Audrey Hobert
Enmore Theatre, Sydney, NSW
Tuesday, May 12th
When Audrey Hobert watched STEVE! (martin) a documentary in 2 pieces in 2024, the NYC-bred singer-songwriter was struck by the fact that the life of comedian, actor and banjo player Steve Martin only really fell into place once he started to truly be himself on stage.
It’s a lesson she’s clearly taken to heart, with her 2025 debut album Who’s the Clown? packed with songs notable for their authenticity and idiosyncratic detail. In a music landscape full of generic pop stars pushing platitudes, it’s refreshing to hear someone sing something as bold as “I think I’ve got a fucked-up face” (on the Friends-inspired “Phoebe”) and detail the shame that comes from taking selfies to attract someone who’s not even into you (“Thirst Trap”).
Hobert’s songs are also often very funny, and there’s a strong sense she doesn’t take herself — or being a pop star — particularly seriously. This becomes apparent when she appears on stage on stilts wearing a giant overcoat and novelty glasses with a fake nose, the comedic outfit and the banjo she plays on opener “I like to touch people” seemingly a sly nod to Martin.
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The theatrically becomes a hallmark of the performance, with lots of odd, tongue-in-cheek dramatic flourishes: Hobert miming having a smoke and intermittently bouncing on a mini-trampoline throughout the set; indulging in a stream-of-conscious ramble during “Wet Hair” that includes a bit about being around douchebag guys rating girls who give Hobert a “three”; and a Movie Trailer Guy voiceover booming between songs, “She never thought she’d make it… she used to get bullied at school.”
It’s a strange but charming tour of the kookiest corners of Hobert’s brain, which is where she also draws her most entertaining lyrics from (it’s no surprise to learn that Hobert previously worked as a TV sitcom writer). Whether it’s rating a hapless Uber driver “five stars” after drunkenly rambling at them (“Sex and the city”) or admitting that “When I’m drunk at the club, I wanna be felt up” (the synth-led banger “Shooting star”), Hobert draws us directly into her weird and wonderful world, where she makes being a frequently messy loser in love sound like it could be most fun in the world.
Therein lies Hobert’s greatest strength: the ability to make insecurity and awkwardness seem like a superpower rather than a shortcoming. It’s this empowering paradigm flip that has drawn a mostly young, mostly female audience this evening. The enthusiastic crowd treats the show like one big cathartic karaoke party, screaming Hobert’s words back at her with defiant, unbridled passion.
This loose, fun performance of all 12 tracks from Who’s the Clown? is brief (“Sue Me”, one of last year’s greatest pop songs, gets played twice), but all 45 minutes are packed with energy, wit, style and hooks galore, guaranteeing that the next time Hobert visits these shores she’ll be playing much bigger venues — perhaps in a much bigger coat while wearing much bigger novelty glasses.
Find out more about Audrey Hobert’s remaining Australian tour dates here.
