Lime Cordiale and the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra performed a single stunning show in the Adelaide Festival Theatre within the cadre of the Adelaide Cabaret Festival 2026. Having performed with five other capital cities’ symphony orchestras late last year, the Adelaide announcement was one Adelaide fans had hoped for but thought wasn’t going to happen. Yet, the stars aligned, and the Adelaide Cabaret Festival welcomed them in with open arms.
The orchestra started playing, building the mood before Lime Cordiale walked out on stage. The audience went wild, applauding and yelling far louder than the ASO is probably used to hearing. We may have had a full orchestra before us, but the mood when they walked out was more rock concert than classical orchestra performance.
Lime Cordiale is fronted by two brothers: Oliver and Louis Leimbach. Older brother, Oliver, does the talking throughout the show. Louis is dressed in a suit takes the lead for the first few songs. Oliver. wearing a woollen vest over shirt and tie, dances around and lip synchs the words when it’s not his turn with the mic.
Opening with Money, their 2019 single from the second of their three albums, and following it with Temper Temper, their 2017 single from their debut studio album. Louis is in the lead for these songs. Oliver takes the lead for Addicted to the sunshine.
Oliver introduces some of the songs, jokingly telling us “it’s for you Louis” before announcing Screw loose. It’s a 2020 release with a very Reggae/ska intro, and more of a rap, than singing intro. The song is given a big orchestral solo section, which transforms it into a richer, more dynamic piece.
Naturally put the spotlight on the woodwind section. Enough of the Sweet Talk finishes with vocals alone, marking quite a stark difference to the rest of the song. The faint backing instruments in the intro of the recorded version of Love is off the Table are replaced with a big orchestral opening, with dramatic drums in this orchestral concert version. Colin is given a stunning harp finish. Hanging Upside Down is made over with a haunting, ominous intro. Inappropriate Behaviour is given an almost fairytale like orchestral intro.
The lighting director added further to the experience, with orange spots that pulsated on the word sunshine in Addicted to the sunshine, or pulsed brighter on screw loose. The lighting never distracted from the music happening on stage, but complemented it beautifully.
At the beginning of the show, it amused us a little to see the brothers come out with their guitars. Our initial thought, you’ve got a whole orchestra, you don’t need those. But we were wrong. The guitars ground the performance in Lime Cordiale’s signature indie-pop sound, ensuring the orchestral arrangements enhance rather than overwhelm their identity. And not only did the brothers have their own instruments, up the back behind the orchestra, separated by a glass panel were their touring band Alex Weybury on keys and backing vocals, Jack Howe on guitar and backing vocals, and Luke DiDio on drums.
And because Lime Cordiale are not one trick ponies, they don’t just stick to the one instrument for the entirety of the concert. There are guitar swaps, as well as trombone, saxophone, clarinet and even kazoo.
Alex Turley is to thank for the orchestral arrangements but this wasn’t a simple case of a band saying here’s our songs, go ahead and arrange them. The brothers have classical musical training themselves and it was very much a collaborative process that allowed them to go back to their classical training roots and to use expressions such as “crescendo with fortissimo” rather than “just make it bigger”.
When explaining their classical training, Oliver announces that they’re “doing this for our Mum”, which amuses the audience greatly. However, it is the currently unreleased song from their upcoming album which they wrote for their dying father that truly grabs the audience by the heartstrings. Household name, a song that Oliver said they thought would make their Dad cry, but instead saw him criticising the lyrics, had the intended effect on Adelaide’s audience, with most of us welling up.
Vanessa Scammell has conducted all of the orchestras throughout the tour. Wearing a stunning black ruffled skirt, she could have been the star of the show. At no point did it feel like a competition between band and orchestra, between vocals and orchestra, or between the larrikin brothers and the more formal orchestra. No plans to make plans even sees Scammell and the orchestra pick up kazoos. It’s also at this point in the show that the audience is up, dancing and singing along.
For the first few songs of their set, the sound balance was off. It was difficult to hear the lyrics sung by Louis. We weren’t sure if the orchestra was drowning him out or if his mic wasn’t operating as it should.
The audience was an interesting mix of Lime Cordiale fans, ASO fans, and those who had little knowledge of either. Whether you were a Lime Cordiale Fan, or more into the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, you left seriously impressed.
Lime Cordiale and the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra proved to be an unexpectedly perfect pairing, blending indie-pop charm with orchestral scale in a way that felt both playful and emotionally resonant. Despite minor early sound issues, the performance quickly found its stride, delivering moments of humour, poignancy, and musical sophistication. From kazoo interludes to sweeping symphonic textures, this was a concert that never took itself too seriously while still showcasing genuine artistry. Whether you came for the band or the orchestra, you left having experienced something refreshingly original, and thoroughly entertaining.
5 CROISSANTS
Matilda Marseillaise was a guest of Adelaide Cabaret Festival
SET LIST
- Money
- Temper temper
- Screw loose
- Addicted to the sunshine
- Naturally
- Elephant in the room
- Strangers
- Enough of the Sweet Talk
- Love is off the table
INTERVAL
- Colin
- No plans to make plans
- When I’m losing it
- Hanging Upside Down
- Household name (unreleased song)
- Cold Treatment
- Inappropriate Behaviour
ENCORES:
- Waking Up Easy
- Robbery
