The foyer was already packed, and by the time you squeezed through to the doors of Enmore Theatre, any hope of reaching the barrier had evaporated. This was night one of two sold-out shows at the theatre and fans had claimed their territory hours earlier, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with that unshakeable determination that only comes from knowing every word and waiting all week for this moment.
Linked arms, merch bags, and polite-but-firm refusals to budge turned the standing floor into an immovable mass. But the energy wasn’t chaotic. Instead, a restless excitement hummed through the room as everyone braced for the lights to drop, eyes locked on the empty stage. Jessie Murph has devotees, and they show up early and in force.
Murph is currently midway through her Worldwide Hysteria Tour in support of her sophomore album ‘Sex Hysteria’. After wrapping the U.S. leg in late September, she swept through Europe before touching down in Australia this November for stops in Boorooloo/Perth, Eora/Sydney, Meanjin/Brisbane, and Naarm/Melbourne, with a final show in Auckland.
When Murph finally emerged, she looked like she’d slipped out of time and landed squarely in 2025. She wore a shimmering flapper-style dress, soft curls bouncing as she moved, backed by a small troupe that resembled old-school stagehands more than a modern touring band. It was a perfect fit for the Enmore’s lived-in atmosphere, where decades of voices still hang in the rafters.
She didn’t rush a thing. Opening with ‘Gucci Mane’, she eased the crowd into the night with measured confidence. Her voice sat warm and steady in the room’s acoustics, letting the song’s low corners breathe while the band stayed deliberately understated. The audience settled in rather than scrambling for an immediate climax, and Jessie reached for them.
‘Touch Me Like a Gangster’ arrived with smoky, swaggering charm that suddenly made the flapper dress come alive as Murph twirled and swayed across the stage. She played it with a soft grin, leaning into the song’s edges as she rounded the piano.
The whole show felt beautifully constructed, soft edges, big heart, and the expected sense of sparkle wrapped around a thoroughly modern pop voice. With Jessie Murph, nothing is unintentional. It was a carefully crafted performance that honored both the venue and the devoted fans who’d packed it to the walls hours before showtime.
