The Factory Theatre feels like a time capsule tonight, the kind of intimate venue where you see an artist right before their inevitable ascent into the stratosphere. The artist in question: Ciara Mary-Alice Thompson, better known as CMAT, a Dublin export with an arsenal of songs that blend humour and heartbreak into infectious, earworm-laden brilliance. It’s her first-ever Australian tour, splitting time between headlining gigs in Melbourne and Sydney and sharing the stage with The Teskey Brothers, Band of Horses, and Sierra Ferrell on A Day On The Green.
CMAT’s backstory is the stuff of modern myth. Charli XCX once told her to “figure it out” and start making her own music, a piece of advice that catalysed her transformation from broke dreamer to Ireland’s reigning chart queen. Two albums later—If My Wife New I’d Be Dead (2022) and Crazymad, for Me (2023)—and CMAT has not only secured back-to-back No. 1s on the Irish album charts but also a Brit Award nomination. She’s gone from living in her own head to appearing on Jools Holland’s Annual Hootenanny, delivering a spine-tingling rendition of Without You that announced her arrival to the wider world.
Opening the night with an easy charm and a knack for storytelling, Ella Hooper turns her set into more than just a warm-up—it’s a gathering of old friends who haven’t seen each other in years. Her setlist feels handpicked for maximum nostalgia and good vibes, her rapport with the audience as natural as the music itself. It’s a reminder of why she’s been a constant presence in the Australian music landscape.
CMAT’s live set is equal parts stand-up comedy, cabaret, and confession. The lyrics tackle heartbreak, insecurity, and existential dread, but they’re stitched together with a sharp, self-deprecating wit that never lets the sadness take over. You laugh, you cry, and you marvel at how someone can write songs that feel as specific as a diary entry but as universal as a karaoke anthem.
From the moment she strides onto the stage in white cowboy boots, it’s as if a fuse has been lit. CMAT is a tornado of charisma, high-kicking and shimmying with her bandmates, effortlessly blurring the line between performer and best mate you’ve had one too many wines with. She pauses to tell us her brother is manning the merch table and that half the audience seems to be cousins, childhood friends, or people she went to school with. She thanks the Teskey Brothers for bringing her along for A Day on the Green while fans shout “We love you!” in the gaps between songs.
The banter flows as naturally as the music. She recounts being caught in a rip at Coogee earlier in the day, her near-mishap delivered with the comedic timing of someone telling an anecdote at the pub. During “Can’t Make Up My Mind,” she plunges into the crowd, arms and hearts opening to her as though she were a long-lost friend. When she re-emerges on stage, she’s holding a hot-pink bra—a gift tossed her way, which she accepts with the giddy nonchalance of someone who knows she’s among her people.
And then comes the moment that cracks the night wide open. She shares how Australian audiences have been telling her she’s giving off “Chrissy Amphlett vibes” who she says is a legend. Without missing a beat, the band launches into a jubilant cover of “I Touch Myself.” CMAT beams at the room, telling us that In Melbourne, she felt like the Beatles. But tonight, here in Sydney she feels like Beyoncé. And for those of us packed into the Factory, she’s not wrong.
Watching CMAT tonight, it’s impossible not to imagine her playing arenas soon, following in the footsteps of peers like Chappell Roan, whose rise she seems poised to match. This is the kind of show where years later, you’ll tell anyone who will listen, “I saw her back when…”
There are two more A Day On The Green shows this weekend featuring The Teskey Brothers, Band Of Horses, Sierra Ferrell, CMAT and Charlie Needs Braces.
Head HERE for more information.
A DAY ON THE GREEN Remaining shows:
A Day On The Green – Saturday 18 January – Bimbadgen, Hunter Valley, NSW
A Day On The Green – Sunday 19 January – Sirromet Wines, Mount Cotton, QLD
4 comments