From Riots To Breathtaking Venues: Kate Miller-Heidke Recalls Unforgettable Gigs

Charleville Planetarium (Queensland Music Trails)

We performed a couple of my songs, and then a debut composition by the genius composer William Barton. It featured Will’s mum, Aunty Delmae, singing, in what was a return to country for her. To prepare for the performance Will and Aunty Delmae had taken us onto country and we honoured their ancestors, played and sang and then listened to the silence and the sounds of the country. That evening the stars came out and we performed while most of Australia was in lockdown. When Delmae sang the entire audience seemed to be crying. She had been stolen from these lands as a young child, and was returning in strength and pride in her son. Her voice seemed to capture peace, beauty, pain, timelessness and the mystery of existence.

Angkor Wat (MTV Exit)

We performed a series of shows for MTV Exit, an NGO that does free concerts throughout South East Asia with community awareness messages aimed at kids between the songs, educating them about people trafficking, and how to stay safe. One of these concerts we did at the temple Angkor Wat. It was the first ever live performance there, and we played as the sun went down. As the sun set, the temple lit up in beautiful colours, and more and more local people, including many monks in saffron robes, came out of the surrounding gardens to listen. Duncan Sheik and Placebo played after us.

Kate Miller-Heidke in Angkor Wat, Cambodia. Pic by Nathan Horton

The Hammersmith Odeon (opening for Ben Folds)

What makes this venue so special? The secular rationalist in me wants to say it's the combination of brilliant design and projecting the knowledge of who has played there before you - everyone from The Beatles, Dylan, Kate Bush, Bowie, Public Enemy, Kylie and Iron Maiden. But the secular rationalist is wrong - it’s actually a magical place of spiritual significance. The legions of people who have had live performance encounters there, the beauty of the space and the sound. We got to play wonderful theatres all over the world with Ben Folds, including the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, but the Hammersmith Odeon was my favourite and I feel immensely privileged to have stood on that stage.

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Pyramid Rock Festival 2012/2013

It wasn't so much a festival as it was a drunken riot.

We played after this brilliant Spanish surf-rock band called Los Coronas. My band and I were shocked to hear audience members yelling out racist insults to the band. I really started to get the fear at that point.

We took the stage at 6pm on New Year's Eve and by that time the audience was completely and utterly wasted - every single person had crazy eyes. After launching into our opening song, a tender story about schoolyard bullying, I noticed a shirtless guy on his mate's shoulders right in front of me. He had 'SUCK ME DRY, KATE!' daubed on his chest in Sharpie. Next to him was a guy with his pants around his ankles doing a wee into other audience members. After a few songs, several people decided it was time to start kicking over all the wheelie bins in sight and throwing rubbish including glass bottles. It was at that point I felt we had performed long enough. We made a quick exit.

I was pretty devastated to have had to leave Woodford Folk Festival - one of my absolute favourites, a festival that restores your faith in humanity - to end up in this pit of danger and despair.

You'll be disappointed to learn that that ended up being the final Pyramid Rock Festival.

Sydney Opera House Concert Hall

Playing with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra in the Sydney Opera House is another one of those crazy moments where you can’t actually believe you are doing it. Every time I go to the Sydney Opera House it tingles my spine - we are so lucky to have it in this country. The Sydney Symphony Orchestra is simply world class and to hear them playing arrangements of my own songs was a peak experience, one I struggled to come down from (no sleep for days afterwards!).