Rocking a vintage military jacket over a long, ruffled dress, Kate Ceberano’s outfit embodies the energy of this show – rock and roll with a feminine edge. Ceberano strides out and stands tall behind her drum kit as she launches into The Divinyls ‘All the Boys in Town’. It’s a high energy opening for an evening spent honouring the songs, personalities and pleasures of the Australian live music scene in the last decades of the twentieth century.

Ceberano brought her four decades of experience to an adoring full house at Her Majesty’s Theatre. Her undiminished love of music of this era and the life it lived on the stages of Australian pubs and clubs was on full display. This encore performance of her Australian Made tour moves through a wide selection of classics, interspersing her own hits with tributes to the musicians and bands with whom she shared the stage over the course of her career. Her place within this history carries significant weight as a female singer, songwriter and musician who commanded attention amid the brash swagger of male dominated Australian pub rock.

Guitarist Kathleen Halloran opens the show with an impressive solo set. Armed only with a steel-stringed guitar and a loop pedal, she fills the stage with a presence and vocal chops reminiscent of Chrissie Hynde. ‘Wolves Like You’ and ‘Nobody’s Baby’ from her recently released debut album Nobody’s Baby, show off an impressive rock voice, while excursions into Led Zeppelin and Dire Straits prime the audience for the musical time travel in store once Kate hits the stage.

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Accompanied by two guitarists, Kathleen Halloran and Adelaide’s own Dusty Lee Stephensen, Ceberano fills out a trio with her own skills on drums, keyboard and harmonica. But it’s her incredible voice that anchors the show. From The Easybeats’ ‘I’ll Make You Happy’ to Russell Morris’s ‘The Real Thing’, she slips between genres and moods with absolute command of both the material and her audience.

Between songs, she shares juicy snippets of gossip from a life in music, recalling her first gigs as a teenager and the adventures of getting herself home afterwards. Or not. There’s something of the gloriously indiscreet ‘cool’ aunt about her as she banters with the audience, cheekily throwing in quips from Kath & Kim and her clear delight in Adelaide and its musical heroes gives the night an authentic warmth.

The Angels’ ‘No Secrets’ by local legend Doc Neeson becomes a communal singalong, while the duets showcase the talents of Halloran and Stephensen. Halloran takes Wendy Matthews’s part in ‘You’ve Always Got the Blues’ and Stephensen’s gorgeous voice blends with Ceberano’s for John Farnham’s ‘Burn For You’.

Guest DJ and vocalist Lesley Williams adds a burst of disco and funk, sharing vocals with Ceberano for a gleeful mash-up. And then Ceberano delivers the numbers her fans have been waiting for, ‘Pash’, ‘Bedroom Eyes’ and ‘Brave’ sitting comfortably among the songs she’s drawn together to honour her contemporaries.

Her farewell medley barrels through hits from Mental As Anything, Models, Split Enz and Skyhooks, leaving the crowd glowing with nostalgic affection.

For those who remember these songs from pubs, dance floors and car radios, the warm flush of recognition is potent. Ceberano infuses these songs with a burst of new life, her earthy, generous charisma and powerhouse vocals honouring the past while still holding a theatre full of people in her thrall.

Kate Ceberano performed at Her Majesty’s Theatre on Saturday November 7