Troy Cassar-Daley and Nancy Bates ~ Guitar Festival Review

Troy Cassar-Daley and Nancy Bates Her Majesty’s Theatre Fri 12 Sep, 2025 Country music has been spreading its wings to further horizons around Adelaide in recent times. The 2025 Cabaret Festival featured the popular Trio showcasing the music of three country greats (Dolly Parton, Emmy-Lou Harris, and Linda Ronstadt), and this year’s Guitar Festival has Nancy Bates and Troy Cassar-Daley sharing the bill at Her Majesty’s Theatre. Nancy Bates though is more generic singer-songwriter than a country music performer. She and her 8 piece band opened the show with a set of songs that featured some nice harmonies, interesting lead guitar breaks, and solid bass lines. Bates played both guitar and ukelele. I preferred the several songs on the ukelele:  ukeleles tend to add a brightness and lilt to songs in much the same way as the mandolin does. After the interval, without fanfare, Troy Cassar-Daley is there and straight into his first song. One is immediately struck by the melodic tone of his electric guitar, and the warm, deep resonance of his voice. It’s no wonder that Cassar-Daley has won multiple awards. His songs are in the main catchy and tuneful, with choruses that could easily become ear-worms. He switches effortlessly between acoustic and electric guitar and is obviously adept at both. This guy deserves to feature on the bill of a guitar festival. He’s expert at eliciting various gorgeous tones from his electric, and knows how to balance melody and rhythm. He’s a country rocker at heart. Then on acoustic he tones things down a bit with some delicious picking. He’s a really fine guitar player and knows how to get the best out of the instrument. His songs tell stories that revolve around family and friends and have an authenticity and innocence that invite you into his world. He has a knack for nuance in vocal melody that sets him part from hundreds of others. In his own way Cassar-Daley is something of a powerhouse performer. Just him and his guitars, a wonderful drummer (Mick McCartin), and bass and beautiful back-up vocals from the daughter of an old friend of Troy’s (“I have known her since she was a little kid running around the place”) was all that was needed to deliver a great set of personal stories in song.  A real treat. 4 stars Michael Coghlan This was the only performance of Troy Cassar-Daley and Nancy Bates at the Adelaide Guitar Festival.