Alison Moyet has had a career that has spanned many generations and that has traversed many styles of music. Returning to Sydney, Moyet took to the stage in front of a capacity crowd at the Darling Harbour Theatre (which is the slightly smaller concert venue in the ICC precinct). 

Moyet performed an eclectic set based upon the Key album, with her rich, low voice shining through in the opening songs, with “Fire” being an appropriate start to the set. She was well supported by her musical director Sean McGhee and her Australian guitarist Brendan Cox throughout, who both provided backing vocals at various points and made sure that Moyet was at her best.

The set behind Moyet was minimal but helpful in setting the atmosphere, changing colours to represent the moods of the songs. Moyet performed a number of Yazoo songs throughout the set with “Only You” being an early highlight, with the richness of Moyet’s voice adding to the power of the lyrics as the crowd sang along while the quirky instrumentals played in the background. 

Moyet described herself as increasingly impervious and penned a new song “The Impervious Me” to reflect this. Her new songs fit well into the vibe of the set and indeed, she reconfigured some of her older numbers for appropriate tonal matching, which created a very cohesive performance. 

The singer also interspersed her numbers with narrative throughout the set, showing off her humour much to the delight of the audience.

“I don’t get nostalgic about myself, I have to face me every day,” she quipped at one point. 

With heavy disco tracks and upbeat classics, Moyet made sure to strip back a few songs, playing “Dorothy” on harmonica with her band playing acoustically behind her. This was when the show was at its best as it allowed the audience to appreciate Moyet’s voice without some of the more overpowering synth-style music, which felt a little awkward and out of place at times. 

Moyet saved her biggest hits for last with “Is This Love?” and “All Cried Out” allowing for the whole crowd to sing along as they relived the beauty of the songs. At one point, Moyet stopped the performance as she thought she was singing in the wrong key, but recovered well, much to the delight of the audience, who subsequently raced down to the front of the stage to form a mosh pit. 

As Moyet returned for her encore, the atmosphere began to resemble that of a party as Moyet performed Yazoo’s “Situation” before moving into “Love Resurrection”. The crowd loved every minute, dancing passionately as Moyet moved through the number. Moyet herself brought out some dance moves and although they were definitely somewhat interesting, the crowd did not mind, at this point not having a care in the world. Moyet closed out her two-hour set with “Don’t Go” which was an energetic way to end the night. 

Overall, this was a concert for Moyet lovers across generations and the singer ensured that she covered a wide range of her hits throughout the night. Her voice is still in fine form and it was clear that the audience had a great time. It is unclear whether Moyet will be back in Australia but given her clear love for performing, it would not be a surprise to see her in concert again some time soon. 

Rating: ★★★★

Alison Moyet – Darling Harbour Theatre – 31^st May 2025

Photo credit: Naomi Davison