Whenever an artist looks like they’re enjoying themselves on stage – fully present, shoulders back, relaxed, eyes alight – the audience can’t help but enjoy themselves too, because we take our cues from who’s on stage. When country-pop artist Tori Darke took to the stage at Surly’s in Sydney to launch her new EP, Who I Am, which will be released on 6 November 2026, she was clearly having fun from the get-go. We could hear it in her voice too – big, open, capturing attention.
Accompanied by Tameka Kennedy and Mickey Pye – with Tameka having played the opening set – Darke took us through a selection of previous hits and gave us a hint of the EP. Songs in the set included ‘You Better Think’, written with Sarah Grace Buckley; ‘Ashes’, written with Melanie Dyer, and ‘Trouble’, written and originally recorded with Jay Santilli. Darke credited her co-writers each time, which not only gave us information about the song but about the collaborative relationships she’s built.
Her songs are always strong melodically – earworms each time – and while she can certainly do a great party song, she’s also adept at contemplation, as in 2022’s ‘Sit in a Bar’.
Darke mentioned during the set that she took a break from music for quite a while; ‘Sit in a Bar’ marked her return, and I interviewed her about it at the time. I remember thinking she could have come back with party songs – there was probably more risk in more melancholy song. It is such a strong song, though, and she backed herself with it, and since then she’s been building and building her audience.
In the middle of the set there was a brief Q&A with Ian ‘Dicko’ Dixon, who has been working with Darke. This wasn’t a chat about the songs but about Darke as an artist. Dixon asked her about ambition, saying she’s backed up ambition with innovation and risk taking.
‘I’m ready to take everything with two hands,’ said Darke of her plans, which include overseas performances next year, after building her audience in the United Kingdom in particular.
The set closed with ‘My Boots Made Me Do It’, a song which was released last year and which Darke said changed her life – the close-to-a-million streams on Spotify alone tell us how successful it’s been.
Of the five EP tracks, two have been released: ‘Prettiest Wreck’ and ‘Who I Am (Without You)’. The other three remain a mystery until the 6th … and if Darke had half as much fun recording them as she did performing at her launch, the EP will be the perfect way to see yourself into the weekend, and the summer beyond.
