Bachelor Girl 28th August 2026 at The Gov

Returning to the stage to reimagine their iconic album Waiting For the Day. This is my review of the Adelaide show.

Wayde Richardson

8/29/20263 min read

The Gov, Fri 28th August 2026

Simela opened with Dawsons Creek Theme song, you know the one. We all joined in with the unmistakable chorus “I don’t wanna wait for our lives to be over”. She informed us her set tonight would be a mix of covers and original songs - more originals than she’d ever done in one set. She included a short fitting tribute to Dolly Parton, and fulfilled a dream she had to sing an Adele song. All in all it was quite a fitting set, given we were all there to see a nostalgia filled set from Bachelor Girl.

Simela made a joke about how she used to write songs about boys, but now they’re about her kids. Another fitting comment given most of the audience likely had kids now, that they didn’t when Bachelor Girls seminal album was released. She then launched into a song called ‘Pretend Tea’.

There was a break between support and headliner which built the anticipation well.

Bachelor Girl took to the stage like absolute rock stars.

Tania instantly commanded our attention when she walked on stage. You wouldn’t know it had been 20+ years since the album dropped. Nostalgia was high, but it was a time travelling experience. Showing the power of music to transport us back to a time, or a moment.

This took me back to my teens.

It was a seated event, which felt odd to me at the time. (Almost as weird as Silverchair at Festival Theatre) But Tania made a bit of a joke about doing something about that in due course.

We were intrigued. She was building suspense!

They mentioned having a new band, which included Janine Maunder and Cameron McGlinchey (The woman next to me picked it before me, she knew him from Rogue Traders).

Next up they did ‘Treat Me Good’. Every song hit just like it did when the album originally released, but songs like this just hit a little different. We knew the words and didn’t hold back joining in the singing duties.

It was an incredible experience

It wasn’t just about seeing them perform it live after so many years, but with Janine sharing vocals with Tania, it was like hearing it for the first time again. There were new layers, new colours.

Familiar but different at the same time.

‘Waiting for the Day’ was a beautifully stripped back rendition, with Tania’s incredible vocals doing the heavy lifting while James accompanied her perfectly.

It was a powerful and moving performance.

The band rejoined for ‘Someway Somehow’, which Tania introduced as their oldest song.

But you wouldn’t have known it.

Like most of their songs, it could have been written today. It was timeless.

‘Busses & Trains’ the classic crowd sing-a-long. Between nostalgic memories, and the crowd singing, we were unified by a song that had stood the test of time.

It was beautiful.

This was the moment when Tania got the whole crowd standing. She had promised and she definitely delivered. Some of us jumped straight up when asked, others waited a moment.

Then they ended the show and left the stage.

It was the oldest trick in the book and the whole room knew it. They were coming back, after all, they still hadn’t performed some of their other classics from the album!

They didn’t keep us waiting long before they returned for an encore.

Tania returned wearing one of their bright pink t-shirts, with the simple message emblazoned on it “Lucky Me”.

Kicking it off with another beautifully stripped back rendition, this time of ‘Gotta Let You Go’.

They closed the encore with two of their biggest songs from the album, ‘Permission to Shine’ and ‘Lucky Me’.

It wasn’t just a reimagining of their classic album, it reimagined Bachelor Girl into the Australian consciousness.

After exiting the stage, they made their way to the merch stand to sign autographs, talk with the audience and pose for some photos. Showing us the same appreciation we’d shown during the show.

As I walked from the venue to my car, one thought went through my mind.

Lucky me.