Returning in 2025 after a celebrated debut, the enchanting Late Night Orchestra is back, re-imagining the sultry 1990s sounds of influential UK trio Massive Attack. Bringing together some of Australia’s finest musicians, this extraordinary ensemble will be paying homage to the legacy of Massive Attack and the Trip Hop era.
We caught up with Australia’s darling Katie Noonan for a chat about the show and what she loves about one of the most influential bands of the trip-hop era. Katie will be performing alongside Adrian Eagle, Thandi Phoenix, and THNDO to bring a spectacular show to venues around the country this August.
What drew you to be part of the Late Night Orchestra and perform Massive Attack’s music
in this unique setting?
The album Mezzanine and the British trip hop movement was a huge influence on me in the mid
– late 90’s as I was emerging into adulthood and learning to find my place in the world as a
singer songwriter. I clearly remember the first time I heard “Teardrop” and saw that
extraordinary video and fell in love with Elizabeth Fraser’s voice and the sonic world of the band.
How do you approach reinterpreting such iconic songs while staying true to their essence?
It’s always a delicate balance as this is not a tribute show – this concert features 4 integrous
artists who have their own unique vocal styles and colours, so for want of a better word it will be
a ‘reimagining’ of these iconic tunes with a truly awesome band and string section.
Massive Attack’s music is known for its deep emotional impact. Is there a particular song in
the setlist that resonates with you personally?
When the idea of the gig came up, I put up my hand for “Teardrop” straight away and bagsed it
(!) ,as I absolutely love that song, I love Elizabeth’s voice and I had recently found out that she
recorded the vocal on the day her former lover Jeff Buckley died. So in this one song are 3 major
influences – Elizabeth and Jeff’s voices and the beautiful lush sounds of Massive Attack.
Can you tell us about the experience of performing with a 12-piece orchestra? How does it
differ from other live performances you’ve done?
There is something truly magical about being part of a larger ensemble where every heart is set
on creating a beautiful combined chamber sound. I am a huge fan of THNDO, Adrian and Thandi,
and my elixir band mate Ben Hauptmann will be on guitars so it will be a beautiful vibe amongst
friends old and new.
Trip-hop blends various genres—jazz, electronica, soul. How do you incorporate your own
vocal style into this genre?
My style is just me being me – my obsession has always been about sounding like no one else
and focusing on integrity and honesty in my music and my voice. My classical bel-canto
technique transfers into all my various musical meanderings and this will be no different. One
thing I love about this trip hop movement is the gentle intimacy of the vocals – I don’t have a big
sound and I love that I can sit in that quite part of my voice and focus on the emotional delivery
and enjoy singing mezzopiano.
The Late Night Orchestra is described as the “ultimate house band for the greatest afterparty
that never existed.” How does that energy translate into the live performance?
Ohhhh unfortunately I missed the last season so I am excited to discover this space, and I know it
will be an amazing experience to play these songs from such an integral embryonic part of my
musical life.
What do you hope audiences take away from this reimagining of Massive Attack’s music?
A chance to go back to a time when there was a LOT of really awesome new music being made –
it was a time of bravery, being unique and creating new sound worlds – it was super inspiring to
be a teenager/young adult muso in these times. Particularly in the UK there was a plethora of
amazing bands doing cool stuff I loved – Massive Attack Portishead, Radiohead, Bjork, Tricky,
Zero Seven, Nitin Sawney…all of these artist were super inspiring to me.
This show celebrates the legacy of trip-hop. How has the genre or Massive Attack
influenced your own musical journey?
Enormously – my brother was living in the UK around this time and was gigging and DJ-ing a lot,
and when he came back to Australia in 1996 we formed our band ‘george’ together, so he
brought a lot of that UK influence to the table for myself and the band to learn from.
With performances lined up across multiple cities, do you think each audience will bring a
different vibe? How do you feed off the crowd’s energy during a show?
The energy of every member of the audience effects every gig. Artists are nothing without the
audience and it is that beautiful exchange of energy that makes concerts so profound and
special, and something that no matter how advanced AI or the digital /virtual world gets, will
never be recreated other than from human to human in shared synergy.
I am obviously a hippy from way back, but I genuinely believe musicians, and in particular
singers , are portals for light and energy that connect us with the otherworldly ether we are all
floating in – on and off the stage
LATE NIGHT ORCHESTRA TOUR 2025
With special guest vocalists Adrian Eagle, Katie Noonan, Thandi Phoenix, and THNDO
Saturday 2 August
Astor Theatre
Perth WA
Thursday 7 August
Enmore Theatre
Sydney NSW
Friday 15 August
The Princess Theatre
Brisbane QLD
Saturday 16 August
Northcote Theatre
Melbourne VIC
