The Pretty Littles returned to Adelaide on Friday night, headlining The Lion Arts Factory to celebrate their latest album, Mulga Wire.
Opening the concert and warming up the crowd was local Adelaide band Jon Ann. Self-described as “loud and angry”, the pub punk band rocked out. Ripping away at heavy head-banging groove riffs, the band’s defiant attitude and frontwoman Christie’s punchy vocals reminded me of Amyl and the Sniffers. Their setlist had a little bit of everything, playing new release “Kings Cup”, and a cover of “99 Luftballons”, the band kept the energy high and the audience dancing.
Up next was frontman of iconic Sydney band, Pist Idiots, Jack Griffith, playing a solo set before The Pretty Littles took the stage. Opening for the entirety of The Pretty Littles Australia tour, Griffith’s stripped-back performance and knack for honest Australiana storytelling drew the crowd in, creating an instantly intimate atmosphere. He poured his heart and soul into electric-guitar ballads, songs of pure love, stories of the Arizona landscape, and bad days at work = good days for fishing.
For his last song, he announced, “This is a cover”, and the crowd assumed they were in for a treat, cheering in anticipation. Griffith played Pist Idiots’ “Juliette” to perfectly end his set. The crowd screamed in unison, pointing and singing along to the raw rendition of one of his band’s most recognisable songs.
Then, out come The Pretty Littles, radiating with energy, beaming with excitement and jumping straight into “Hills Hoist” to start the show on the right foot.
The band ripped through songs old and new: mostly tracks from Force, their 2025 smash hit album; a couple of killer songs from Skeleton Run, “Don Dale” went off obviously; “Noobie”, an oldie from Mash; and lots from Mulga Wire, to celebrate the release of the new album. Frontman Jack Parsons channelled all his rage and held nothing back for “Animal Kingdom”, a poetic and politically charged new release that was met with a rowdy response from the crowd.
“Possum” was another absolute standout, with the crowd’s energy building during that siren-like intro, growing with the guitar, and finally peaking with the introduction of drums and lyrics: “it takes balls to be tender!”
Instead of focusing on fending off moshers flailing around, I observed Parsons more closely during “Terracotta”, the last single released before Mulga Wire came out. His eyes were closed for the majority of the song, especially during the chorus, where he delicately sang the lyrics “what a life”. The band chose to perform this one close to the original recording, no extra frills, not intentionally heavier or faster, just the way it was originally meant to be played. It made for a really intimate moment with the crowd, and somehow the song became even more touching. “Terracotta” stood out as one of my favourite songs off Mulga Wire, and it was even more special live.
For the last song before the encore, the band played “Australian Dream”. I was initially shocked to hear the entire crowd singing along to every lyric, reciting all eight minutes of the heartbreaking “suburban bad dream” story. Released as one of the singles from Force, the song dissects foundational flaws and hypocrisies in Australian culture and systems, specifically the shame and judgment around mental illness.
This moment solidified how big an impact The Pretty Littles have, both as a band and as songwriters. Not many bands can pull off a song that goes for nearly ten minutes, let alone get an entire room to recite it word for word, AND write such a raw story about the ugly truths of Australia, that it resonates with everyone in the room.
In that moment, the audience became unified. The song sheds light on what so many people are going through, uncovering a truth buried beneath “larrikinism” and “she’ll be right” attitudes. The performance itself made a huge impact on me, and everyone else in the crowd, which is exactly why it is so important for music like this to exist and continue.
Emerging from the back room onto the smoky stage, the band returned for just a few more songs, bursting into another energetic tune off Force, “Nothing To Do”, and reinvigorated the crowd for the final moments of the show. By then, the mosh pit was so huge it took up most of the floor. Everyone was sucked in and buzzing with energy. Parsons asked for requests from the crowd for the final song, before launching into the lines, “upskirts, boys flirt, bongs sweat, handcuffed on the pavement…”, from the underrated Skeleton Run tune “School”. By now, I had luckily made it to the barricade because I was getting damn near crushed to death. There was not one person in that room who wasn’t headbanging along to the song’s gnarly riff and Parsons screaming “Have a cone!”.
FIVE STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
Their tour is not over yet, so make sure to catch The Pretty Littles on the road! Grab a ticket here.
MULGA WIRE ALBUM TOUR
Saturday 11 July – Republic Bar, Hobart TAS
Saturday 25 July – Lansdowne, Sydney NSW
Friday 31 July – The Brightside, Brisbane QLD
Saturday 1 August – Corner Hotel, Melbourne VIC
Header image credit: Rick Clifford
Reviewer attended 19.06.26
