by reinventing their old material for a new album: Waiting For The Day: Artist Sessions. The record presents a new take on some of their hits from their two albums with collaborations from some of Australia's greatest vocalists and musicians, including Delta Goodrem, Jon Stevens and many more.

The inside of The Gov was a wash with seats, a very different feel to the normal "standing room only" fare. It gave the feel that this crowd needed to rest their feet for the show. Finding our seats, we waited as a soundtrack of Australian hits from Missy Higgins, Swoop and James Reyne played through the in-house speakers.

The support for the Adelaide show was local singer-songwriter Simela Petridis. After gaining the public's attention on Australian Idol, Petridis was nervously excited to play some originals and covers for the ever-growing crowd. As much as the covers like Natasha Bedingfield's 'Unwritten' and Dolly Parton's cover of 'Jolene' were the foundation of her set, it was the originals that shone through. Her tongue-in-cheek thoughts about motherhood were the main focus of her songwriting, while there was one song she sang in Greek that had some next to me in tears of joy. Now we wait for an album of originals to see Petridis tour again.

With two keyboards at the ready and Cam McGlinchey behind the drums, it was time for Bachelor Girl to strut their stuff. Roche and guest band member Janine Maunder arrived before Doko, who was sporting a Don Johnson-esque white suit, sprinted on stage to start the set with 'Don’t Hold Back'.

This setup allowed Doko to be free to move around the stage whilst the band created an all-encompassing soundscape, particularly during 'Mad About You'. Maunder's backing vocals for Doko were a standout of the night. A kindred spirit in the sense of the show. She became the stand-in for the special guests on the new album.

"You know, it's throwing a birthday party, but you're not sure if anyone will come," Doko joked about the new release, with guests like Jessica Mauboy very keen to join the tracklisting. On the album, Mauboy features on 'Treat Me Good', which, without actually hearing it, I could definitely sense how it would work.

The reinterpretations of Bachelor Girl's hits took on a downtempo/acid jazz feel reminiscent of the early 2000s music scene. But it was the simply done 'Waiting For The Day' with only Roche and Doko on stage that was the highlight. There was almost complete silence from the crowd during the song. You could hear a pin drop.

Doko and Roche took turns introducing songs and regaling with stories of their creation. "Cheaper therapy… pop therapy," Doko called it. She removed her jacket and launched into 'This Must Be Love (Like It Or Not)', giving her absolute all for the crowd. Whilst some of the seated crowd rose to their feet during the latter part of the set, it was 'Buses And Trains' that had everyone involved. Singing along with the band, clapping, living the moment with everyone in that room.

'I Don’t Believe You’ was the last song of the set; everyone still upstanding and waiting only a few moments for the encore. Doko was sporting some of her own merch with a bright orange shirt emblazoned with "LUCKY ME". The encore started with a medley: 'You Are Afraid', 'Gotta Let You Go' and finishing in style with 'Permission To Shine'.  But of course, no Bachelor Girl gig would be complete without their signature song 'Lucky Me'. We belted out "Well, I've got my Tamagotchi/And I've got my wristwatch wrong" as only the millennials could, bathing in the nostalgia of the lyrics.

Coming up to almost 30 years since the release of the debut single 'Buses And Trains', it seemed that Roche and Doko as Bachelor Girl don't want to slow down. The energy surpassed some bands junior to them and showed how much joy and excitement Bachelor Girl gets from playing these classics live. Fingers crossed for an album of brand new material soon.