It’s been fourteen years since I last saw Matt Corby live. He was touring as part of his 2011 EP Into the Flame and his breakthrough hit ‘Brother’. Now, the critically acclaimed Australian singer-songwriter and producer, has recently returned for his 2026 The Tragic Magic Tour.
Gracing the iconic Forum Melbourne stage and accompanied with a five-piece band, Corby happily shared that this venue was arguably the best venue in the country and stated, “We’re going to play some songs and see what happens”.
A man of little words and adorably awkward, except for very brief comments on the day’s latest AFL match and whether we had a good long weekend, Matt Corby mostly let his music do the talking. With the title of the tour coinciding with Corby’s fourth studio album Tragic Magic, new songs were performed including ‘Big Ideas’, the haunting ‘Know It All’ and ‘War to Love’. Corby also gave love to the music he’s created across his wide and multi-decade career. I thoroughly the enjoyed revisits to his 2018 songs, ‘No Ordinary Life’ and ‘All Fired Up’ (performed as a duet with Gretta Ray) from the album Rainbow Valley, from his 2016 album Telluric, the song ‘Monday’, and the still stunning 2013 tune ‘Resolution’. Cover wise, Corby performed Tame Impala’s ‘Dracula’, which he also performed recently on triple j’s Like a Version.
Whether it be on the guitar or on the keyboard, Matt Corby masterfully and thoroughly mesmerised his devoted Melbourne audience. His lyrical and vocal ability shows no bounds. Even though I’ve known of Corby since his early days on Australian Idol back in 2007, Corby continues to impress and his vocal runs were met with loud and enthusiastic supportive cheers from the Melbourne crowd. The love and respect were mutual, and Corby even complimented us back in a sing-song voice, “That was really nice, guys”, during the lyrically exquisite ‘Miracle Love’.
If Matt Corby’s musical magic wasn’t enough, the lighting for The Tragic Magic Tour is the best I’ve ever seen at Forum Melbourne. The set up looked like you were inside a tent, looking out at the stars. It only helps that the Forum Melbourne’s décor already has it’s blue ceiling and lights looking like a gorgeous starry night. Each song had a different colour profile and design by Ben Kocsis of Last Light Creative, which was so wonderful, even just waiting for the next song to see how the iconic Melbourne venue would look, painted in vibrant and intimate lighting and colours. Particularly, the groovy vibes spread throughout the venue during ‘Burn It Down’ (also from the new Tragic Magic album).
In a feature that had nothing to do with production, it was so wholesome seeing one specific fan stood just a little in front of the Front of House desk, blowing bubbles during the slower numbers on the setlist. To summon Matt Corby back for the encore, Melbourne patrons stomped their feet, let out loud and high-pitched whistles, made the floor vibrate and had their cheers combine into one massive roar.
The encore itself was perhaps my favourite part of the show. Matt Corby playfully shared, “Just three more songs and I release you” and while ‘Brother’ is Corby’s signature song that inspired patrons to shoot up their phones like daisies to record the moment, Specifically, the highlight of the evening was when Corby shared that through his dad, he had recently rediscovered an old recording of his. A cover of the Leonard Cohen penned, ‘Hallelujah’ sung by Corby’s 10-year-old self. He then preceded to play the said historic recording, displaying his younger and higher pitched impressive voice. Simultaneously, in real time, Matt Corby would harmonise, attempt to match his old vocal runs (sometimes giving up as his younger self was that brilliant), and sing in a lower key. You really just had to be there.
It was phenomenal, evidence that this severely talented man has always been destined for the stage, and honestly, it’s really not fair that someone could have so many talents in one body. Sometimes I think talent isn’t evenly distributed!
I don’t know why it’s taken me this long to see Matt Corby live on stage again. Matt Corby’s Tragic Magic Tour Melbourne concert was a wonderful show with jaw-dropping special moments that I won’t be forgetting anytime soon. No, really. Wow.
Matt Corby performed in Melbourne as part of The Tragic Magic Tour 2026, proudly presented by Frontier Touring, Mushroom Group and triple j, at Forum Melbourne on Tuesday the 9th of June, supported by Gretta Ray. A second show takes place the following evening on Wednesday the 10th of June in Melbourne before Corby heads to Newcastle’s Civic Theatre on Friday June 12th, before concluding his Australian tour at Fortitude Music Hall on Sunday the 14th of June in Brisbane.
For more information and ticketing, visit:
https://www.frontiertouring.com/mattcorby
https://www.mattcorbymusic.com/tour
https://www.instagram.com/mattcorby
Photography by Grant Alexander.
