It’s Hard To Be A Fish: Concert Review

It may be a hard time to be a fish, but it’s a great time to be a fan of Montaigne! Tonight saw their return as a headliner to Brisbane as they debuted their new album on tour. We were treated not only to a run through of the whole album, but also to some incredible storytelling and insight from the singer-songwriter AND producer, Montaigne, as well as some beautiful support acts at the start of the night.

This is what happened at Montaigne’s It’s Hard To be A Fish show at The Brightside in Brisbane on July 31^st, 2025.

NEISH

I’ve seen Neish perform before and was wowed by her delicate, but powerful, voice in an acoustic set. Tonight, backed by a full band, Neish showed an emotional tenacity and blossoming confidence as a rising star in the Brisbane music scene. Her music is layered with complexities, perpetuated through both instrumentation and lyricism. Neish’s lyrics are personal and vulnerable, but sung with conviction and beautiful vocals. I’m already looking forward to Neish’s next performance for a chance to hear her exciting and emotional music live again!

Fave song: Bury Me

MEDHANIT

It’s been ages since I’ve seen Medhanit on stage, so I was thrilled to see her announced as the second support act for Montaigne. The alt-pop singer was joined by fellow Tasmanian, Godrich on the decks to make sure that Medhanit’s tracks were just as on point as her vocals during the set. She delivered a dynamic set, blending upbeat R&B with bright pop and dance to hype up the crowd. With a couple of well-placed covers in her sit, Medhanit left plenty of room to showcase her songwriting as well, which saw the crowd treated to her insightful lyrics about the youth, developing a sense of self, and managing evolving relationships.

Fave song: Friends

MONTAIGNE

An atmospheric tune, glassy like a wind chime swaying in the breeze of a beach, settled over the audience. Montaigne took to the stage with their band and began with the hopeful tune Keep Going. I’ve always been a fan of the immersive worldbuilding in Montaigne’s music and hearing them speak to these fantasies is inspiring – I still remember hearing about the frenetic backstory of Making It three years ago and, before that, falling in love with the epics of Glorious Heights. Tonight, Montaigne invited us to join them in the darkness of the ocean where the sun doesn’t quite reach, where sea creatures we can’t quite make sense of exist in peace, and where we can learn to be like a fish. We quickly learnt that these fish were representative of something else – the pain that comes with getting older and realising the our simplistic, youthful understandings about the rest of the world and its creatures can’t account for the choices they make, especially when those choices are sporadic in nature and effect.

Sometimes, it’s better to swim on and away from those things. Their note on Beyond The Glass being about their fiancé lightened the themes of the evening in a buoyant, romantic tune. The album and its tour were a fantastic expression of Montaigne’s new role in the production of their music. The brassy, bubbly instruments throughout songs like Swim Back and So Fast In The Water make for a cohesive and immersive listening experience, especially when Montaigne’s brilliant vocals ebb and flow into those dreamy heights, lifting the audience over their voice.

The album’s playthrough came to a close with Best Case Scenario and It’s All About The Money, which ends the album on a high note, showcasing the singer’s penchant for wry humour and playful expression. Montaigne bends this into their meta-acknowledgement of the classic ‘encore’, simultaneously avoiding the much-adored charade of walking off-stage and then walking back on, while also allowing the audience to give them the applause and gratitude they would have had Montaigne deigned to leave the stage!

I’m going to hold them to their word: we were not going to get any of the BIG hits from the catalogue tonight… but it’s okay because they would be back soon and play them again then. While we’ll always love songs like Because I Love You and Ready, we were treated to some of the underrated classics of Montaigne’s decade in music, beginning with Is This All I Am Good For?

Personally, my excitement dial turned to 11 when we entered the ‘Eurovision’ segment of the evening, starting with Make Me Feel So, a collaboration with Daði Freyr who will be touring internationally with Montaigne soon (I’ll be keeping posted on socials to see this one performed live with the duo!). My favourite bit of Making It and Eurovision lore came up when we got to see JC Ultra performed live – if the multiverse is real, I want to move to the universe where this song won Eurovision. Justice for the aliens!

The show came to a close with the emotional journey that I Am Behind You, followed by I’m A Fantastic Wreck brought us on. Montaigne is another artist who truly understands their fanbase and I hope that it’ll blossom and bloom as they greet an international audience later this year. We’ve only just been welcomed to the world of It’s Hard To Be A Fish, something that I’m still sinking into as the tracks flood my streaming services. But I’m already excited to see the next world Montaigne dreams up to share with us and hope we’ll get a chance to journey there soon.

Fave song: Beyond The Glass

SOUNDS GOOD?

Make sure to give It’s Hard To Be A Fish a listen now if you haven’t had a chance to yet! And you might consider checking out some songs from these artists that I think you’ll like if you love Montaigne:

Tom Cardy – Guilty by association, Cardy has collaborated with Montaigne before. He’s a satirical musician pumping out hilarious hits on TikTok (I have to recommend his Jurassic Park recap if you don’t want to start with Red Flags).

Alex the Astronaut – Alex the Astronaut has a totally different musical style – not the oceanic outlook from underneath, but the beachy perspective from the sun and the surface. She’s upbeat while maintaining emotional honesty and understanding.

Vera Blue – If you admire Montaigne’s vocal flourishes and emotionally driven performance, you might also appreciate the Vera Blue’s musical style. She allows pacing to reveal the depth of her voice and put forward the power in truth.