Public Service Broadcasting brought their Australian tour to a close at Melbourne’s Northcote Theatre last night (May 7th), delivering the kind of immersive performance that feels less like a standard live set and more like stepping inside a carefully constructed film score.
Before PSB took the stage, Melbourne shoegaze outfit Flyying Colours set the tone perfectly, their blend of shimmering melodies, dense fuzz, and slow-burning atmosphere immediately pulled the crowd in.
There were obvious traces of bands like Ride and Slowdive running through the set, but without feeling overly nostalgic or derivative, loud guitars sat against softer vocal passages in a way that gave the room a drifting, almost hypnotic energy.
It proved to be an ideal lead in for Public Service Broadcasting, whose entire live show thrives on atmosphere and emotional build rather than traditional rock spectacle.
Public Service Broadcating at Northcote Theatre
Public Service Broadcating at Northcote Theatre, Melbourne 7th May, 2026
Flyying Colours opening for Public Service Broadcating at Northcote Theatre
Flyying Colours opening for Public Service Broadcating at Northcote Theatre
From the moment the visuals flickered to life behind the band, the Northcote Theatre shifted into something closer to a cinema than a concert hall, Public information films, propaganda reels, archival footage, and historical samples were threaded seamlessly around live drums, bass, guitar, and electronics, creating a uniquely transportive experience.
That balancing act has always been central to Public Service Broadcasting’s identity, in lesser hands, the concept could easily collapse into gimmick territory, instead, the band manage to make history feel strangely immediate and deeply human, with each song unfolding like a chapter from a forgotten documentary soundtrack.
Inspired by Amelia Earhart’s final journey
Material from ‘The Last Flight’ carried particular weight throughout the night, inspired by Amelia Earhart’s final journey, the songs translated beautifully in a live setting, filled with tension, movement, and moments of stillness that gave the visuals room to breathe.
The audience response reflected how invested the room had become by the final stretch of the tour, at one point, the band revealed Melbourne was the only Australian city where they’d managed to receive vinyl stock after logistical issues affected the rest of the run and all 100 copies sold out, with the band staying back after the show to sign records and speak with fans individually.
It was a fitting ending for a night that already felt unusually personal despite the scale of the production.
The encore closed with ‘Everest’, one of the band’s most affecting tracks live, as the song built toward its closing refrain – ‘Why should a man climb Everest? Because it is there’ – the sentiment landed with quiet force inside the theatre.
Less about conquest and more about pushing beyond fear or hesitation, it felt like an understated but fitting note to end the tour on.
Photos and show notes by Alexander Hallag for Blunt Magazine.
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