Night at the Barracks is always one of the highlights of the year, with the beautiful surroundings of Manly providing one of the most scenic concert experiences in Australia. The weather was slightly chilly but still pleasant as the near capacity crowd sat down as the sunset to hear Australian star Amy Shark make her debut at the annual event. 

“What a venue man,” Shark said as she came out on stage. “I can’t believe I’ve never been here before.”

Shark explained that her set was created for the benefit of real music lovers, with only her on guitar and her pianist to accompany her as she tracked through her catalogue of hits.

“Everybody Rise” was an early favourite for the crowd, with Shark displaying a beautiful fragility at the end of the song which echoed through the Barracks venue. The song is one of Shark’s biggest and it was well-received by the crowd. This was quickly followed by her breakout hit “Adore” which had the audience singing along as Shark immediately harnessed the energy in the space. 

The Night at the Barracks crowd is sometimes a little atypical of a traditional concert in that many people attend for the atmosphere rather than as die-hard fans of the artist. Consequently, there were times when Shark seemed a little taken aback as concertgoers talked over her set or perhaps were not as engaged as they would be at a more traditional show. However, Shark broke the ice with trademark humour, telling the stories behind her songs and drawing great laughs from the crowd. 

Shark brought out some unique pieces to commemorate this special concert, playing “Deleted” for the first time in seven years as well as some of her standards like “Two Friends” and “Leave Us Alone.” “Can I Shower at Yours” was particularly memorable as Shark stumbled on guitar as her fingers were so cold but she brushed it off with humour which led to a fantastic performance for the audience (who were equally as chilly). 

Shark’s songwriting is mature and considered, with incisive lyrics that really do tell the stories of her life. One of her best recent works is “Love Songs Ain’t For Us” which she wrote with Ed Sheeran and, much to the delight of the crowd, she told the story of how she showed up to Sheeran’s house after a day of writing in a beaten-up rental car, which resulted in Sheeran saying that he hoped the song would work out well for her. 

While Shark usually performs the song with Keith Urban, her solo version was equally strong, showing off the range and storytelling quality of her voice which was enhanced by the simple piano accompaniment. It was definitely a highlight of the night. 

Shark was at her best when performing her vast catalogue of original work. A slightly too sweet cover of Bush’s “Glycerine” didn’t quite land towards the end of the set but Shark quickly moved back into fantastic originals with “Mess Her Up” (complete with an apology to the ex-friend who the song was about). Shark closed out the set with the upbeat “I Said Hi” which was a wonderful and energetic way to finish off the night. 

Overall, this was a great set that showed off everything that Night at the Barracks was about. Shark performed very well and gave the crowd a fabulous insight into her wonderful catalogue of songs. What a pleasure to see one of Australia’s finest performers in such a beautiful venue. 

Rating: ★★★★1/2

Amy Shark – Night at the Barracks – 21^st September 2025

Photo credit: Cybele Malinowski