Rowena Wise
Howler Melbourne, 7-11 Dawson Street, 3056 Melbourne Kort
fim. 15.10.2026 19:30
Indie-folk songwriter Rowena Wise and her full band celebrate sophomore album Bad Things Feel Good* at Howler.
Indie-folk songwriter Rowena Wise and her full band celebrate sophomore album Bad Things Feel Good* at Howler, a tender, point-blank look at the pain of transformation, and what it means to be flesh and blood.
Written over two years of near-constant touring and recorded live over three days at The Ratshack in Collingwood with producer Rob Muinos (Julia Jacklin, Didirri), the album traces heartbreak, estrangement, and the knottier growing pains of adulthood through candid poetic lyricism and a raw live band production. With Richard Bradbeer on bass and Jess Ellwood on drums, the songs hold space rather than demand attention - and in a room like Howler, that kind of restraint hits differently.
Rowena's Melbourne headline shows have sold out both times. Since debuting in 2018, she has amassed over 10 million streams, earned airplay across triple j, Double j and Unearthed, and toured extensively across Australia, the UK, Europe, the USA and Canada, supporting artists including Holy Holy, Ball Park Music, Bernard Fanning and Paul Dempsey. Her 2024 debut album, Senseless Acts of Beauty, was praised by CLASH Magazine as “carefully etched indie folk” and shortlisted for the Australian Music Prize. Her highly anticipated sophomore album, Bad Things Feel Good*, a tender, point-blank meditation on transformation, is out August 7, 2026 via Beloved Records.
"Carefully etched indie folk" — CLASH Magazine
"Fragrant introspection" — FLOOD
Tour supported by Double J.
Flytjendur
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Rowena WiseInspired by the strong storytelling sensibilities of 60s folk icons, Rowena Wise is a sharp lyricist who finds truths in fiction. Exploring themes of love, alienation and self-empowerment, her output is best filed as indie rock, garage pop and alt-folk, marking her as a rising talent who could soon be on a par with the likes of Aldous Harding, Courtney Barnett and Julia Jacklin.
Originally hailing from the surf town of Margaret River, Western Australia, Rowena Wise travelled extensively as a kid to perform in her family band. Her mother a folk musician from Chicago and her father a luthier who built her custom guitars, Rowena had a deep love for music instilled in her from a young age. Now based in Naarm/Melbourne and with a burgeoning reputation as a live performer, Rowena’s new music has a newfound sense of honesty, holding space for all of life’s beauty and messiness.
Growing up in Margaret River, Western Australia, Rowena was surrounded by music from an early age. Her father, a luthier, built her custom acoustic and electric guitars, while her mother, a folk musician from Chicago, instilled in her a love of music that would shape her career. Rowena travelled and performed from a young age as part of a family band, before moving to Melbourne at the age of 18 to pursue her own music.
Rowena's music defies easy categorization, with elements of indie rock, garage pop, and alt-folk all present in her sound. Her lyrics explore themes of love, alienation, and self-empowerment, delivered with a candid, understated power. A lover of poetry and melancholic wordplay, Rowena's performances are marked by a depth and relatability that has earned her a devoted fanbase and critical acclaim.