James Reyne might be best known as the frontman of Australian Crawl but in the last 40 years, he has built up a formidable solo career as well, selling out concerts all around Australia to a loyal legion of fans. On a warm Saturday night in Sydney, Reyne took to the stage at the iconic State Theatre for a night of his biggest solo and Aussie Crawl hits. 

“I’m pretty sure I last came here for the Countdown Awards or maybe the Logies,” he said to laughter from the audience.

Before Reyne took to the stage, the audience were lucky enough to hear from Alex Lloyd, who performed a charming opening set with his hit song “Amazing” being a particular highlight for the crowd. He also performed an acoustic version of “Hallelujah” which was executed very well. Lloyd is himself a multi-ARIA Award winning artist so seeing him alongside Reyne was a real treat. 

Perhaps somewhat surprisingly, Reyne opted to perform arguably his most iconic song “The Boys Light Up” to kick off the night but it was an energetic opening, having the crowd singing along from the start. Reyne still has the same iconic voice that millions of Australians grew up listening to and his harmonica skills were a treat as well. 

Reyne kept the momentum going with “Beautiful People” before moving into “Lakeside”, for which he had the audience singing along, in spite of the somewhat inhibitory nature of the theatre, which does not lend itself to rock gigs as much as the Enmore and similar venues around Sydney. 

Reyne was a humble performer, making sure to acknowledge his band from the outset and giving them credit at key instrumental moments. He also had a nice balance of solo works and Aussie Crawl songs, although some of his key solo songs were missing from the set, as the singer explained that although he takes requests, there are just some songs that he doesn’t play (“Way Out West” being one of them).

While some of Reyne’s new solo material, especially the titular track of his new album “Going Back to Nashville” and his impromptu rendition of “Little Criminals” were well-received, the biggest ovations were for the Crawl songs with Reyne faking out the audience as if he was not going to play “Reckless” before delighting them with a fantastic rendition. “Downhearted” was another highlight as he had the whole crowd singing along, creating a magical effect. It is incredible how well Reyne’s higher register stands up and for this song, it was especially apparent with his slight twang reverberating around the State Theatre. 

At one point, Reyne noted that this concert was being held 40 years after Aussie Crawl split up saying that “maybe that’s something to celebrate” but he ensured that all fans got what they wanted, closing out the night with “Errol” and an encore of “Things Don’t Seem”. It was a fitting way to close a wonderful night of music. 

This was a great concert that left everyone happy as they left the venue. Reyne showed off his wide array of solo and band hits with a varied setlist and showed that he still has an incredible voice to match. A great night of music at the State Theatre. 

Rating: ★★★★1/2

James Reyne – State Theatre – 5 July 2025