Kate Ceberano Covers Divinyls Classic ‘Boys In Town’

Kate Ceberano has delivered a powerful new live version of the Divinyls’ iconic debut single ‘Boys In Town’, first brought to life by the late, great Chrissy Amphlett.

The performance has now been captured on Ceberano’s new album Australian Made Live, a record that celebrates some of the greatest Australian songs of all time. The accompanying live video showcases Ceberano at her most electric, embracing the attitude and defiance of Amphlett while putting her own unmistakable soul into the delivery.

Boys In Town was the breakout single for Divinyls in 1981, released as part of the soundtrack for the film Monkey Grip. Written by Christina Amphlett and Mark McEntee, the track introduced Australia – and later the world – to Amphlett’s fierce stage presence and uncompromising vocal style.

The song reached number 8 on the ARIA chart, establishing Divinyls as a new force in Australian rock. It captured the raw energy of the pub rock scene of the early 80s, while also providing a feminist edge with Amphlett’s commanding persona. Decades later, Boys In Town remains a staple in the story of Australian music.

Ceberano has long paid tribute to Australian music through her own work. During the Superstars Live tour with Jon Stevens in 2024, Ceberano regularly included Boys In Town in her setlist.

The Noise11 review of that show noted how seamlessly Ceberano shifted between her own classics and the songs of others, with Boys In Town standing out as one of the night’s fiercest highlights.

Kate’s performance of the song is not a carbon copy of Amphlett’s. Where Chrissy’s original was raw and jagged, Ceberano infuses it with her jazz-soul phrasing and commanding presence. It is a tribute that feels authentic, heartfelt, and above all respectful to Amphlett’s enduring legacy.

Kate Ceberano’s version of Boys In Town is featured on her 2025 album Australian Made Live, available now via JB Hi-Fi. The album captures Ceberano’s celebration of Australian music history, with covers of classics by INXS, Models, The Church, Hunters & Collectors, The Black Sorrows, Cold Chisel, Skyhooks, and of course, Divinyls.

The tracklisting is a tour through decades of iconic Australian songs. Highlights include INXS’s Burn For You, The Church’s Under The Milky Way, The Black Sorrows’ Harley and Rose, and Cold Chisel’s You Got Nothing I Want. Ceberano also revisits her own hits with Brave, Pash and Bedroom Eyes.

Tracklisting – Australian Made Live (with credits)
Australian Made 2025 (Intro)
Out Of Mind Out Of Sight – Models (James Freud)
Can’t Help Myself – Icehouse (Iva Davies)
Straight Lines (Interlude) – Silverchair (Daniel Johns, Julian Hamilton)
Hold On – Kate Ceberano (Kate Ceberano, Jessica Fairlie, Rodrigo Bustos)
Burn For You (Interlude) – INXS (Andrew Farriss, Michael Hutchence)
The Way I Made You Feel – Ed Kuepper (Ed Kuepper)
Under The Milky Way – The Church (Steve Kilbey, Karin Jansson)
All Tied Up – Kate Ceberano, Steve Kilbey, Sean Sennet (Ceberano, Kilbey, Sennet)
Quasimodo’s Dream – The Reels (Dave Mason)
Slave – James Reyne (James Reyne, Jim Vallance)
Brave – Kate Ceberano (Kate Ceberano, Phil Ceberano)
Harley and Rose – The Black Sorrows (Joe Camilleri, Carl Smith, Nick Smith)
Wish You Well – Bernard Fanning (Bernard Fanning)
You Got Nothing I Want – Cold Chisel (Jimmy Barnes)
Eagle Rock (Interlude) – Daddy Cool (Ross Wilson)
It’s A Man’s World – Renée Geyer (James Brown)
Boys In Town – Divinyls (Christina Amphlett, Mark McEntee)
I Touch Myself – Divinyls (Billy Steinberg, Tom Kelly, Christina Amphlett, Mark McEntee)
I Hear Motion / Talking To A Stranger – Models / Hunters & Collectors (James Freud, Sean Kelly, Andrew Duffield, Mark Seymour, John Archer, Geoff Crosby, Doug Falconer, Robert Miles, Greg Perano, Ray Tosti-Guerra)
Do You Wanna Be / Trust Me / Holy Word – I’m Talking (Ceberano, Charlesworth, Cox, Goodge, Hogarth, Newman)
Chandelier – Sia (Sia Furler, Jesse Shatkin)
Joker & The Thief – Wolfmother (Andrew Stockdale, Myles Heskett, Chris Ross)
Pash – Kate Ceberano (Kate Ceberano, Mark Goldenberg)
Bedroom Eyes – Kate Ceberano (Raymond Jones, Sam McKinney)
If You Leave Me Can I Come Too? / Barbados – Mental As Anything / Models (Martin Plaza; James Freud, Andrew Duffield)
I See Red – Split Enz (Tim Finn)
Cake and the Candle – Kate Ceberano & Paul Kelly (Paul Kelly)