![\"Giselle](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/964a70ccd7fe4f501270d5e529d65fb99203aabf.png\")
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April 19, 2026 \u2014 12:14pm<\/p>\n
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Remove items from your saved list<\/a> to add more.<\/p>\n Save this article for later<\/p>\n Add articles to your saved list and come back to them anytime.<\/p>\n Got it<\/p>\n AAA<\/p>\n MUSIC Attending a Mountain Goats concert is a little like going to church \u2013 there\u2019s an air of ecstatic reverence that only intensifies as the lights go down and the American trio takes the stage. It\u2019s been almost a decade since the band, led by the charismatic John Darnielle, toured Australia, so you can imagine the fervour.<\/p>\n Darnielle\u2019s erudite, personal lyricism is contrasted with often cheerful folksy music \u2013 a juxtaposition he acknowledges when he introduces a song: \u201cThis is an uptempo number about how life will be after the ultimate collapse.\u201d These literate songs are intriguing poems in miniature, but they\u2019re also a lot of fun.<\/p>\n Live, The Mountain Goats offer an experience that is tailored for each night. Unlike other bands, there\u2019s no predictable set list, even when touring on the back of a new release, as they are \u2013 in 2025, the band released its 24th album, Through This Fire Across From Peter Balkan.<\/p>\n There are a few songs from that record in the set, but it\u2019s otherwise a grab-bag of fan favourites and deep cuts alike, as well as a brand-new song, premiered in Sydney earlier in the week.<\/p>\n Early issues with the sound mix (including an ear-shatteringly bass-heavy Woke Up New) resolve as the set continues, flitting from mood to mood. Multi-instrumentalist Matt Douglas adds colour and depth with saxophone on the moody Moon Over Goldsboro, and a surprise performance of Michael Myers Resplendent \u2013 not included on the written set list \u2013 delights the most devoted of fans.<\/p>\n Douglas and drummer Jon Wurster depart the stage mid-set for Darnielle to play a few songs solo. It\u2019s here that the frontman really connects with the crowd, offering stories from across his prolific career and playing impromptu snippets of decades-old songs.<\/p>\n \u201cWe live in a world where you don\u2019t get a lot of improvisation in a rock set,\u201d he says, as if to explain the off-the-cuff nature of this segment. It\u2019s lovely to hear Darnielle\u2019s unadorned voice on its own, but equally so when his bandmates join in again halfway through Younger, culminating in a display of technical wizardry by Douglas on an extended saxophone solo.<\/p>\n The only two songs you\u2019re guaranteed to hear at a Mountain Goats concert are This Year and No Children, and both are received to rapturous cheers and word-for-word singalongs.<\/p>\n A treat for longtime fans and newcomers alike, this generous gig is a testament to the band\u2019s staying power.<\/p>\n Reviewed by Giselle Au-Nhien Nguyen<\/p>\n Find out the next TV, streaming series and movies to add to your must-sees. Get The Watchlist delivered every Thursday<\/a>.<\/p>\n Save<\/p>\n You have reached your maximum number of saved items.<\/p>\n
The Mountain Goats \u2605\u2605\u2605\u2605
Forum Theatre, April 17<\/p>\n![\"John](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/76aa1a246efa5865c2b1ed75563d915f11301b7e.jpeg\")
John Darnielle of The Mountain Goats at the Forum Theatre.\u00a9Martin Philbey<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/c8d4617ae69fadfb7b828020014aedfd942f291f.jpeg\")
The Mountain Goats drew a reverential crowd.\u00a9Martin Philbey<\/p>\n