Kodaline are one of the foremost Irish pop bands of the last few decades. With hits that have travelled around the world and connected with audiences everywhere, last year they stunned fans by revealing that this would be their last year touring together, with a studio album and a world tour to celebrate their careers and allow them to go out on top.

Led by frontman Steve Garrigan, there was definitely a feeling that there was a little bit of a rupture in the band, with not a lot of connection between the band during this show. But this did not stall ticket demand in the lead up to this show, with every seat in the Enmore Theatre sold for this momentous occasion as the band performed in Sydney for the last time.

As the band took to the stage, the crowd cheered loudly as they began with “Wherever You Are” and “Brand New Day”. Garrigan thanked the audience for their support to a huge ovation before moving into the beautiful and heartfelt “Brother”, which resonated through the crowd as they all sung along.

“For some people, this will be their first and last time seeing us,” said Garrigan. 

The band did not interact with each other very much and this did mean that there was a little bit of an awkward vibe to the show at times as it did feel like four soloists combining in a slightly stilted fashion. But the musicality was still at its absolute peak, with Garrigan showing off a beautiful voice as well as some great piano skills, while James Bolland and Mark Prendergast did a fantastic job on guitar, with Vincent May on drums.

In spite of this, everyone came together when the band started singing “High Hopes”, which really is just the most quintessential beautiful pop song and really resonated with the crowd with its rip-roaring choruses. Garrigan showed off his fantastic vocals and the crowd gave him every bit of energy back. It was one of those thrilling moments in the room and one which showed exactly why Kodaline’s music has connected with audiences around the world.

The energy was kept high as Garrigan took to the stage solo to perform “The One”, which he wrote for a friend’s wedding. This created a beautiful moment in the show with someone proposing in the front of the mosh pit, which was quite a beautiful and special for those in the audience and Garrigan played it well, giving the couple their moment without losing focus of the show.

After a few more solo songs, Garrigan brought the band back on stage to further work through their discography, including some new songs off their forthcoming album, before the band returned for an encore of “Everything Works Out in the End” and “All I Want”, which was powerful and anthemic to close out the show.

Overall, this was a fine show which showed off the breadth of Kodaline’s discography and was a nice farewell for the fans. While there wasn’t a whole lot of chemistry between the members of the band, Garrigan’s voice was still in really fine form, as was the musicianship of the whole band, and it does seem like a shame that they’re stopping when they’re still very much at their peak. One wonders if this will actually be their stoppage or if there will be an inevitable reunion very soon but if this was the last show, it was a nice way to see out the band in Sydney.

Rating: ★★★★

Kodaline – Enmore Theatre – 3 September 2026