On Sunday, May 3, Australian singer-songwriter Chet Faker brought his blend of soul, electronic, and indie-leaning production to The Van Buren in Phoenix. The show arrived on the heels of his new album A Love For Strangers, released February 13, 2026 via BMG, which continues the project’s long-running shift between minimal electronic textures and more organic, band-driven arrangements. Just 3 nights into his 21-date trek across North America, he and his band were already settled into an easy rhythm, and the room followed right along. Supporting Faker on the “A Love For Strangers” tour was Guatemalan artist aLex vs aLex.
The night opened with aLex vs aLex — Sofía Insua — alone on stage but rarely feeling like it. Born and raised in Guatemala and now based between NYC and Berlin, she moved between experimental alt-R&B, pop, and electronic textures while performing to her own tracks, singing and dancing as visuals shifted behind her. She mentioned early on that a lot of what she was playing was still unreleased and that she was testing ideas live, which gave the set a loose, in-progress feel that worked in its own way.
She also paused for a call-and-response moment, teaching the crowd lyrics. The audience picked it up quickly and leaned into it, turning a solo set into something more communal for a few minutes. Later, a crowd member called out about her name, asking, “Are you against yourself or do you have an adversary named Alex?” She stopped to respond and explained that her father is Alejandro, who is also called Alex, and that she was nearly named Alex herself. She said it felt like being “who I almost was and who I am,” which shifted the moment into something more personal. The fan immediately shouted back “I love that,” and the energy reset in a very natural way before she moved on. She also worked through songs from her 2025 album nyc minute, including “get it, never” and “centro aLt,” as well as her newest release, “venus & romeo.”
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Chet Faker opened with “Drop the Game,” easing straight into a steady groove that set the tone for most of the night. The stage setup was busy but intentional, with two keyboard stations on either side of him, guitar within reach, and a band that constantly shifted between instruments. His drummer and bassist both rotated roles throughout the set, with saxophone lines frequently coming from the drummer and cutting through the smoke and warm lighting that filled the stage.
“No Diggity” came next and kept the room in that easy, steady motion the set had settled into early on. “Over You” followed, holding that same relaxed momentum without pushing it anywhere new. “Remember Me” continued that stretch before “The Thing About Nothing” brought aLex vs aLex back on stage. Her voice and Chet Faker’s sat together in the mix in a way that felt unforced, with each of them stepping in and out of the same space as the song moved along.
“A Level of Light” and “Can You Swim?” pulled things inward. His voice carried more space here, sitting over stripped arrangements that highlighted the emotional weight behind the new material. That thread runs through A Love For Strangers, which continues the sense of personal recalibration that’s followed him since early releases like Thinking in Textures, through the breakthrough of Built on Glass, and into later projects under both Chet Faker and Nick Murphy. At one point, Chet Faker paused to talk briefly about A Love For Strangers, noting that much of the album was recorded in Tucson, Arizona, which drew a strong reaction from the Arizona crowd. “1998” and “1000 Ways” brought a bit more motion back into the set, with the band tightening up rhythmically and saxophone lines weaving more actively through the mix.
“OH NO OH NO” ended up being the clear peak, gradually building before opening into a full lighting sequence that took over the stage for a moment. It was one of the few times the production pushed forward in a big way, and it landed because everything leading up to it had stayed so contained. “This Time For Real” followed immediately after, stripped to just piano and voice, with Chet Faker alone at the keys and the rest of the arrangement dropped away entirely. Faker ended the main set with “Low” before returning for the encore. A long instrumental intro led into “Talk Is Cheap,” followed by “Far Side of the Moon.” “Gold” closed the night after being requested earlier in the evening by someone in the crowd, a moment he acknowledged before delivering it as the final song.
Across roughly seventy-five minutes, the set moved through clear phases of build, collaboration, and release. The rotating instrumentation kept things flexible throughout, with each shift coming through in the way the songs were played live. The crowd was locked in from the start, just vibing the whole night and staying with it through every change in pace. It was an easy show to get lost in, and one fans on this tour run will not want to miss.
The “A Love For Strangers Tour” is just getting started. Be sure to catch Chet Faker as he makes his way across North America through the end of May. Tickets can be purchased here.
A LOVE FOR STRANGERS TOUR NORTH AMERICA 2026
May 7 Seattle, WA – The Showbox
May 8 Vancouver, BC – Vogue Theatre
May 9 Portland, OR – Roseland Theater
May 11 Salt Lake City, UT – Metro Music Hall
May 13 Denver, CO – Summit Music Hall
May 15 Austin, TX – Emo’s
May 16 Dallas, TX – The Echo Lounge & Music Hall
May 18 Atlanta, GA – The Masquerade (Heaven)
May 19 Nashville, TN – Cannery Hall
May 20 Chicago, IL – The Vic Theatre
May 22 Toronto, ON – Phoenix Concert Theatre
May 24 Montreal, QC – MTELUS
May 26 Boston, MA – Big Night Live
May 27 Washington, DC – 9:30 Club
May 29 Philadelphia, PA – Union Transfer
May 30 New York, NY – The Rooftop at Pier 17
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