David Campbell is one of Australia’s foremost entertainers and is very much in the spotlight at the moment, with Karl Stefanovic leaving The Today Show and Campbell, who has been doing morning television at Nine for well over a decade, looking like a strong candidate to replace him. But Campbell, who is the son of Jimmy Barnes, is also an exceptional musician across swing, jazz and musical theatre and has returned to Sydney’s Foundry Theatre for a series of intimate shows to show that he still has it on the stage as well.

Much of Campbell’s swing repertoire comes from his two Swing Sessions albums from the early noughties, which really showed off his skill and gravitas as a performer. Campbell very much performs in the vibe of Robbie Williams when doing his swing work and when he took to the stage to a packed crowd at the Foundry, he departed from his usual big band, instead performing with a three-piece ensemble of piano, double bass and drums, which put the focus squarely on his voice and leant into the intimate feel.

“This reminds me of starting out in the Tilbury Hotel,” said Campbell to the crowd. 

Among the songs in the set were quite a few Bobby Darin tracks, who is a favourite of Campbell’s and someone he has performed extensively as during his run in Dream Lover: The Bobby Darin Musical at the Lyric Theatre just next door. Campbell picked some obvious songs but also some more esoteric numbers with a cover of Jimmy Webb’s “The Sea is a Harsh Mistress” being arguably the highlight of the night as he really brought out the beauty in the songwriting as he showcased his mid register, which really is one of the best going around. The classics were also excellent with a restrained version of “The Way You Look Tonight” among the best moments in the set as well as a great version of “New York State of Mind”. 

With that said, there were a few moments that were a little rougher as Campbell performed “Fly Me to the Moon” with his double bass player with what he described as very little rehearsal and this did mean that it fell out of time at one point. His cover of “Bring Him Home” from Les Misérables was also beautiful but a little shaky in the upper register at times as Campbell struggled to balance his lighter tone with the heaviness that the climax of the song demands. Campbell teased the crowd with some stories from Les Mis, especially from the arena tour last year, and hinted as if he would perform”Empty Chairs at Empty Tables” but he ultimately did not, which was a shame as it definitely would have been something the audience would have loved. Campbell closed out the night with an excellent rendition of Frankie Valli’s “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You”, which was a powerful and energetic way to end the evening, with the crowd all singing along.

Overall, this was a strong show that showed off the breadth of Campbell’s swing repertoire, as well as a bit of pop and musical theatre. While there were some stronger moments and some shakier ones, this was definitely a show that impressed, with Campbell’s fantastic voice in full flow alongside his excellent band. With Campbell potentially on the road to even bigger things at Nine as the year progresses, it is definitely an interesting time to follow the performer but there is no doubt he’s still got it on the swing stage. 

Rating: ★★★★

David Campbell – Foundry Theatre – 26 June 2026