DAVID BRIDIE

“In times of great darkness the only thing left is to believe in the warmth of our hearts once again.”

— David Bridie

“…a clear understanding of the compelling ambience that can be created by the interplay of lyrics, music and images…”

― Sydney Morning Herald

“Sonic intensity and righteous rage hit the red… a beguiling exception…. an ambient agitator.”

– Rolling Stone

Over a 35 year career, David Bridie has made a name for himself as a songwriter, composer & producer.

From the global impact of his seminal 1980s and 1990s alt-pop groups Not Drowning Waving and My Friend The Chocolate Cake to his ongoing work as a solo artist and soundtrack composer, the scope of David’s output and influence are matched by few Australian artists.

NEW ALBUM
'On Karen's Piano'

On Karen’s Piano is David Bridie’s deeply personal new album, presenting stripped-back, voice-and-piano versions of songs from across his solo work and his bands Not Drowning, Waving and My Friend the Chocolate Cake. This intimate approach shines a light on the emotion, storytelling and lyrical depth at the core of his songwriting.Recorded in memory of a close friend, the album was performed on her treasured grand piano — an instrument whose warmth and character can be felt in every note. The result is a tender, atmospheric collection that invites listeners to experience these songs in their most direct and heartfelt form.

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NEWS & LIVE

September 16, 2025

Sayes Arares

Sayes Arares is a poetic multichannel visual and sonic documentary that takes the audience deep into the Middle Sepik region of Papua New Guinea

David Li Sound Gallery The Ian Potter Centre for Performing Arts, Monash

Vic

16th - 19th September

September 20, 2025

Not Drowning, Waving with George Telek

Tabaran - 35 yrs

Melbourne Recital Centre

Vic

Limited Tickets Available

October 4, 2025

David Bridie: up close & solo

Solo with video

Thornbury

Victoria

On Sale Now

October 19, 2025

David Bridie - On Karen's Piano Album Show

with Xani Kolac & Rosie Excess

Archies Creek Hall

VICTORIA

On Sale Now

November 8, 2025

David Bridie - On Karen's Piano Album Show

Odessa at Leavers

Creswick

Vic

On Sale Now

November 14, 2025

David Bridie - On Karen's Piano

Baroque Room

Katoomba

NSW

On Sale Now

November 15, 2025

David Bridie - On Karen's Piano

RETURNS TO CHURCH STREET

Sydney

NSW

On Sale Now

November 30, 2025

David Bridie - On Karen's Piano

RETURNS TO PERTH

Ellingtons, Perth

WA

On Sale Now

December 5, 2025

David Bridie - On Karen's Piano

RETURNS TO JAZZLAB

Melbourne

Vic

On Sale Now

January 10, 2026

David Bridie - On Karen's Piano Album Show

with Rosie Excess

Apollo Bay

Vic

On Sale Now

Music

On Karen's Piano

A stripped back celebration of song, landscape and introspection from his vast back catalogue. The album was recorded on a rare 1908 Bechstein piano, once owned by French horn maestro Barry Tuckwell. The instrument belonged to his friend Karen and following her passing, her partner Peter invited David to honour her memory by recording an album on the cherished piano in their living room. The result is a quietly intimate record—steeped in warmth, musical space, and the quiet grace of remembrance.

Listen/Buy

“I’ve got a plan - how ‘bout we fly across the valleys at sundown, then drink malt whiskey til the sun, it comes back up again.”

“Everybody needs some beauty, some reassurance, you can tell so much about a place by the way they treat their own deserters.”

“The country is old, the story is long, the desert wind howls a sad and uncomfortable song.”

Works

Australian Antarctic Territory Fellowship

David Bridie has been awarded the Australian Antarctic Territory Fellowship. This will see him travel to Antarctica and embark on an immersive creative process resulting in a new body of work inspired by the ice continent. A source of curiosity to many, the highly protected wilderness environment of Antarctica can only be accessed by artists through this fellowship.

Learn More

MUSINGS

Musings
Quitting Spotify
August 16, 2025
Spotify used to seem like a necessary evil for musicians. Now it just seems evil. I am removing my music from Spotify because I don’t want my songs – some written with survivors of conflict – to enrich people who fund weapons
Read More >
New Work
On Karen's Piano
March 22, 2025
New album
Read More >
Music Journeys
Tabaran
March 22, 2025
Not Drowning Waving & Telek  - Tabaran
Read More >
Experiences
The Dr Is In
March 22, 2025
In February, I received an Honorary Doctorate from Deakin University,
Read More >
New Work
"Journey Home" and "Ange and the Boss"
March 22, 2025
I recently did the soundtrack for a great documentary by Tony Wilson on Hungarian soccer legend Ferenc Puskas, called ‘Ange and the Boss’. 
Read More >
Musings
Xmas 2024
December 6, 2024
2024 has been a busy year
Read More >
Experiences
By the Kenepuru stream
September 28, 2022
Just near the freeway underpass that follows the Kenepuru Stream in Porirua East there is a stretch of bright green grass by a cul-de-sac. 
Read More >
Musings
Website Anew
August 7, 2022
Read More >
Music Journeys
Australian Antarctic Territory Fellowship
June 23, 2022
David Bridie has been awarded the Australian Antarctic Territory Fellowship. This will see him travel to Antarctica and embark on an immersive creative process resulting in a new body of work inspired by the ice continent.
Read More >
Experiences
"Did you write any songs during lockdown?"
April 20, 2022
During the long 2020 winter of our discontent, due to happenstance I found myself locked down in a ramshackle cottage in The Otways forest near the Shipwreck Coast of the Southern Seas.
Read More >
View All

“...no matter where his music travels, it carries with it an innate sense of place and time. Bridie’s music may speak about an uncertain future… but it is also rooted in a past running far and deep; the kind that gives birth to dreams.”

— PopMATTERS

MAILING LIST

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