Live Review: Ruby Gill’s Some Kind of Control Tour Hits Brisbane
- Hope Morgan
- Aug 18
- 3 min read
By: Hope Morgan
On a Friday night at The Junk Bar in Brisbane an audience packed in tightly waited at the sold out Junk Bar for Ruby Gill’s Some Kind of Control Tour. The small room buzzed with quiet anticipation, the kind that only builds when people know they’re about to experience something special.
The murmuring crowd gradually hushed as opener Hannah Cameron stepped onto the stage, guitar in hand. Her delicate, folk-infused acoustic set totally captivated me, and I could feel an equal response from the crowd around me.
Hannah commented that while touring with Ruby she had observed the kind of incredibly thoughtful and open crowd Ruby attracts, noting that no matter where they traveled the crowd’s energy felt the same. It was a touching remark that seemed to reflect the feeling in the room, people weren’t just there to be entertained, they were there to listen.
Her gentle vocals and understated presence were quietly powerful, captivating the room and setting a tender, introspective tone that perfectly paved the way for the night ahead.
The crowd was clearly excited for Ruby to take the stage. Opening with ‘Under the Flying Foxes on the Last Night of Summer,” the piano led opening track from Ruby’s latest album Some Kind of Control, she immediately pulled everyone into her world.
Opener Hannah Cameron then joined Ruby on stage to play guitar and sing backing vocals for some more songs from the album, their harmonies blending effortlessly and adding even more texture to the live arrangements. The two artists had a natural chemistry on stage, and their close friendship was obvious.
My favourite thing about Ruby’s music is that the lyrics feel so incredibly important, and this translates directly to her live performance. I caught myself being scared to breathe too loud in case I missed a single word that she had to share.
Ruby pours her heart into every song, offering raw honesty and vulnerability to the crowd, yet she balances it all with a tongue-in-cheek wit throughout it all that keeps the atmosphere both intimate and disarmingly light. Her stage banter was equal parts hilarious and self-deprecating, creating a real sense of connection between performer and audience.
Before performing 'How Chimpanzees Reassure Each Other,' Ruby shared that the tender, intimate track was inspired by a podcast exploring how chimpanzees comfort one another. It was one of many moments throughout the set that felt deeply personal, not just because of the lyrics themselves, but because of the context Ruby offered so generously.
Ruby chose to perform two songs, “Throw Your Lucky Coins on Me” and “I'm Not Exaggerating When I Say” as spoken poems, partly, as she jokingly explained, due to her aversion to playing the guitar for these tracks, but I enjoyed it as a different way to absorb and understand the words. The decision stripped the songs back to their barest form, letting the poetry take full focus. It felt raw and vulnerable, and yet so casual, like we were hearing her read from a journal.
She played a new unreleased song ‘Fishing is not About Fishing’ an incredibly heartfelt piece which she shared was about her father. As with her released music, every word felt important and meaningful, and I can’t wait for it to be released so I can hear it again.
In “You Should Do This For a Living” Ruby unpacks all the rude and condescending remarks said to her as a woman in the industry. At one point, she invited the audience to join in on the backing vocals, chanting the defiant line “I can handle the heat, get out my kitchen”.
Finishing her set with more songs from her recent album, Ruby held the crowds' undivided attention up until the very last note, leaving the room in a kind of quiet awe before it erupted into heartfelt applause.
I’m so grateful I was able to experience this beautiful album from an incredible storyteller live. If you ever get the chance to see Ruby Gill perform, take it, her shows are something truly special.
