Review: Chet Faker at Ice Cream Factory
Chet Faker at Ice Cream Factory
w/ Annie Hamilton
Friday, March 6, 2026
It’s been a while since Melbourne’s Nick Murphy, aka Chet Faker, has done a headline show in Perth. But fresh off the release of his new album, A Love For Strangers, he was back to remind us why we fell in love with him in the first place.
It was 2014 when Chet released his debut album, Built On Glass, on taste-making Sydney label Future Classic; his hit single Talk Is Cheap took the number one spot in the Triple J Hottest 100, and he had two other songs in the top 10. It was a huge year for him, following on from his Lockjaw EP collab with Flume.
In the following years he didn’t manage to recapture that glory or hit those heights, but spent years touring the globe, living in the US, disappearing for a bit, then re-emerging and producing a couple albums under his birth name, before reviving the Chet Faker moniker again for 2021’s Hotel Surrender. He’s now based in Sydney, and his latest album, released a month ago, is a return to form for the melancholic crooner. It’s a more mature, cohesive, downtempo record that feels intimate and deeply personal but features the polished production, beautiful melodies and smooth vocals that are his hallmark.
A big crowd gathered under the big top at the Ice Cream Factory to see how the new material would translate live and also hopefully hear some Chet classics. With his new live band, he put together a solid set that included most of the new album, plus a good portion of fan favourites. It was a slick performance on a hot and humid evening, proving he’s still a force to be reckoned with.
Early on there was a great support set from Sydney’s Annie Hamilton. While her recorded music generally has a well-produced, big, full band sound, tonight she was playing a stripped-back solo set—just her and her electric guitar and some big, black glittery angel wings (or were they bat wings?)—giving a dark, gothic edge. Hamilton is a fashion designer as well, with her own label, and she makes a lot of her own clothes and costumes. The basic set-up allowed her great voice and songs to really shine and had more intimate, emotional depth that is sometimes lost with over-production.
Talk from her 2024 sophomore album Stop and Smell the Lightning, sounded quite different in this minimal solo form sans beats, whereas the lush, delicate sound of From the Hotel Pool I Draw a Line was more similar to the sparse original track. Performing in this manner, with delicate picking of her Fender and plenty of atmospheric reverb, gave her songs a real cool, grungey, lo-fi 90s indie rock vibe. There was the occasional crunch and fuzz of the distortion pedal that lifted some songs, like new single Rosemary and the emotional California Carpark Concrete from her self-titled 2020 EP, that saw her rock out with the power chords.
She finished triumphantly with the epic Fade—her very first release, from 2018. A confident solo performance with attitude and style, Annie captured the attention of the room and would have no doubt gained her some new fans.
Chet Faker is a multi-talented guy, and his live performance centres around him playing various keyboards, synths and guitar in the middle of the stage, flanked by other musicians. He emerged on the dark, smoke-filled stage in a casual jacket and cap with his trademark thick beard and a guitar strapped on, accompanied by a second guitarist and saxophonist. A slow, droning intro led into the beautiful opening track and one of the highlights from the new album, Over You.
“Yo what’s up, Perth? It’s good to be here. I haven’t been here for years,” he greeted the crowd. He didn’t waste much time pulling out some of the big guns, with Drop The Game coming early and providing a huge crowd singalong moment with the “Oh Oh Oh” part. Looking around at the reaction and dancing, it was plain to see the song still resonates. It’s just a great, timeless tune from the 2013 Lockjaw EP with Flume, that captured a particular moment in time, where they were both riding high on the new wave of Australian electronic music—glitchy, downtempo, vocal tunes. It’s a much-loved track in the pantheon of great Australian music— the perfect fusion of their two disparate sounds.
He balanced the new tracks with the old ones well. This Time For Real is another highlight from the new album that translated well live with it’s upbeat sounds, rolling piano and Chet’s falsetto. Before he went back to the old school, and some smooth keyboard sounds introduced the track that put him on the map; his famous cover of Blackstreet’s No Diggity, which still sounds amazing and got a big reaction from the crowd.
His live performances always seem to add an extra element to the recordings, another dimension that intangible magic of a good live performance. Chet knows what he’s doing technically, and knows how to get the sound he wants. He’s a perfectionist in the studio, in control of all aspects of his sound, and he often plays most of the instruments on his albums – guitars, keyboards, bass and drums/beats. A bit like Tame Impala. For his live performances, he works with multi-talented musicians that make his great band adaptable to various configurations. Nick himself moved between keyboards and guitar, while other musicians played guitars, keyboard, drums and sax as required, adding layers of depth to the music.
Remember Me is a beautiful, heartfelt ballad from the new album that he performed sitting at the piano, facing sideways towards the drummer. It’s one of the most deeply personal, moving tracks he’s written, about the sudden tragic passing of his father from a heart attack in 2020. Live, it had even more emotional weight, which you could hear in his voice, as he sang, “I can’t talk to memories, but when I run, I can see.”
1998, another much-loved song, was another welcome inclusion from Built On Glass, with the crowd singing along to its familiar refrain, “We used to be friends, we used to be inner circle.”
The new material fits well alongside his older songs. 1000 Ways is a simple yet elegant new ballad, with an Amen-style breakbeat that lifts it. A heartfelt track that sounded better in its live incarnation.
His voice and live performances were always polished but seem to be getting smoother with age, like a fine whisky. His music isn’t rushed; he takes his time, slowly building and layering intricate textures. Some of the new material may be verging on a more commercial, adult contemporary style, with its sparse, laidback and smooth sound, but his distinct production and vocal style adds a certain depth to it and prevents it from sounding trite or cheesy.
Mixing things up, he played a more banging dance track, as the heavy beat of Birthday Card kicked in—his great 2015 collaboration with London producer and DJ Marcus Marr. It’s a big tune, and Chet got to play rock star, guitar strapped on, grabbing the mic with both hands, and building things up to a huge ending with a wall of nosise and bleeping synths, as he manipulated waves of guitar distortion, bent over in silhouette in the smoke and lights.
He finished on another beautiful piano number from the new album Can You Swim? Chet’s obviously been through some heartbreak in recent times, with some poignant lyrics: “Love is a tidal wave, come crashing down, and I am a passenger, about to drown.” It’s a quiet, tender song, with moments of space and quiet. A song that deserves silence to appreciate the emotional resonance and spaces in-between. Sadly the ambience of the moment was ruined by some dickheads deciding it was a good time to have a loud conversation. It was not. Someone eventually, rightfully frustrated, yelled out, “Shut the fuck up!” This recent phenomenon, which, it has to be said, is often younger people, loudly talking and not respecting artists or the rest of the crowd during quiet interludes and songs that aren’t the big three singles they know and go crazy for, is getting to be quite annoying. You’re ruining the vibes, people! Read the room and STFU!
The other element that unfortunately detracted from the evening was the air-con situation. The indoor stage at the ICF is a cool space, but temperature-wise, it is not cool at all. On hot days with a packed room, the air-con just doesn’t seem to work, and it gets hot and sweaty in the crowd. Some people, particularly shorter ones, found it unbearable and had to move to the back near the open door. This seems to be a regular occurrence and complaint from punters, and when you’re hosting a large concert indoors in the Perth summer, it’s simply unacceptable in this day and age. Especially when there is a magnificent outdoor stage right outside! Sort it out for next year, ICF!!
After the band left the stage following the quiet finale, we hoped Chet wasn’t pissed off by rude chatter, but thankfully he returned for a huge encore that ended the night on a high note with a great performance of Talk Is Cheap before finishing with a rousing rendition of Gold. It was a solid set and a well-rounded performance from one of Australia’s best musical exports of the millennium, who seems to be finding his feet and identity again. Chet is back, and he aint faking.
ALFRED GORMAN
Photos by Linda Dunjey
