Review: Stella Donnelly at The Rechabite

Stella Donnelly at The Rechabite
w/ Ullah, Anna Schneider
Friday, March 6, 2026

Anticipation was high for Friday night’s headline show from Western Australian singer-songwriter Stella Donnelly, coming at the end of a national tour that had featured sell-out shows, her brother Jac joining the support band, and one set cancelled owing to a lost voice. Returning to Perth with her third album Love and Fortune, the prospect of seeing Donnelly and the band at The Rechabite was also intriguing, carrying as it does an inherently chaotic vibe with its multiple levels and a cramped standing room.

Opening the night, local singer-songwriter Anna Schneider showcased her growing catalogue through a set of acoustic-led songs, with a live band of drums, bass and keys lifting the arrangements and steadily pulling the growing crowd closer to the stage.

The crowd was at capacity and full of vigour by the time they greeted Ullah, whose recent move to Melbourne has already been punctuated by a number of return shows in her hometown of Perth, where her brand of heartfelt, catchy pop has built a loyal following. She was hampered by a sound mix that did little to showcase her bright vocals, but it mattered little to the crowd, a collective only too eager to fulfil its role in the call-and-response that sits at the centre of the excellent I Want It All. Reminiscent in parts of the guitar-driven work by Julia Jacklin, Ullah retains a more whimsical edge that’s mostly charming and resonates quite strongly.

Having slipped into a routine of introducing band members by dispensing an interesting fact about them, Ullah was clearly having a hugely enjoyable time, and it was hard not to get swept up in her vibrancy. This tour has also afforded the band time to get tight, and tracks such as If I Were A Fish, with its intricate patterns and timings, are delivered with confidence. With a new EP set to be released, there’s little doubt Ullah will continue to draw strong crowds and interest as her career builds.

It was a similarly robust reception that greeted Stella Donnelly and her band. Despite leaving Western Australia some time ago, Stella has been a regular visitor back to her home state. This occasion provided an opportunity to highlight tracks from last year’s Love And Fortune, one of 2025’s most impressive albums. With a seasoned set of bandmates and a recovering voice, Donnelly kicked off with Standing Ovation, a track that she freely admitted was an anxiety-inducing experience and perhaps not the best to start a set with. However, with the expert drumming of Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever’s Marcel Tussie marshalling things from behind, the band kicked into gear and barely set a foot wrong all night.

The set thereafter borrowed almost equally from both Love And Fortune and her memorable debut, Beware Of The Dogs, with tracks from the latter evoking responses of increasing strength. As the night wore on and the latter half of the set unleashed favourites like Old Man and Die, the reaction became ever more visceral. What was so strikingly obvious and impactful was the legacy those songs carried, coming as they did at a time when Donnelly was boldly delivering robust and unflinching social observations that struck such a chord with anyone willing to listen. Their impact, so profound at the time, had lasted, and the night’s crowd was thrilled to show how much they still meant to them.

W.A.L.K. and Year Of Trouble, highlights from Year Of Trouble, were beautifully reproduced and evidenced the growing strength of Donnelly’s songwriting. Excellent songs in their own right, they evidence a maturity and nuance that you can only expect will further develop in the coming years. Stage numbers swelled with the addition of Ullah and bandmates to tackle a cover of Chappell Roan’s The Subway before closing the night with Tricks, which sent revellers into the night with that inimitable sense of having been part of something bigger, a night when the band’s performance was only part of the broader story.

RICK BRYANT

Photos by Adrian Thomson