There are bands that endure, and then there are bands like The Waterboys, who carry on creating, never tire and never get complacent. The Waterboys are a law unto themselves – restless musical travelers who have spent decades shape-shifting through folk, rock, soul, Celtic mysticism, literary storytelling , poetry and ragged rhythm and blues without ever losing their identity. Their history is long, diverse and gloriously unpredictable, which made the opening night of their Australian tour in Perth feel even more special. Tonight though, there was no ambiguity about the territory being explored and not a hint that we were here for anything other than to hear new music along with the old. This was rock and roll territory tonight – loud, electric, cinematic and utterly alive.
At the centre of it all stood Mike Scott, commanding the stage with an easy charm, dry wit and the relaxed confidence of someone who has long since stopped needing to prove anything to anyone. Yet for all Scott’s charisma, it was the band itself that sounded so essential, so complete. Guitar, bass, drums and multiple keyboards somehow locked together into something that felt huge but never cluttered. There was a patina of grit, dirt and authenticity to the performance that simply cannot be manufactured. This was a real band in every sense — musicians listening, reacting and lifting each other in the moment.
Some shows are great. Some edge close to perfection. This was one of the latter. From the opening moments I was transfixed.
After a wonderfully playful set of solo material by Ella Hooper, the main act wasted no time igniting the room. The politically charged ‘Don’t Even Have to Say His Name’ proved a bold and inspired opener — a snarling rocker that hit instantly, even if some in the audience were perhaps still catching up with the weight of its message. Written by Scott as a furious commentary on the current political climate in the United States, the song carries real bite. It was a statement of intent and it roared from the stage with absolute conviction. For me, the perfect opener.
From there, the set flowed into classics like Dylan’s ‘Knocking on Heaven’s Door’ and the universally adored ‘Fisherman’s Blues’, the latter greeted by a crowd already standing for the Dylan classic, singing and already fully invested. Yet what made the evening so compelling was that this was never simply a greatest hits revue. Scott made that clear midway through the set with a grin: “We’re not just here to play those songs — we’re here to play our new stuff too.”
Thankfully, the newer material from ‘Life, Death and Dennis Hopper’ stood beautifully beside the classics.
The middle stretch of the show diving deep into the new album was magnificent — cinematic, rhythmic, strange and immersive. ‘The Tourist’ played like a miniature film unfolding in real time, all rhythm and blues garage rock swagger wrapped around sharp observational lyrics. ‘Transcendental Peruvian Blues’ referencing Hopper’s final film project in Peru carried a psychedelic edge, full of atmosphere and hazy tension.
This is what makes The Waterboys such a fascinating live proposition after all these years. They are not merely playing songs. They are painting pictures.
The arrangements throughout the night were extraordinary. Songs expanded and breathed. Long breakdowns turned hypnotic. Gospel textures emerged from the keyboards before exploding into crescendos that genuinely stirred the soul. During ‘The Pan Within’ and the towering ‘The Whole of the Moon’, and especially ‘This is the Sea’ the interplay between the musicians reached breathtaking heights.
At one point Scott admitted he had caught a cold on the flight over, but if his voice was compromised it certainly didn’t show. If anything, there was an added frantic intensity to moments like “I don’t know how I made it but I’m still here,” delivered with a cracked honesty that made the lyric land even harder.
And then there was the humour.
Scott veered from discussing Dennis Hopper taking up golf — apparently after lessons from Willie Nelson at his Texas ranch, to launching into an extended story about seeing a Dan Armstrong plexiglass guitar as a kid and not being able to afford it ($300 was a lot when you only had $19). “Shut the fuck up, I’m telling a story,” he laughed at one point, mock-scolding a rather talkative member of the crowd before recounting how he eventually found the guitars years later on eBay for thousands of dollars and promptly bought two.
The audience loved every second of it.
Musically, the band were astonishing throughout. The dual and at times triple keyboard attack created wave after wave of texture, with James and Paul especially dazzling during extended duelling passages. Mike Scott would repeatedly sprint across the stage to join in on shared keyboard lines, turning songs into dramatic musical conversations. Bass and drums locked into deep grooves while guitars alternated between ragged garage-rock bite and soaring emotional release.
This is a very electric band in 2026.
The lengthy encore only reinforced it. Loud, passionate and gloriously unhurried, the musicians stretched songs into sprawling celebrations full of piano runs, keytar flourishes, guitar solos and thunderous rhythmic breakdowns. A touching dedication to a school friend named Frank preceded a beautiful performance of ‘The Whole of the Moon’, with Paul seated quietly at the piano while the room collectively held its breath.
By the time the final notes rang out and Scott thanked Perth warmly, the crowd knew they had witnessed something genuinely special.
This was not nostalgia.
This was a band still creating, still searching, still pushing forward and still utterly consumed by the joy and power of live music. After decades together and countless reinventions, The Waterboys somehow still sound hungry.
And on this opening night in Australia, they sounded magnificent. Perth gets a second sold out show tomorrow before the sellouts continue around the country thereafter.
If there are tickets left in your city , grab one – this show is unmissable…
If you liked that check out our interview with Mike ahead of the tour HERE
