Canadian singer-songwriter Cameron Whitcomb’s rise has been nothing short of meteoric. After a stint on American Idol, he transformed into a viral sensation through both his published discography and a string of hugely successful songs on TikTok. The Canadian has enjoyed a prosperous tour around Australia with a number of sold out shows, culminating at the Roundhouse Theatre at UNSW.

The venue is an unusual one as it is located on a university campus and when completely sold out, it feels extremely cramped, with a capacity which is just as big as the Enmore Theatre. That said, the tight space bothered the audience very little as they were clearly having a fantastic time from the moment Whitcomb took to the stage.

“This is the last night in Australia,” said Whitcomb as he arrived on stage. “After spending the last couple of weeks here I f***ing love this place.”

From the start, Whitcomb showed great energy with “Hundred Mile High”, immediately throwing himself around the stage and creating a chaotic, high-octane atmosphere. The show really picked up a notch when he covered “Teenage Dirtbag”, which had the whole crowd singing along as he provided a huge amount of charisma and energy. By this point, he had removed his shirt to reveal his tattooed torso and he completely commanded the stage with an incredible presence and a feeling that he had captured everyone in the room.

One of the strongest aspects of the show was the connection Whitcomb built with the audience. Every chorus felt in sync with fans screaming lyrics back at him throughout the night creating the sense that the crowd felt the music alongside him as it reverberated around the room, adding to the authenticity of the performance. This was a crowd who had come up with Whitcomb and that energy was very much felt in the room.

There were some excellent slower moments in the show as well, with “Call For You” being another favourite, while “Love Myself” and “Rocking Chair” were also fantastic, with opening act Lewis Love coming out to sing on the latter. These quieter moments gave the audience a chance to connect with the more vulnerable side of Whitcomb’s songwriting, particularly the themes of addiction, heartbreak and self-destruction that run through much of his material.

“Thank you for saving my life and for giving me a purpose,” said Whitcomb of his audience. 

While Whitcomb’s voice wore out slightly towards the end of the show, he saved some of his best material for last with “Options”, “Quitter” and “Medusa”, leaving the crowd with a powerful finish to the night. He concluded the show with a shoey and one of his trademark flips, channelling Benson Boone, which had the crowd as raucous as ever as he left the stage.

Overall, this was a great set which showed off the best of Whitcomb in a loud, raucous and adoring environment. While I contest the characterisation of the Canadian as a country artist (at least in the traditional sense), he has a strong rock persona and very much falls into the category of performers like Yungblud and Harry Styles, with both a commanding stage presence and the ability to handle up-tempo songs as well as ballads. It was a great night and one that everyone in the audience thoroughly enjoyed. Whitcomb is destined for great things and, as his profile continues to grow, Australia will definitely be watching with a keen eye.

Rating: ★★★★1/2

Cameron Whitcomb – UNSW Roundhouse – 16 May 2026

Banner photo credit: Shelley Te Haara

All other photo credits: Valerie Lee