Named after the goddess of light in Latvian mythology, AUSTRA were back in London for the first time since 2017.
The vehicle of Katie Stelmanis, the Canadian is now a veteran of six AUSTRA albums including the 2023 ballet commission ‘Swan Song’. Blessed with an outstanding operatic voice that conveys heartbreak yet is able soothe broken hearts, despite an enigmatic persona often perceived as “icy”, she has now revealed a playfulness not seen before with her most recent album ‘Chin Up Buttercup’, a cathartic recording capturing the aftermath of a relationship break-up.
With Kieran Adams co-producing, Stelmanis’ new studio partner introduced her to the often misunderstood melodramatics and escapism of Eurodance. Meanwhile Stelmanis also found solace in Madonna’s 1998 album ‘Ray of Light’ which was produced by William Orbit. The end result became a set of hypnotic dancefloor-friendly arias that offered glimmers of hope and optimism.
Opening for AUSTRA on this tour of the British Isles was fellow Canadian Tess Roby; releasing her debut album ‘Beacon’ in 2018 on Italians Do It Better, her second ‘Ideas Of Space’ came out on her own SSURROUNDSS imprint. Her danceable dreampop side project DAWN TO DAWN in collaboration with IDM duo THE BEAT ESCAPE drew much acclaim, as did her photography. Roby had teased photos on her socials of her working with the huge TONTO customised modular system now located at Canada’s National Music Centre in Calgary and is due to release her third album later this year.
Performing mostly new material, while her songs still retain a forlorn contralto introspection, what has been added to template are busy hypnotic electronic rhythms, as exemplified by the excellent opening number ‘Dream Q’. ‘Up 2 Me’ and the title song from ‘Ideas of Space’ provided points of familiarity to those who may have already been aware of her previous work, but another new track ‘High’ affirmed that what she previewed from her new record is sounding really good.
Utilising a streamlined band compared with past tours, drummer Germaine Png and bassist Charise Aragoza complimented the dynamic backing tracks showcasing the new dancier AUSTRA sound while allowing Stelmanis to take centre stage. Opening with the emotive ‘Siren Song’, the superb ‘Math Equation’ with its syncopated ‘Can’t Get You Out Of My Head’ drive set the scene that this was to be a joyous evening with minimal wallowing. ‘Amnesia’ continued the Europop bounce while the avant operatic ‘Think Twice’ was lightened with hearty bursts of “oh whoops!”
Stelmanis is certainly more comfortable fronting a band than she had been in 2014 when she would often turn away from the audience to play keyboards but tonight, there were only occasional forays to enable her to face the crowd. While the set focussed on ‘Chin Up Buttercup’ with the ‘Hirudin’ album notable for its absence, ‘Utopia’ and ‘I Love You More Than You Love Yourself’ passionately revisited 2017’s ‘Future Politics’ album,
‘Blindsided’ began a section that offered respite from the dance along with the ivory-dominant Baroque of ‘Home’ from 2014’s ‘Olympia’, but it was 2010’s debut single ‘Beat & The Pulse’ that drew the first big cheers with the trio providing a suitably powerful rendition. With its melodic and uplifting atmospherics, ‘Fallen Cloud’ returned things to clubbier vibes while ‘The Hopefulness of Dawn’ pushed proceedings into happy hardcore rave. So it was fitting that a COMMUNARDS-inspired restyling of ‘Lose It’ was the perfect tonic to conclude the main set.
With that in mind, the three song encore was comparatively disappointing with one of AUSTRA’s best songs ‘Spellwork’ still not quite coming off live, a situation that afflicted the shows in 2014. But this did not detract from what was an excellent concert this was, with its moods of euphoria demonstrating that AUSTRA are now in the main, a compelling live act.
With thanks to Aoife Kitt at Domino Recordings
AUSTRA ‘Chin Up Buttercup’ is released by Domino Recordings, available on vinyl, CD and digitally
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Tess Roby’s albums ‘Ideas Of Space’ and ‘Beacon’ are available on vinyl, CD and digitally from https://tessroby.bandcamp.com/music
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Text and Photos by Chi Ming Lai
30th March 2026
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