Stephen Cummings returns with Joy, a deeply personal EP reinterpreting five decades of Australian songwriting, alongside a rare Melbourne performance and a new video for Living In The Balance.
by Paul Cashmere
Stephen Cummings has unveiled a new chapter in a career that has stretched across five decades, announcing the release of his EP Joy alongside a rare full-band Melbourne performance and a striking new video for Living In The Balance.
The four-track collection, released on 12-inch vinyl and digital formats via Cheersquad Records & Tapes, finds Cummings revisiting songs that have shaped his musical landscape. Drawing from material originally recorded between 1971 and 2021, Joy reframes works by Spectrum, Pel Mel, Jess Ribeiro and Dag through Cummings’ singular interpretive lens.
Produced by longtime collaborator Robert Goodge, the EP features a carefully assembled ensemble of musicians who have been central to Cummings’ creative orbit in recent years. Among them are Sam Lemann, Graham Lee, Bill McDonald and Michael Davis, alongside Leah and Andi Senior whose harmonies bring a luminous, atmospheric quality to the recordings.
The tracklisting reflects both the breadth of Australian songwriting and Cummings’ instinct for narrative depth:
Living In The Balance, originally by Dag
Unfamiliar Ground, originally by Jess Ribeiro
No Word From China, originally by Pel Mel
Fly Without Its Wings, originally by Spectrum
Each performance is marked by restraint and emotional clarity, qualities that have become even more pronounced in Cummings’ work following the life-changing stroke he suffered in 2020. Since then, his recordings have taken on a more intimate tone, shaped by physical limitations but also by a renewed focus on phrasing, breath and storytelling.
That evolution was first fully realised on his 2023 album 100 Years From Now, a record that documented both recovery and reinvention. The same core group of collaborators from that project returns on Joy, maintaining a continuity of sound while exploring material that predates Cummings’ own career.
Coinciding with the EP announcement is the release of a new video for Living In The Balance, directed by Mark Bakaitis. The film is set largely within the Heavenly Queen Temple in Footscray, a vast Taoist complex dedicated to the sea goddess Mazu. Its visual scale and spiritual symbolism provide a compelling backdrop to the song’s introspective mood, grounding Cummings’ performance in a distinctly Melbourne setting.
To mark the release, Cummings will take to the stage for a one-off matinee performance at George Lane in St Kilda. The venue carries its own historical resonance, situated within the same building that housed the Crystal Ballroom, where Cummings performed with The Sports in 1979 during the height of Melbourne’s post-punk and new wave explosion.
The show will feature the Joy material alongside selections from his acclaimed 1988 album Lovetown and other key works from his catalogue. It will also be his first full-band Melbourne performance since 2023, adding further weight to what is expected to be an emotionally charged return.
Opening the afternoon is Leah Senior, who will perform a solo set before joining Cummings on stage. Her presence, both as a collaborator and performer in her own right, has become an integral part of Cummings’ recent recordings, with her voice adding a distinct harmonic dimension to his work.
Cummings’ career traces back to the mid-1970s with The Pelaco Brothers before he achieved national prominence as the frontman of The Sports. The band’s blend of rock, R&B and new wave produced a series of Australian hits including Don’t Throw Stones and How Come, and established Cummings as one of the country’s most distinctive vocalists.
His subsequent solo career has been defined by a willingness to shift stylistic ground, from the dance-inflected textures of Senso to the understated, narrative-driven approach of Lovetown. While commercial success has been intermittent, his body of work has remained consistently regarded for its lyrical precision and emotional nuance.
With Joy, Cummings turns his attention outward, interpreting songs by others while simultaneously deepening his own artistic voice. The result is a work that connects generations of Australian music, linking early 1970s songwriting through to contemporary compositions, all filtered through an artist whose perspective continues to evolve.
Stephen Cummings – EP Release Show
Saturday 2 May 2026, St Kilda, George Lane
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