The Lemonheads took a trip down memory road as they delivered a nostalgia filled performance at Melbourne’s Croxton Bandroom on Friday 16 May 2025, celebrating the 30th anniversaries of their seminal albums It’s a Shame About Ray and Come On Feel the Lemonheads.
The sold-out show was part of their Australian tour, which included multiple dates at the Croxton due to high demand.
In the 1990s, The Lemonheads carved out a unique place in pop culture, particularly among Gen X audiences navigating a post-grunge, alternative-rock landscape. Fronted by the charismatic Evan Dando, the band blended catchy pop melodies with a slacker ethos that resonated with a generation defined by irony, introspection and rebellion.
Their 1992 breakthrough album It’s a Shame About Ray became a cult classic, with tracks like “My Drug Buddy” and “Rudderless” capturing a mix of vulnerability and cool detachment that defined much of ’90s youth culture.
The albums also had strong ties to Australia: Dando had spent time here in that era, and collaborated frequently with Aussie musician Tom Morgan from the band Smudge to write many of the tracks. He also met Nic Dalton who joined the band as bassist in 1992.
At the Croxton, Dando led the band through both albums in their entirety (with the notable exception of the cover of the Simon and Garfunkel song “Mrs Robinson” which was tacked on to the end of It’s a Shame About Ray and propelled them to mainstream chart success back in the day).
Fans had a rare opportunity to experience these classics live with gems like “It’s a Shame About Ray,” “Ceiling Fan In My Spoon,” “Kitchen” and “Into Your Arms,” capturing the raw emotion and melodic charm that defined the band’s early ’90s sound.
It was an epic setlist – but wasn’t just confined to the two albums. Highlights included Dando performing a version of the Smudge song “Divan” and an acoustic rendition of “The Outdoor Type”.
Dando has had a reputation in the past for delivering problematic performances on account of his struggle with drug addiction. He’s said to be mostly clean these days, and the performance at the Croxton was every bit as energetic and punchy as the first time I saw the band way back in 1994.
The Croxton Bandroom, known for its intimate atmosphere and excellent acoustics, provided the perfect setting for this retrospective concert. Fans, including some who had waited years for the band’s return to Melbourne, were visibly moved by the performance, singing along to every lyric and relishing the opportunity to reconnect with the music that had shaped their youth.
