James Johnston has quickly risen the ranks to become one of Australia’s foremost country performers. With an infectious presence as well as a killer voice and some great songs, he has captivated audiences around Australia and has returned to Sydney after supporting Kip Moore last year for a headline gig in his debut at Night at the Barracks. 

On a warm Sydney evening, the mood was perfectly set for Johnston’s performance at the picturesque venue but first, the audience were treated to an hour long set from Zac & George, two best mates from school who have taken on the Australian and global country music scenes. Playing their biggest hits, which referenced classic country but also had a radio-friendly veneer to them, they did a fantastic job of acquainting the country-music loving audience at the Barracks with their music. With a Zach Top cover and a country-tinged cover of Katy Perry’s “Teenage Dream” they certainly showed their versatility too in an exciting start to the night.

When Johnston came onto stage, the crowd went wild with enthusiasm. The singer, who grew up in country NSW, performed a tight set, beginning with arguably his biggest hit “Raised Like That”. It was a fantastic way to bring energy to the set straight away and it had the crowd singing along. 

Johnston also did not shy away from some controversial topics during his set, weighing in on the Nicole Kidman/Keith Urban divorce, with a cover of “Love Somebody.”

“Keith has had a bit of a rough week this week,” said Johnston before launching into one of Urban’s biggest hits. “I want you singing this as loudly as you can so Nicole can hear.”

Johnston mixed up the set with an array of covers and originals, with radio-friendly country hits like “Country Boys” taking up the majority of the set, although he did save some room for emotional ballads, with a song off his forthcoming album and dedicated to his late grandmother on the piano being one of the highlights of the show. 

There was time for a little bit of AC/DC with a cover of “Thunderstruck” showing off Johnston and his band’s guitar skills before Johnston brought back initial opening act Denvah to join him for “Same Songs.” The song is the quintessential country-pop song with a wonderfully infectious hook and Johnston proved to be a generous performer, allowing Denvah to shine. Johnston had a great presence all through the night, commanding the stage and this was the perfect way to end the main set. 

For his encore, Johnston performed “My People” with a lot of crowd involvement before realising that he still had 5 minutes before the curfew, which allowed him to launch into another performance of “Raised Like That.” The crowd were delighted to hear Johnston’s biggest song once again and it proved to be a wonderful conclusion to a beautiful night of music. 

Johnston is the consummate professional and an exceptional performer and these attributes were clearly on show at the Barracks. For one of the first country music shows in the history of Night at the Barracks, Johnston had a point to prove and he certainly did with fantastic songs and great charisma on stage. Everyone in the audience had an absolute blast and there is no doubt that Johnston will continue to perform on the biggest stages for years to come. 

Rating: ★★★★1/2

James Johnston – Night at the Barracks – 3^rd October 2025