For KING & COUNTRY have been one of my favourite bands in recent years. My brother and I went to see them live at the Sydney Opera House back in 2019, when both myself and Josh, as well as a few friends, saw them live in concert- I ‘reviewed’ that night for the website, while the band has extensively been discussed and covered here on the site as well. Now fast-forward 5 years- give or take (since the Opera House concert experience), and Joel and Luke (the duo who make up the ‘face’ of for KING & COUNTRY) have delivered once again- a stellar live music set experience on May 31st, at the ICC Theatre in the heart of Sydney CBD, dubbed The Homecoming Tour. With the concert only just a few days ago; it’s nevertheless fresh in my mind- dare I say, that the night may be in fact better this time around, compared to 5 years ago. Sure, the venue is not the Opera House, but ICC Theatre is the next best thing…right? From the hours of 6:50pm till just after 10pm; the night was well worth it, and by far one of my favourite concert experiences that I can remember, in recent history and memory.
‘…there’s something unique and different in seeing the band/artist live, as while the songs recorded in studio are great for listening on a personal level, nothing beats the live atmosphere, and everyone else around you singing the exact same lyrics as you, and focusing on singing the words, that you don’t have to worry about how you will act when you’re watching someone live. You can express your enthusiasm and passion in such a setting, and that’s ok, because everyone else would be doing that as well…a chance to see arguably one of the most popular CCM acts at the moment in one of the most iconic Australian monumental landmarks was a definite yes for me. Let’s just say that I was absolutely enthralled by the band, and their set-list, though there were a few glaring omissions, was in fact on the money…’ While this above quote is taken verbatim from my 2019 ‘review’ of the concert 5 years ago, I figured that what I wrote then, still applies to now. Nothing can beat the live experience, and the same can be said about this duo. If anyone is thereby unfamiliar with the band and its history (not sure how anyone can be unfamiliar, considering the fact that this band has been on the radio and its airwaves for more than a decade, and that they themselves (Joel and Luke) are the younger brothers of singer-songwriter/all-round superstar Rebecca St. James), then I’d recommend watching the biopic Unsung Hero (a biographical movie about the history of the Smallbone family, and their trek from Australia to America in the pursuit of dreams and a better life) first, or just go to Spotify and just binge-listen to the band for…as long as you possibly can?
Now that we got that unfamiliarity out of the way, lemme just say that both Joel and Luke brought with them such energy, hope, happiness and a sense of camaraderie and purpose, on the night. While the set list of 5 years ago stood at 19 tracks, here 5 years later, we see the band unveil a whopping 25 tracks in their set-list. While the core of both sets (5 years ago and now) remain the same (songs like ‘Fix My Eyes’, ‘Fine, Fine Life’, ‘It’s Not Over Yet’, ‘Priceless’, ‘Fight On Fighter’, ‘Amen’, ‘Run Wild’, ‘Shoulders’ and ‘joy’, to name a few); there has since been a few omissions (and a whole lot of additions), since the duo last came to grace their presence here in the land Down Under. For whatever reason (time constraints, maybe these songs weren’t as popular over the years), the songs ‘Control’, ‘Never Give Up’, ‘To the Dreamers’, ‘Messengers’ and ‘Without You’ weren’t sung this time around, but with the addition of two extra albums (What Are We Waiting For>? +, and Unsung Hero (The Inspired By Soundtrack)), in the meantime between trips down under for the band, meant that they had more of a plethora of songs to choose from that hadn’t been sung down under in a live setting before…till now of course- songs like ‘Relate’, ‘Love Me Like I Am’, ‘Unsung Hero’, ‘What Are We Waiting For’, ‘She Believes’, ‘For God Is With Us’ and ‘Together’ to name a few; while the band also tried their hand with covering ‘Place in this World’ and ‘You’re the Voice’, originally by Michael W. Smith and John Farnham respectively.
Let me just say that overall, the actual night itself went off without a hitch. My brother and myself arrived to the venue on time (early to be precise, so that we could find the venue and eat beforehand)- and we were glad that we did. With plenty of people lining up already, the concert was indeed sold out. For KING & COUNTRY graced the stage at 7:30pm (prior to that, there was an opening act, where The Voice Australia 2023 winner Tarryn Stokes (whom I was unfamiliar with, until Friday) sung a few songs as the opening act. While I can admire Tarryn’s voice and skills from a technical standpoint, the opening artist overall wasn’t really that appealing, to be honest. Maybe it was because of the fact that Tarryn was wanting to belt out all the notes, which left songs scratchy at times, maybe it was the fact that people were still flooding in; and were walking into the theatre when Tarryn was singing, that I wasn’t fully paying attention. Regardless, the opening artist was ok, but not necessarily extraordinary. The duo on the other hand…let’s just say that it was money well spent- the night was long, the songs were all songs that have been gracing radio waves for years, and to add in a cover of John Farnham and Michael W. Smith for good measure? That’s ice cream with a cherry on top!
‘Joy’ was as rousing as ever, and ‘God Only Knows’ was probably the most emotional song of the night as both Joel and Luke decided to tackle the theme of loneliness and suicide. Personal songs were also present, with ‘Cheering You On’ being a track written by Luke for his children, wanting them to remember life as being a learning experience, teaching them what he believes are things that are must-have life skills; while a song like ‘Burn The Ships’ was a reminder for us all, to keep pressing forward to future moments, possibilities and opportunities, never looking back and pondering the moments of ‘what if’. Vulnerability has always been a strong suit for the band, and much of their songs reflected this on the night. ‘Shoulders’ entered worship territory, while ‘Priceless’ invited us all to place the importance of honour and respect on a woman as we all should. The band even unveiled a shortened version of ‘Busted Heart’, at a moment when there was a call for unity amongst Christians and a longing and cry out to God, wanting Him to hold onto us during our moments of difficulty and pain. There was even a time for the brothers to share from their heart about Compassion International, as well as a promotional advocacy moment for their biopic movie Unsung Hero, as well as a 15 minute interval too.
In a holistic sense, the concert was such a great time for myself and my brother, maybe more people can come to concerts like this, in the future. The messages of hope, encouragement, and perseverance, and throwing a little bit of ‘God’ in there for good measure (not much, but enough for people to think about things beyond themselves), were all prevalent in these songs on the night. There were times where we sat and stood depending on the tempo of the track- the night as a whole was invigorating and poignant. Considering that this concert was the first I had been to in 5 years (and no other concert in between!), it was great to finally be reminded of the power of a live show. And how often at these events, God can show up in the most unexpected of moments. Many times, throughout the show, when either Joel or Luke spoke, the whole auditorium went silent, as if people were on the edge of their seats, waiting for what the message behind such a personal story was. The band themselves have the ability to command the stage with their music, but their bigger stance for respecting women, chivalry, honour, respect, and being men of courage, is something I reckon has been overlooked amongst artists and the entertainment industry. For KING AND COUNTRY are an example that such men do still exist, giving us hope that we ourselves can become men and women that our families, and God Himself can be proud of!
And so to round up this ‘review’, the whole concert experience was great. The set list was a mixture of songs old and new; and for me personally, the sharing about Compassion International went a tad too long. But nit-picks aside, the concert was emotive, impacting and everything that a concert should be. Sure there was plenty of strobe lights, and so people with extreme epilepsy shouldn’t go concerts that have these lights as a means of commanding a stage; all in all, the ICC Theatre experience was one for the memory books. With so much passion, zeal, heart, emotion, enthusiasm, and everything else you can think of if you think of the word “vulnerability”; these brothers from down under have worn their heart on their sleeves with this concert, delivering an overarching theme that can be universally applied, regardless of your beliefs. This is a band to remember and champion, as these brothers are as much needed in the CCM industry as they are needed (and hopefully welcomed) in the mainstream. Well done Joel and Luke for a fantastic night! I wonder what my next live artist experience will be. I guess only time will tell!
Song Setlist:
PART 1:
- Relate
- Fix My Eyes
- Fight On Fighter
- Run Wild
- Fine, Fine Life
- Love Me Like I Am
- Priceless
- Pioneers
- Discussion About The Movie
- Unsung Hero
- Burn the Ships
- Together
- Talking About Compassion International
[Intermission]
PART 2:
- Amen
- What Are We Waiting For?
- It’s Not Over Yet
- Place in this World
- She Believes
- Shoulders
- Cheering You On
- For God is With Us
- Proof of Your Love (Monologue Mix)
- Busted Heart (Chorus)
- God Only Knows
- Joy
- You’re The Voice (Encore)
- Little Drummer Boy (Encore)
Score: 5/5
RIYL: Coldplay, Moriah Peters, Audio Adrenaline, Casting Crowns, U2, Tenth Avenue North