Emily Lubitz’s encore tour for Two Black Horses at Archies Creek Hotel

AFTER over a decade of releasing albums and touring with award-winning indie-folk pioneers Tinpan Orange, Emily Lubitz has stepped out on her own and will perform her debut solo album, Two Black Horses, at Archies Creek Hotel on March 27 at 8:30 pm. The album’s national tour sold out completely and received widespread critical acclaim.

Emily has performed on major international stages. She rose to prominence when Tinpan Orange won Triple J Unearthed in 2013, and her voice reached millions as the singer behind the viral hit Dumb Ways to Die. She has collaborated with artists including Paul Kelly, Martha Wainwright, Emma Donovan and Mama Kin, yet her solo work carries the fresh vitality of a new voice.

Her debut solo album was inspired by late-night family stories and long drives between gigs, and it topped the charts with heartfelt songwriting. In an interview with Emily, she shared that she started writing songs in her late teens, simply because she was fond of the art of storytelling.

“I love telling stories in my songs and in my shows,” said Emily.

“Some lyrics are my own lived-in experiences. It’s all pretty autobiographical, even if it has a few layers of fiction over the top – through imagining others and their stories.”

At Archies Creek Hotel, Emily will be accompanied by four brilliant musicians – a five-piece performance that cushions her “rudimentary” acoustic guitar with pedal steel, electric guitar, drums and bass – it’s Emily’s voice and the stories between songs that will anchor the show.

“It’s shows like this that let the nervousness stay,” she said. Emily calls it the respect she pays the audience. “My nerves keep the night raw and real.”

Two Black Horses was released in July 2025 after Emily stepped out on her own, not without risk and fear of the unknown. The album delivers sounds from an old Hollywood film – a little country folk, inspired by her own love of Dolly Parton, Patsy Cline and Phoebe Bridgers.

The album was produced by her husband and longtime collaborator Harry James Angus, a renowned artist from The Cat Empire. It’s a deeply personal collection that speaks to heartache, heritage, and hope.

Emily said Harry can play anything. “All the keys on the record are his, and he wrote all the string lines and vocal line. I wouldn’t do it without him; he’s a weapon and probably a bit of a genius,” she said.

Emily and her husband met young, built long music careers separately, then combined family and art – raising three kids while navigating touring, studio work and parenting. Their shared understanding of the music lifestyle, long tours, unpredictable schedules, and intense studio bursts makes collaboration easier.

Harry scaled back touring and produced Emily’s record, taking on parenting, while Emily is on the road - a partnership that fuels creative output.

Emily said her touring favours regional circuits, and this Archies Creek gig will be an encore run of her latest tour for Two Black Horses – revisiting places that opened the doors for her career.  

“These stages, the ones like Archies Creek – this is my comfort zone,” she said. “I love playing to 100 or 200 people like that. It’s my good place – being able to feel them, and they're close, and the rooms are small but full.”

Emily’s journey to becoming a solo artist included the song Don’t Worry You’ve Got Time, a song that Emily said she wrote for herself because she needed to hear it. “Starting over in any career, but particularly in the music industry, is not advised, and it’s been a beautiful reception,” she said.

Two Black Horses debuted at number one on the ARIA Australian Country Chart, number three on the overall ARIA Album Chart, and number one on the Australian Independent Record Chart.

To hear Emily live at Archies Creek for her encore performance on March 27, visit archiescreekhotel.com.au. Doors open at 8 pm.