Review: CMAT at Astor Theatre

CMAT at Astor Theatre
w/ Holiday Sidewinder
Tuesday, January 20, 2026

Proclaimed by The Guardian as “pop’s gobbiest, gaudiest star”, CMAT (Ciera Mary-Alice Thompson) is a rising star in every sense of the word—debuting her first album at number one in her home country of Ireland in 2022 and following that up in 2023 with another number one for her sophomore entry. Continuing on, 2025’s EURO-COUNTRY produced not one but two viral songs and a TikTok dance called the ‘Woke Macarena’. If that’s not the benchmark for modern superstardom, what is?

But CMAT’s music moves far beyond trend or 30-second soundbite into heartfelt anthems and timeless country-pop that had a Tuesday night audience in Perth (after a 40-degree day, mind you) as energetic as “the 4am Saturday night crowd”, as CMAT herself pointed out. “It’s unheard of.”

Support act Holiday Sidewinder brought the energy from the get-go, donning a zebra-print bikini with matching booty shorts, the stage décor behind her an LED palm tree. The performance was the first in Perth for the Australian, and she held her own with a cohesive set that perfectly summarised her synth-pop sound for newcomers, including her latest release, Unrelateable. Vintage surf rock sounds blended with indie pop and 80s-inspired synth to keep the audience satisfied, despite the slight anticipatory energy of the entire crowd. It was clear we were waiting for the main event.

CMAT certainly lived up to her reputation with her dramatic entrance, the lights going down at nine sharp, with the audience surprised with an opening song from the Astor Theatre’s balcony, to the delight of the pit and the dismay of the stalls. Janis Joplining, a moody slow-burn and the closer to EURO-COUNTRY, closed with the repeated plea to “stick with me for the night”—and that was exactly what the audience did.

From the first moment, Thompson had the audience on a string. Perfectly paced, the anticipation of her return to the stage was broken by fan favourite The Jamie Oliver Petrol Station. There was no request by Thompson or her band, dressed in an array of cowboy hats, mesh singlets, and red neckties, for the audience to chime in—they simply followed.

It was made abundantly clear for anyone that hadn’t seen her live before that Thompson was not only formidable as a vocalist but also as a performer. Thompson soared across her recorded catalogue with ease, blending a theatrical Kate Bush with a supported and powerful Adele, but it was her passion that saw the crowd hanging off her every word. Jumping, headbanging and operatic wails were all part of Thompson’s repertoire, setting the tone for what, in her words, “might be the worst show we ever do, or it might be the best,” referencing the exhaustion of the 30 hours of travel leading up to the gig. “Either way it’s gonna be a silly one.”

Moving through considerably subdued tracks like I Don’t Really Care For You, 2 Wrecked 2 Care, and Aw, Shoot!, the infectious hooks were only overwhelmed by the cohesion of the band and their commitment. Tight harmonies, expertly placed drum fills, and coordinated dance features proved that the “very sexy CMAT band” didn’t just come to play. The country-pop and folksy blend that characterises CMAT’s sound was curated to perfection with fiddle and steel guitar pieces, with When A Good Man Cries serving as the pinnacle of country revival, its characteristic 1-4-5 inspiring a groove that absolutely could have turned into a line dance.

During this more mellow string of songs, Thompson spied the bar and requested a “frosty pint” be brought to the stage, which she subsequently downed, much to the delight of the crowd. Tree Six Foive followed, another country-forward song that kept up the crowd’s energy, with an expertly executed tempo change at the piano-driven bridge with vocals delivered by Thompson splayed flat on the stage floor, drowning us in anticipatory energy before relaunching into the chorus. 

70s-inspired Have Fun!’s rolling piano featured first-rate crowd control, with hands waved above everyone’s heads and theatrical extended solos from the band keeping eyes locked on stage—this effort truly exacerbated the heat of the night, with Thompson asking, “How the fuck do youse live here?”

We paused for a break, chatting about body image, hate comments, and the BBC Big Weekend performance that only fuelled CMAT’s meteoric rise, leading up to one of the night’s most anticipated items, Take A Sexy Picture Of Me. The second single from 2025’s EURO-COUNTRY, an anthem critiquing the scrutinisation of women’s bodies that launched a TikTok dance trend with 190.3k posts, Take A Sexy Picture Of Me perfectly walked the line of technically flawless and emotionally charged. The room came alive with energy, audience members themselves acting out the ‘Woke Macarena’ alongside Thompson, heat entirely ignored.

Slowing down again for Iceberg, a haunting ode to girlhood whose outro encouraged a sway that continued well into Running/Planning, ending again with a repeating refrain, this time elevated into Thompson’s powerful upper register to end the main set on a high.

An encore was all but guaranteed with massive fan favourites and hits missing from the set so far, the crowd launching into an impassioned ‘Olé, Olé, Olé’ chant. CMAT returned to the stage with the smash hit EURO-COUNTRY, where her earlier passion and conviction mounted into something showstopping. The bridge, serving as the most damning indictment throughout EURO-COUNTRY into post-Celtic Tiger Ireland’s economic crash and its consequences, saw CMAT almost brought to the floor with effort, dramatically throwing her mic stand.

Fan favourite I Wanna Be A Cowboy, Baby! from her debut album was prefaced with signature two-step dance instructions for the “fresh meat”; the steps were maintained throughout the entire performance. Merch stand t-shirts emblazoned with the song title were waved like flags, and cowboy hat accessories acted as CMAT fan club badges; the breakout hit was performed record-perfect as Thompson strummed along.

With one song to go, winding down was never an option—Stay For Something was the closer, a regret-laden ballad that climaxes to a tailor-made audience chant in its bridge, showing off Thompson’s soaring vocals. If Have Fun!’s crowd control was first-rate, Stay For Something and the encore were a masterclass.

Thompson descended from the stage, willing a pathway purely with her presence, performing the outro within the crowd, again exercising her pinpoint control of her audience—summing up the entire performance. The crowd’s final line being a powerful, “hope you find what you’re looking for,” Perth audiences certainly did.

The performance encompassed everything you want out of a live performance—tight synchronicity balanced with personality and spontaneity, and an overall good time that leaves you exhausted after singing and dancing your heart out. Casual fans were converted, and die-hards were treated to a flawless performance, given it was all by a band that travelled halfway across the world and met with 40-degree heat. An achievement within itself that the entire band and crew should be proud of.

ABBY GREER

Photos by @alexveephotos @socostudios_