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AUSTIN, TX- This was my second time seeing Stella Bridie during this year’s SXSW, and it couldn’t have come at a better moment. The Australian singer-songwriter is thoughtful, still, and quietly commanding on stage. Unfortunately, both my phone and I overheated the first time I caught her set, and I was more focused on finding a cool place to recharge than on absorbing the performance. It wasn’t until this second opportunity that I truly grasped the full impact of her artistry. Stella has an intimacy to her performance that can easily get lost in the chaos of festival energy. I didn’t hear her voice clearly the first time, nor did I notice the emotional potency of her lyricism.
At The Empire Control Room & Garage, she took center stage with barely any voice left after a long week of performances. She mentioned this off the bat and expressed genuine worry about making it through her set. SXSW can be brutal on the body, especially for vocalists, so she earned major points with me for pushing through and delivering a performance that was fragile, heartfelt, and undeniably compelling. Even in a weakened state, her lyrics shimmered—enhanced by her good-natured humor and candid banter between songs.
Her band was an essential part of the moment, adjusting their dynamics to meet her limitations. Rather than overpower her, they leaned into the softness, creating space for the audience to lean forward, to really listen. Stella’s music evokes the homespun charm of fellow Australian songwriters like Courtney Barnett and the introspective melancholy of Faye Webster. There were also moments that reminded me of Beabadoobee’s dreamy indie rock textures. Still, Stella’s lyrical style is unmistakably her own—vivid, direct, and emotionally acute.
A standout moment in the set was “Organ Donor,” a quietly scathing letter to a former flame that laid bare a deep emotional wound. Delivered plainly but piercingly, lyrics like “I lowered myself to the floor / I raised my chin and asked for more / I begged to get to see it through / to spend my life miserable with you” hit like a gut punch. You could almost feel the audience holding their breath.
Bathed in moody stage lighting, the performance became something greater than a set—it was an emotional unveiling. The simplicity of her delivery, the understated patience of her band, and her raw honesty all came together in harmony. Stella didn’t need vocal power to command the room; she simply needed to show up with her songwriting and truth. Every word felt like a drop of water in a slowly rising tide, culminating in a quiet but overwhelming emotional swell.
It’s likely she left the stage feeling like her voice had failed her. But from where I stood, her vulnerability became her strength. As someone who’s performed through vocal strain myself, I understood her struggle. Yet, even in a state of physical depletion, she created a space of connection and stillness. Her songs filled the venue with sweetness, fragility, and strength in equal measure.
Ironically, this second performance far eclipsed the one I had seen earlier in the week. In that set, stripped of vocal perfection but full of presence and feeling, we got to know Stella Bridie not just as a performer—but as a person. And that kind of connection is what live music, at its best, is all about.
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