Went to Chet Faker last night at Riviera Beach Club and it was a reminder of just how special he is.

Chet Faker is a star and should go down as one of the best musicians to ever come out of Australia. We’re genuinely lucky to have him back, not just with his new album A Love For Strangers, but living in Australia for the first time in a decade.

He opened with arguably the best track on the new album, Over You, stretching it out with an extended intro that immediately set the tone. Chet barely spoke throughout the night, briefly saying he’d play most of the new record alongside a few others, then got straight into it.

The set was perfectly balanced, moving seamlessly from Drop the Game to No Diggity, before closing with the big hitters Talk Is Cheap and Gold. Every moment felt intentional.

It’s impossible to watch Chet and not recognise the genius at work. Australia may have forgotten just how good he is. It doesn’t feel that long ago that he was selling out runs at the Forum, winning album of the year and taking out the Hottest 100. A ten year absence can do that. Now that he’s back, this show made it clear he’s far more than just a crooner, as he joked on the night.

From those early videos filmed in butter factory in Newstead, where I first fell in love with his Archangel cover, to the back of a truck in Arizona for the Over You clip, Chet hasn’t missed a step with the visual rollout for this album.

For me, A Love for Strangers is album of the year. Seeing Chet Faker in 2026 feels just as powerful as it did in 2014.

Chet Faker – A Love For Strangers Australian Tour 2026

Saturday 28 February – A Day In The Gully Festival – Adelaide, SA
Sunday 1 March – Riviera Beach Club – Melbourne, VIC
Tuesday 3 March – Fortitude Music Hall – Brisbane, QLD - Tickets
Wednesday 4 March – Enmore Theatre – Sydney, NSW - Tickets
Friday 6 March – Ice Cream Factory – Perth, WA - Tickets

REVIEW: Chet Faker - Riviera Beach Club, Melbourne.