Laufey’s Matter of Time Tour Casts a Spell Over Australia

The Icelandic singer-songwriter’s Matter of Time Tour transforms Brisbane Entertainment Centre into a celebration of musicianship, storytelling and genuine artistry—confirming her remarkable rise from theatre favourite to arena headliner.

Laufey returned to Brisbane on Monday as part of her global Matter of Time Tour. Two years ago, she was playing to 1,500 people. Tonight, it’s a full house, with almost 15,000 people in the room at the Entertainment Centre.

To say the vibe was upbeat before Laufey took the stage would be an understatement. Fans in costume were everywhere, and they looked terrific. The merch lines were almost out the door. The audience went crazy at the sight of Mei Mei the Bunny before the show started.

Laufey occupies a unique place in contemporary music. Drawing equally from jazz, classical music and classic pop songwriting, she’s introduced a new generation to musical traditions many assumed belonged to another era.

If you wanted to know about the Icelandic artist’s influences, the pre-show mixtape offered a few clues. The Ronettes, Dusty Springfield, The Cranberries and Lana Del Rey were among the highlights.

The show opened with a Hollywood silent-era movie as the band credits rolled on the huge screens positioned either side of the stage. A fanfare played, and there was Laufey in a yellow dress surrounded by dancers.

This was Act I of a five-act performance.

The show opened with ‘Clockwork’ and ‘Lover Girl’ from the current album from which the tour takes its name. Mesmerising from the outset, other highlights included ‘Bored’ and ‘Dreamer’, both from Bewitched.

With Laufey centre stage, she was flanked for the majority of the night by a four-piece band and a string quartet. She moved effortlessly between acoustic guitar, piano and cello throughout.

Beautifully staged, the main set featured a fairytale castle-inspired dual staircase with a porch swing and arches above.

By Act II, Laufey was on the move to a B-stage featuring herself, bass, keyboards and drums. The stripped-back set opened with ‘Old Devil Moon’, the classic show tune from Finian’s Rainbow that has been covered by everybody from Frank Sinatra to Peggy Lee and then some. Tonight, you could hear a pin drop. ‘Let You Break My Heart’, which was nothing short of stunning.

Act III began with Laufey on acoustic guitar and featured a trio of songs from the current record: ‘Carousel’, ‘Forget Me Not’ and ‘Cuckoo Ballet (Interlude)’. The stage now felt like a music box brought to life.

Despite the number of shows Laufey has performed on this tour, nothing felt rote. A lot of that has to do with Laufey’s gift for chatting with her audience, which was heartfelt and often very funny. No one there will forget the sugar glider and the python she was introduced to backstage before the show began. Or that she chose a yellow dress because she saw Brisbane sitting neatly between the Gold Coast and the Sunshine Coast on the map, and the colour seemed fitting.

Without giving away too many spoilers, the show was magic from start to finish. It was one of those rare gigs that transported everyone in the room somewhere special — and that’s a rare thing to pull off.

‘Madwoman’ in Act IV was incredible. ‘Tough Luck’, ‘Snow White’ and ‘From the Start’ took us towards the final act. During the encore, Laufey spoke about bringing a show built on “real artistry and real intentions”. The communal applause felt like a rallying cry against AI.

Before she left, she asked the audience to make their own art and to take a chance on themselves by creating.

What a night. And what an extraordinary artist.