Despite growing up in Sydney and honing their craft around Australia, many would not consider Human Nature to be an Australian group. Rather, in recent years, the quartet have become synonymous with Las Vegas, after performing their hit show there for over 20 years. Back on Australian shores, and back together as a quartet (with Phil Burton returning to the group after retiring from non-Australian touring), the group took to the stage in front of a sizeable crowd at the ICC Sydney, spanning many generations of fans.

The concert was a celebration of their Motown tribute album Reach Out, and the group performed many of the classic hits of the genre. Kicking off the setlist with “Get Ready”, the band had the audience up and dancing from the very first song, with a vivacious Motown backdrop behind them, signalling the high energy of the set that was to come. 

They then moved onto “Reach Out I’ll Be There” which had the whole crowd singing along before performing “You Can’t Hurry Love” with their signature dance moves. 

The band’s stagecraft was second to none, engaging well with the audience and moving around the stage convincingly. 

The vocals were also strong on the whole, with Phil Burton’s powerful vocals being by far the standout. The Tierney brothers struggled a little in their solo moments but blended well in the many harmonies that the group displayed during the performance while Toby Allen had many rich low notes, which the audience loved. 

Unsurprisingly, it was the biggest hits that had the biggest spark from the crowd with “My Girl” being performed impeccably well and “Stand By Me” being performed in a barbershop style. The group showed versatility, with some songs being performed acapella and many being performed with a full band. There were times, especially at the beginning of the set, where the pre-recorded backing vocals drowned out the band but overall, the show was constructed impeccably well. 

The best vocal moment of the show was when Phil Burton sung “Runaround Sue” with power and precision, captivating the audience with the richness of his vocals. It is hard to imagine Human Nature without Burton as his vocals really gave the group an edge on stage. 

After some more ballad-style songs like “Unchained Melody”, “Easy”, “Eternal Flame” and “I’ll Be There”, the band performed their new single, a cover of Diana Ross’ “Upside Down”, for which they asked the crowd to move their torchlights around as they filmed on their phone, which provided a fun moment for all involved (with a minor technical fail, as the phone that was broadcasting onto the screen failed). The band closed the show with “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” which was a fitting way to end a classic night of music. 

Ultimately, this was a great show, with the band performing numerous classics and making sure that everyone in the audience had a wonderful time. The stagecraft was fantastic, and the vocals were strong for the most part, meaning that the band’s return to Australia was very much a fruitful one. With such joy in the audience, it will surely not be long before they return home again. 

Rating: ★★★★1/2

Human Nature – ICC Sydney Theatre – 11^th April 2025