As winter starts to set in, Australian Steph Strings brought a bit of southern hemisphere musical warmth to Vancouver, BC.
When Steph Strings sings (say that fast three times!), her powerful voice with its Aussie undertones, conjures visions of kangaroos and koalas, sun splashed Great Barrier Reef beaches and endless outback highways. The Melbourne/San Remo-based singer-songwriter recently brought her unique Australian musical visions to St. James Hall, briefly transporting a sold-out crowd to another hemisphere.
Coming off a brief US West coast run through Colorado, California, Washington, and concluding in Canada (Vancouver was the tour’s last stop), Steph performed a number of new songs from her forthcoming debut album, Feel Alive (due Jan. 9), as well as a selection of older tunes from her rapidly expanding catalog.
Though one might think that a debut album could indicate that the artist is a relative newcomer, in Steph’s case making that assumption would be a mistake and a disservice. At 25, she’s been performing for nearly a decade, first as a busker, then as an independent recording artist releasing a number of EPs and singles, all while creating a rather formidable social media presence.
Channeling influences like John Butler, Tash Sultana, and Ziggy Alberts, her music ranges from soft acoustic ballads to foot-stomping blues-rock funk that, in a live setting, translates into a thrilling interactive experience for listeners and artist alike. For those of us familiar with an earlier era of Australian rock, Steph’s music recalls (and follows in the footsteps of) the pop sensibility of Men at Work, the raw power of Midnight Oil, and the folk leanings of The Waifs.
Stream Steph Strings’ first EP, Allegoric Oceans, on Spotify:
Her debut EP, Allegoric Oceans, appeared in January 2018, followed in 2022 by her second EP, Wildfire. Meanwhile, her YouTube channel boasts nearly 70,000 subscribers with millions of views, though as recently as 2020 she was still busking.
“One of the best things about busking is meeting the locals and feeling a sense of community. I love when I’m playing and passers-by are rushing, all busy and occupied and then they stop and give me a look, almost as if to say, ‘thanks for making me stop and smile’.” Now, with a new album on the way, a couple of summer gigs in Australia, and a European tour set to begin in March (with more dates sure to follow), one wonders if she’ll have any time left to busk.
Which brings us to a chilly and drizzly November night in Vancouver. After a relaxed and introspective opening set on Nov. 21 from Vancouver Island-based singer-songwriter, Andi Stewart, Steph strode onstage dressed in denim and cradling her Pratley OM Blackwood/Bunya Cutaway guitar (eventually augmented by a stomp box and tambourine). Opening with a pair of instrumentals, the Pratley’s open tuning creating resonant and deeply satisfying melodies that filled the chapel-like listening room, Steph then introduced “LILA” with a lengthy story about a witch who predicted the singer’s future. Steph’s gorgeous cover of Xavier Rudd’s “Follow the Sun” allowed a soft moment of reflection before the show’s (and Steph’s) energy took centerstage with the up-tempo roots rock of “Blood and Bone” and the current single, “Devil Woman.”
Watch the official music video for “Devil Woman” by Steph Strings on YouTube:
Boosted by a brilliant smile, piercing eyes, and a gift for gab, Steph’s stage presence kept the crowd enraptured with her lively song stories and expert musicianship. Pivoting from the spookiness of the previous number, she redirected the room’s energy toward positivity, introducing the new song, “Gratefully” and inviting the audience’s participation. A smattering of recent single releases followed; “Cradle Mountain,” “Back at Me,” and “Dusty Road,” the latter an invitation to self-care.
The 90-minute set closed with “San Remo,” a complex instrumental piece dedicated to her hometown that begins with subdued fingerpicking, gradually becomes a full on, boisterous bolero-like celebration, and eventually returns to a quiet, gentle outro. In a nod to the improvisational nature of her music, Steph mentioned that when she performs the song the opening and closing segments are always slightly different.
Watch a solo live performance of “San Remo” by Steph Strings on YouTube from CUBE Street Sessions via YouTube:
For the encore, and as many performers do nowadays, Steph “pretended” to leave the stage, swiftly returning to perform her 2023 single, “Lion.” The song’s urgent, syncopated beat was amplified halfway through as she converted her guitar into a beat box, before returning to the verse and the song’s bluesy rock feel.
And just like that, we were no longer south of the equator but rather contemplating the return to Vancouver’s cold night air. As the lights came up, audience members turned to each other, broad smiles on their faces, murmuring words like “amazing” and “incredible” or simply, “wow.” Before we exited, though, the scrum that formed around the merch table for both Steph and Andi put an exclamation point on the evening’s warmth and power.
Here are some more photos of Steph Strings in performance at Vancouver’s St. James Hall on Nov. 21, 2025. All photos courtesy of and copyright Mark Caicedo.
