Mouseatouille Live Changed My Life

Calista Burrowes reviews their Phoenix Central Park set, 13/8/26

When I stumbled into a very exciting opportunity to see Mouseatouille at Phoenix Central Park, I couldn’t contain my excitement. I had never seen the band live. I’d attempted to, several times now, but each time, I just missed them. So walking into the gorgeous venue, awash in soft lighting and the crowd’s humble murmur, I internally screamed; my inner fan girl contained herself that Thursday night. 

The band, of course, is made up of nine of Naarm’s most exciting yet understated talents. Aside from the staples of every indie band ––rhythm and lead guitars with an assortment of pedals, a rocking bass guitar, and an in-control drum –– there is also a gorgeous and cinematic synth, a keyboard, a trumpet, a trombone, a clarinet, and a violin. Throughout the night, it was this exciting assortment that  took complete control of the audience, guiding our sways and bounces and they moved through their 45-minute set. 

a gorgeous and cinematic synth, a keyboard, a trumpet, a trombone, a clarinet, and a violin … guideD our sways and bounces throughout their 45-minute set.

Mouseatouille brings to mind classic acts such as Wednesday and Black Country, New Road (who they are often compared to), but the nine-piece has, arguably, carved a place of their very own. This show put that hypothesis to the test. Playing some unreleased tracks and hits off their 2025 album DJ Set, they were in full control of their sound, yet there was still an air of fun and of that improvisational and collaborative spirit which has made them so beloved. ‘Mike & Melissa’ marked an early yet sustained high-point in the show, crescendoing into a deeply emotive song that fully encapsulated the best of the band and, looking around, got the audience (who were already on their feet) wanting to sway their hearts out. ‘Music vs Love’, one unreleased track, is definitely a song to keep an ear out for, capturing a darker mood in the set list that still sweetened the audience. 

Watching the band perform, it was abundantly clear how much they care about their craft. Every movement, grand or small, with their instrument or even their posture, embodied a deep reverence for the artistry of musical creation. Because this show did not feel just like any other, rattling off a set list then ending in the same place we began. It felt like a true journey of musicality. 

The final song of the night, ‘O’ Canada’, was not an ending, but a beginning. It was a showcase of nine incredibly talented musicians who will go so, so far. And I felt incredibly lucky to see them ten years into their career and still making music with that beautiful optimism and zeal that every musician begins with. Seeing Mouseatouille live reinvigorated my appreciation of what makes music incredible, and the magic that can happen in the quiet knowledge that those people in front of you know exactly where they are and where they will be going, without the constraint of the straight and narrow path. 

Seeing Mouseatouille live [was] magic: the quiet knowledge that those people in front of you know exactly where they are and where they will be going, without the constraint of the straight and narrow path.