. . . Photo – Dean Podmore . . . . . . . . . . . . CLICK THE PIC TO VIEW THE NEWS
PAUL KELLY
unveils powerful new single
‘THE BODY KEEPS THE SCORE’LISTEN HERE / WATCH HERE
From KELLY’s forthcoming album
‘SEVENTY’
out November 7th, 2025PRE-ORDER HERE NOW
RED HOT SUMMER 2026 TICKETS ON SALE NOW
CLICK HERE FOR DATES & TICKETS“He’s forever connecting us back to memory, to place, to home.” – THE AGE (5 stars)
Fresh from a phenomenal sold-out arena tour of Australia and New Zealand, Paul Kelly today releases ‘The Body Keeps The Score’, the deeply affecting second single from his forthcoming album SEVENTY (released November 7).
The track follows the runaway success of ‘Rita Wrote A Letter’ – Kelly’s long-awaited sequel to the beloved Australian classic ‘How To Make Gravy’ – and arrives as the master storyteller is announced as headliner for Red Hot Summer Tour 2026, with tickets on sale NOW.
‘The Body Keeps The Score’ finds Kelly at his most contemplative, transforming Bessel van der Kolk’s groundbreaking investigation into trauma into a haunting musical meditation. The song explores how complex trauma can become buried in our bodies, surfacing unexpectedly to affect not only those who experienced it but those who love them.
“On a road trip, years ago, from Mullumbimby to Melbourne, I listened to the audiobook ‘The Body Keeps The Score’ by Bessel van der Kolk,” Kelly explains. “It’s an investigation into the complex effects of trauma, how it can become buried in our bodies. How it can surface unexpectedly and cause harm not only to the person who experienced the trauma but to those who love them. I carried the title with me ever since that drive until one day last year at Bill Miller’s place, playing around with a tune, the words started to come out.”
The track features acclaimed Australian musician and APRA Song of the Year 2018 winner Bill Miller, who co-wrote the song and provides vocal harmonies and e-bow, adding atmospheric depth to Kelly’s masterful storytelling.
Kelly’s recent sold-out arena tour reinforced his position as Australia’s unofficial poet laureate, with Rolling Stone declaring: “He is one of the grand masters of songwriting and our unofficial poet laureate. This year he turned 70, and long may he run.” The Age reflected on his enduring cultural impact: “Kelly’s set got me thinking about how he’s baked into our national consciousness, and perhaps played a part in forming it.”
The announcement of Kelly as Red Hot Summer 2026 headliner promises another chapter in his extraordinary live performance legacy. Supported by Missy Higgins, The Cruel Sea, The Cat Empire, Kasey Chambers, and Jess Hitchcock, the outdoor festival series is set to be one of the summer’s hottest tickets. Click here for more information.
.“The band and I have many great memories from our last Red Hot Summer tour. We’re looking forward to making some new ones!” Kelly says.
At 70, Kelly continues to prove why he remains Australia’s most treasured musical storyteller. His forthcoming album SEVENTY showcases an artist still at the peak of his powers, drawing from sources as varied as W.B. Yeats and Lord of the Rings while maintaining the intimate, deeply human touch that has made him the chronicler of modern Australian life. The album’s cover, featuring a striking portrait by photographer Dean Podmore, pays homage to the iconic 1988 Jon Lewis photograph of Paul – a visual echo that bridges nearly four decades of artistry and reflects the album’s themes of taking stock and celebrating continuity.
From the streets of St Kilda to the vast emotional landscapes of the human experience, Kelly’s four-decade career has created a songbook that spans everything from bluegrass to experimental dub, from Shakespeare sonnets to multilingual Christmas albums. His legendary compositions have become part of Australia’s cultural DNA, while his collaborations with Indigenous artists including Kev Carmody, Archie Roach and Yothu Yindi have seen him stand shoulder to shoulder in the fight for justice.
As The Age notes: “He’s forever connecting us back to memory, to place, to home.” With ‘The Body Keeps The Score’, Kelly once again demonstrates his unparalleled ability to transform the most complex human experiences into songs that resonate across generations.
PAUL KELLY
NEW ALBUM ‘SEVENTY’RELEASED NOVEMBER 7th
Album Tracklisting
1. Tell Us A Story (Part A)
2. Don’t Give Up On Me (feat. Meg Washington)
3. Rita Wrote A Letter
4. The Body Keeps The Score
5. I Keep On Coming Back For More
6. Take It Handy
7. Happy Birthday, Ada Mae
8. The Magpies
9. Made For Me (feat. Rebecca Barnard)
10. Sailing To Byzantium
11. My Body Felt No Pain
12. I’m Not Afraid Of The Dark
13. Tell Us A Story (Part B)Follow PAUL KELLY
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.About PAUL KELLY
Over forty years and across thirty albums, Paul Kelly has made himself unique among world songwriters by the sheer range and innovation of his work. Few songwriters find ways to keep that creative fever burning for as long and as brightly as Kelly.
From St Kilda to King’s Cross, from the bus ride through the cane in To Her Door to the span-of-life sweep of Deeper Water, Kelly has written the soundtrack to Australian life. He has penned songs about the country’s greatest cricketer in Bradman and its most infamous bushranger in Our Sunshine. Some songs take their time to make their mark – How to Make Gravy, a message from a prisoner who can’t be home for Christmas, wasn’t a hit when released in 1996 but is now recognised as an Australian classic.
His collaborations have been equally remarkable. From Little Things Big Things Grow, co-written with Kev Carmody about the 1966 Wave Hill strike, has taught more Australians about the history of land rights than newspaper headlines ever could. Since the late eighties, Kelly has worked with many Indigenous artists including Archie Roach and Yothu Yindi, standing side by side in their fight for justice.
Kelly’s artistic restlessness has led him down fascinating paths. He’s set Shakespeare sonnets to music (Seven Sonnets & a Song), created albums ranging from bluegrass (Smoke) to experimental dub (Professor Ratbaggy), and collaborated with jazz pianist Paul Grabowsky (Please Leave Your Light On). His 2021 Christmas double album Christmas Train featured songs in Hebrew, Te Reo Maori, and Latin. He even found time to write what’s been called “the finest and most unflinching autobiography ever written by an Australian musician” – How to Make Gravy.
His 2017 album Life is Fine became his first No 1 album and that year Kelly won two ARIA Awards. He has received 17 ARIA awards for recording and five APRA awards for songwriting and was inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame in 1997. His Order of Australia in 2017 acknowledged distinguished service to the performing arts and the promotion of the national identity.
At 70, Kelly remains creatively vital. Recent albums like 2024’s Fever Longing Still and now SEVENTY showcase an artist still at the peak of his powers, still finding new ways to move the fingers, the music, the heart, the mind. The first words you hear on SEVENTY are “Tell us a story.” The last words are “Put another big log on the fire.” And we’re back in the kellyverse of love, loss, legend, wit, poetry and tales tall and true.
With Paul Kelly, there’s always a surprise.
.AMNPLIFY – DB
My nickname is “The Amnplifier”. Why? Because around here my focus is on being a conduit for providing greater outcomes that people come here for. My day to day “work” is living in the moment, and I love helping others concentrate on finding their connection to themselves through their experiences.
Why start a music environment? The truth is I love music, I love writing, and I love life. I work with musicians every day, and I feel certain that I will be until they put me in the ground. I have been managing people in businesses of some sort for over thirty five years so along the way I have developed some “wisdom” from my regular and constant “observations”.
Amnplify your experience. That is what we want you to do here, and if you want to let me know why you do, or don’t, shoot me a message on Facebook.
Hope you enjoy yourself here and find something that hits you somewhere.
