Full of energy and glamour, Perth Symphony Orchestra (PSO) lit up Perth Festival’s East Perth Power station in more ways than one on the 13th of February 2026. Led by conductor Jessica Gethin and accompanied by international and local stars alike in the form of Meow Meow, Abbe May, Justin Burford, Katy Steele, Rachael Dease, Noah Dillon, and Matt Milford, PSO brought their signature vibrancy and spectacle to the stage. Playing alongside massive projected imagery on the side of the power station, the Orchestra played classic hits like Let’s Dance, Space Oddity and Life on Mars and some tracks just for the David Bowie superfans. Put together, the experience was one of the most immersive and high-octane events you will attend with Orchestra in its name.
The highlights of the night were Justin Burford for his uncanny takes on Bowie’s signature style and Rachel Dease for her rich, heartfelt arrangements from Bowie’s Blackstar. Burford opened and closed the night with a rendition of Let’s Dance, getting the audience on their feet from song one while Dease’s arrangements pulled deeper at the audience’s emotions and brought them right up on stage alongside her. Along the way, each singer brought a unique energy to the hit songs while the comic stylings of Meow Meow brought everything from witty humour to crowd surfing and a pleading performance of Bowie’s Five Years.
Rebel Rebel at Perth Festival. Photography by Thomas Earnshaw.
Not only did this event bring the glam when it came to the music, but it brought it to many with live AUSLAN interpreting, accessible viewing platforms and haptic vests available by request to those requiring them. It is great to see accessibility being considered in the design of the events of Perth Festival rather than an afterthought.
This may have been a one-night special but keep an eye out for more from Perth Festival and Perth Symphony Orchestra as each has a lot more to offer for the rest of the year!