Review: Catherine Tracios at The Ambassador Bar
Catherine Tracios In The Heart of the Night album launch at The Ambassador Bar
Friday, June 12, 2026
Accomplished Australian singer-songwriter Catherine Traicos has been a name around town for many years. A firmly established talent with an impressive and expansive back catalogue, she has spent a good part of the last 20 years recording and releasing albums around Australia, in the various cities she’s lived in, while travelling to far-flung places like Nashville and occasionally making rare live appearances. Currently she’s back residing in her hometown of Perth and has blessed us with another show.
A multi-talented creative, singer-songwriter, guitarist, pianist, producer and visual artist, Traicos has been deeply immersed in the creative process for years, exploring many facets, digging for inspiration and chasing the muse.
A chameleonic chanteuse, her music has evolved and moved through various sounds and styles, each album a new creative project and concept for her to delve into and explore, bold and fearless. Across her career, she has spanned sounds and influences from indie, rock and brooding goth-tinged ballads to folk, country, jazz and classical, but always with a sound that was distinctly her own.
Traicos was celebrating the release of her 11th album, In The Heart of the Night, which is divided into two 20+ minute halves/tracks, Scene 1 and Scene 2. Seeing Traicos in piano-based mode, it’s a freeform, flowing, improvised work that ebbs and flows: it’s atmospheric, cinematic music and another ambitious project. However, it’s more of a slow-burning, quiet, contemplative long-form listening experience without distinct tracks, so it doesn’t lend itself as well to a live concert. So, as well as playing some excerpts from the new album, most of tonight’s show featured songs from her wonderful, acclaimed last album from 2024, Swansongs, which was also an emotive piano-based affair, up there with her finest work to date.
The Ambassador Bar, a jazz and cocktail lounge on Aberdeen St, is a wonderful little oasis in the heart of Northbridge that feels miles away. With an authentic vibe, the small table setup was the perfect setting for Traicos’ more stripped-back piano-led musical stylings.
But before she stepped up, the young, honey-voiced local singer-songwriter Trinity performed a short but sweet, intimate solo set that felt nothing but from the heart. She did a great job captivating the crowd and silencing them with her impressive voice as she gently strummed her guitar with delicate acoustic finger-picking.
There were some beautiful melodic instrumental parts, some awkward yet charming banter and even a Hank Williams cover.
After a short break, Catherine Traicos took the stage, looking resplendent in an emerald gown and tiara, and sat down at the house piano. She was joined on the night by John Bannister on trumpet (and occasional flugelhorn). They started gently with an elegant, instrumental intro featuring some beautiful, sparse piano and softly muted trumpet. The crowd were entranced and respectfully quiet, adding to the atmosphere in the room.
Her unique music and voice have a certain vulnerability and fragility to them, but also strength and emotion. It’s distinctly original, but at times reminiscent of other classic Australian artists like Sarah Blasko and even Tim Minchin.
The looping keyboard of By Your Eyes from Swansongs lulled us into a trance before another track from the album, O Darling Don’t Be That Way, lifted things up a bit, with more of an energetic refrain and soaring vocals.
Bannister’s trumpet really added another dimension to the songs. It’s a fine collaboration, with his subtle, understated playing lifting the tunes.
The final song on Swansongs, Shadow Love, was a strong ending to Part 1 of the set. After a bit of a short break and time to grab another delicious cocktail from the bar, it was time for the second half of the performance.
Another excerpt from Scene 2 of the new album built to a crescendo with the upbeat refrain “Don’t tell anyone” countering the earlier soft but insistently repeated phrase “I hate you, I hate you, I hate you” over sparse piano tinkling.
It’s quite a different sound and style of performance for her, with the simple, minimal piano pieces accompanied by just the mournful, muffled trumpet. Whatever approach she takes, guitar or piano, solo or big band, Traicos has an uncanny knack of balancing the light and dark in her music, juxtaposing themes and moods that are at times melancholy yet joyous and uplifting in a way that some artists, like Nick Cave, have mastered.
Two more highlights from Swansongs followed, performed solo, with the cyclic chord progression of And You Want To Run To Me and the gorgeous, swirling melody of A Simple Thought, which reaches the conclusion, “We’re better off in each other’s arms.”
She brought Bannister back up for the finale, In The Heart Of The Night I Was Aching For You, which she explained was the title track of the new album but didn’t end up making the cut!
A sublime performance from one of our most underrated talents, and another intriguing chapter in the evolution of Catherine Traicos.
ALFRED GORMAN
Photos by Alfred Gorman
