As part of the Sydney Festival earlier this year, Katie Noonan celebrated the 30th anniversary of Jeff Buckley’s Grace by recreating the only album he released during his lifetime across five sold-out dates. She’s now taking this show on the road for an extensive 20-date Australian tour, which kicks off in September. We check in with Noonan to geek out over this singular, gone-too-soon artist and his enduring legacy. 

Noonan has described Grace as “the single biggest influence on [her] musical journey”. When Buckley’s 1996 show at Brisbane’s Festival Hall sold out quicksticks, Katie and her brother Tyrone drove all the way to Tweed Heads to attend his “exhilarating” show at Seagulls. Three months later, they formed george the band.  

“Genuflecting at the altar of Jeff and his band” 

Katie Noonan: “[Jeff Buckley’s Seagulls show] was incredible, and really very, very spiritual. This was The Hard Luck Tour in February 1996. I was 18 and I couldn’t drive, and I had no money, so I went with my brother [Tyrone] in his car. We drove to see Jeff at Seagulls, which – no disrespect to Seagulls [laughs], but it’s not a beautiful theatre or anything; now it’s just full of pokies and doesn’t have [live] music, sadly. Back in the day, they used to have – obviously – good music there, but I don’t think they have any original music there anymore. 

“So there was, like, a sea of about 300 of us down the front just basically genuflecting at the altar of Jeff and his band, and then a bunch of surfers and bogans at the back who didn’t know what was going on, essentially. But the band was pretty exciting. Eventually, everyone sorta went, ‘Woah, what is this? This is something else!’ 

“It was very much a spiritual offering, you know? And I learnt a lot from that, actually. I now realise upon reflection that, to me, all art and all music is an offering to something bigger and greater than us: for some people it’s God and for some people it’s Buddha. And – whatever it is – as an artist, you have the capacity to connect with this otherworldly presence, whether that be aurally as a musician, or visually as a painter, or physically as a dancer, or, you know, as an actor – you do get to access this intangible magic. And [Buckley’s] concert was certainly a real lesson in that, and something that I took into my life moving forward, yeah.”

Was there much between-song banter?

“No, not much banter. He wasn’t rude; he spoke a bit, but not much. It was very much, ‘I’m here, we’re presenting this body of work.’ And by then, the album [Grace] had been out for 18 months. They probably made it two, three years earlier, so the songs were just so ‘in’ them. As a quartet, they were absolutely shit-hot and on fire, and it was such a great experience as an ensemble. Their dynamic range went from triple pianissimo through to triple forte and everything in between. It was exhilarating.”

“Three months after I saw Jeff Buckley live, I started my band george” 

“Three months after I saw Jeff Buckley live, I started my band, george. And then, the next year, Elixir… So I saw Jeff in February ‘96, and we started george in, like, April ‘96 – or we might have already even begun jamming, but it was all at the same time. 

“So it was a truly transformative experience in my journey as a musician. And I’m so grateful I got to live in the same lifetime as him, because [Grace is] a spectacular body of work.

“I was 17 when the record came out, but I discovered it when I was 18 – in my first year at uni [studying opera and jazz at the Queensland Conservatorium], living in a sharehouse, exploring the world as a young, independent woman and discovering the freedoms of that journey – and just about to start a band.

“My brother had just come back from living in Europe, playing and touring, and I was just out of school. Because we’re seven years apart so we loved each other then, but we didn’t have much in common other than music. And it was Buckley where we met and went, ‘Holy crap! What is this?’ In fact, at the gig, my brother basically fainted three times. He was just so overcome by [Buckley’s] voice and his singing, and I think he sort of forgot to breathe, you know? 

“And a lot of people have compared my brother’s voice to Jeff’s – on our albums – and that’s an extraordinary compliment. But hearing Jeff just really fortified my steely determination to a) have my voice sound like myself and no one else, b) write lyrics that were unflinchingly honest and vulnerable, and c) try to make a band sound that was very unique and didn’t sound like someone else. 

“So that was sort of my modus operandi for – well, for my life, but certainly for our debut album [2002’s Polyserena] and EPs [1998’s George, 1999’s You Can Take What’s Mine and 2000’s Bastard Son/Holiday], which were made all around that time. 

“Sadly, Jeff obviously died far too soon after. But, yeah! We [george] were apparently the first band in history, or herstory, to have complete creative control – written in black-and-white – in our record contract, which meant that we had the final say. That was an amazing, empowering thing that I think was no doubt fuelled by seeing Jeff live, and it sort of gave me the agency to do the same in sticking to my vision, yeah.” 

“I’ve taken a very long time getting the exact right players”

“I did [this Grace show] at the Sydney Festival in January with an amazing band, but then Matt Smith, the guitarist, he’s in Thirsty Merc and he’s touring. And, for a number of reasons, it can’t be that band. It’s gonna be half that band, so that’s great; we’ve already got our DNA together. 

“It’s myself and Sarah King, who’s a beautiful singer and violinist, helping me with BVs and the orchestra parts; Steele Chabau on bass, who’s in my band and one of my dearest friends; and then Peter Koopman on guitars, who is incredible – he’s from New Zealand, studied jazz; and Joe Fallon, who is actually a student of my colleague Karin Schaupp – I think he’s done a full Master’s degree in classical guitar, but he also plays with Jaguar Jonze. 

“So because these parts are not easy, you really need people who have excellent technique, and influences of classical and jazz and rock and all of the things – it’s not an easy ask, so I’ve taken a very long time getting the exact right players. I’m just finalising the drummer at the moment.”

“It’s the most difficult thing I’ve ever sung, without a doubt” 

“[Jeff’s vocal range is] really closer to five [octaves] – four to five. Mine’s three. I can get the high stuff, I just can’t get the low stuff. So we’ve had to take some of the tunes up, like, just a second or a minor third, not far. My intention was to do all [of the songs] in the original keys, but it was like, ‘Oh, I’m not a man, I can’t do…’ – particularly the beginning of Mojo Pin is incredibly low – an octave below middle C, which not many females could sing. But I sing as low as possible and I sing as high as possible, so it’s a huge, huge vocal challenge to get through. It’s the most difficult thing I’ve ever sung, without a doubt – I love it! That’s where you grow. And it’s a big tour!”

So which Grace track is the trickiest to sing?

“Um, God, they’re all hard. Every one’s different, because you have the real, all-goin’-for-it, huge rock of Eternal Life and then you’ve got the absolute fragility and triple-pianissimo, colla-voce beauty of Corpus Christi [Carol], and then you’ve got a jazz standard [Lilac Wine] and that sort of other world – yeah, it’s such a ride. It’s amazing.

“I’m frightened and excited all at once. I felt that way when I did the shows at the Sydney Festival, too, but it was just such a cathartic experience.” 

“Kiss me out of desire, baby, not consolation” – swoon-worthy lyrics alert! 

“I know! ‘My kingdom for a kiss upon her shoulder… She is the tear that hangs inside my soul forever…’ – he was just such an unabashedly earnest and vulnerable and honest lyricist, which in the ‘90s, for a man, was pretty rare. You know, he came in the era of Kurt Cobain, and there were other men, of course, singing from their beautiful hearts, but I feel like Jeff gave agency for that level of vulnerability and truth-telling.”

“He was a real renaissance man, but also a total shredder”

“Jeff sang from a place of vulnerability and truth, and a sort of refreshingly raw earnestness, which, in the mid-’90s, that was not happening. His album, in my opinion, was the beginning of the next revolution and generation of singer-songwriters that really spoke from a place of truth and vulnerability; particularly as a man, that was even more rare. And he represented that gentle, beautiful, male energy that was very true and overly romantic, and all the things. 

“He was a real renaissance man, but also a total shredder, and loved metal, so you can hear that in his guitar playing. But then he obviously loved all sorts of music, ‘cause he does Corpus Christi [Carol], which I’m grateful for because Benjamin Britten is one of my favourite composers. So, I’m thankful that he introduced the world to Benjamin Britten, ‘cause I was in fact in utero – in my mum’s tummy – in early 1977 when my mum [renowned opera singer Maggie Noonan] was singing one of his operas, Albert Herring. So I literally heard Britten’s notes in utero. 

“Then Lilac Wine is such a beautiful jazz song, and my dad [Brian Noonan] was a jazz singer. So, in those two worlds, I feel like Jeff reflected my musical DNA so succinctly.” 

Discovering “the magic of Leonard Cohen” through Hallelujah

“I had no idea who Leonard Cohen was [laughs] and, thankfully, [through Buckley’s stunning rendition of Hallelujah] I discovered the magic of Leonard Cohen, who’s an incredible songwriter and storyteller. He’s not a very good singer, but that doesn’t matter; it's his lyrics and stories that are magic. Whereas Jeff is such a divine singer that his version is – without a doubt, in my mind – the best; it’s the only version. I mean, k.d. lang’s is pretty bloody gorgeous as well, but, for me, it’s Jeff’s version that took it to another place, yeah.”

Katie Noonan will embark on her Jeff Buckley’s Grace Tour of Australia from September to November. You can find tickets and more tour information on the Frontier Touring website.

​Presented by Frontier Touring

KATIE NOONAN

​JEFF BUCKLEY’S GRACE TOUR

​AUSTRALIA - SEPTEMBER-NOVEMBER 2025

​WITH SPECIAL GUESTS JACK CARTY* & GEORGIA FIELDS**  

Thursday 18 September - Astor Theatre | Perth, WA with special guest Jack Carty* | Lic. All Ages

Saturday 20 September - Hindley Street Music Hall | Adelaide, SA with special guest Jack Carty* | Lic. All Ages

Friday 26 September - Princess Theatre | Launceston, TAS with special guest Jack Carty* | Lic. All Ages ​

Saturday 27 September - Odeon Theatre | Hobart, TAS with special guest Jack Carty* | Lic. All Ages ​

Friday 3 October - The Play House | Geelong, VIC with special guest Georgia Fields and Andromeda String Quartet** | Lic. All Ages ​

Saturday 4 October - Civic Hall | Ballarat, VIC with special guest Georgia Fields and Andromeda String Quartet** | Lic. All Ages ​

Sunday 5 October - West Gippsland Arts Centre | Warragul, VIC with special guest Georgia Fields and Andromeda String Quartet** | Lic. All Ages

Friday 10 October - Wangaratta Performing Arts & Convention Centre | Wangaratta, VIC with special guest Georgia Fields and Andromeda String Quartet** | Lic. All Ages ​

Saturday 11 October - Albury Entertainment Centre | Albury, VIC with special guest Georgia Fields and Andromeda String Quartet** | Lic. All Ages ​

Sunday 12 October - Canberra Theatre | Canberra, ACT with special guest Jack Carty* | Lic. All Ages ​

Friday 17 October - The Fortitude Music Hall | Brisbane, QLD with special guest Jack Carty* | 18+

Saturday 18 October - The Station SC | Birtinya, QLD with special guest Jack Carty* | Lic. All Ages ​

Friday 24 October - The J | Noosa, QLD with special guest Jack Carty* | Lic. All Ages ​

Saturday 25 October - HOTA | Gold Coast, QLD with special guest Jack Carty* | Lic. All Ages ​

Friday 31 October - Ulumbarra Theatre | Bendigo, VIC with special guest Georgia Fields and Andromeda String Quartet** | Lic. All Ages ​

Saturday 1 November - Gippsland Performing Arts Centre | Traralgon, VIC with special guest Georgia Fields and Andromeda String Quartet** | Lic. All Ages

Sunday 2 November - Hamer Hall | Melbourne, VIC with special guest Georgia Fields and Andromeda String Quartet** | Lic. All Ages ​

Thursday 6 November - Anita’s Theatre | Thirroul, NSW with special guest Jack Carty* | Lic. All Ages ​

Friday 7 November - Enmore Theatre | Sydney, NSW with special guest Jack Carty* | Lic. All Ages ​

Saturday 8 November - Civic Theatre | Newcastle, NSW with special guest Jack Carty* | Lic. All Ages ​

*Jack Carty performing

**Georgia Fields and Andromeda String Quartet performing