“Helena Kitley is a force of nature – think big voice, dramatic melodies, and spine-tingly money notes being pumped out of one petite powerhouse of a woman.”
As a performer, Kitley has worked as a solo artist, while also featuring in, and in some cases at the helm of, a range of group projects. In June 2023 at Todd Rundgren’s 75th birthday celebration “Toddstock” in the lush backdrop of the Hawaiian island Kauai, Helena’s serendipitous encounter with bass player Bruce Whetstone (Canada) and drummer Lee Rothstein (USA), along with guitarist, fellow Novocastrian Sam Rush, led to an impromptu performance of Hendrix’s version of All Along the Watchtower. With an electrifying connection too good to let go, the group was named - and “Helena and Le Feel” was born. The band will appear and perform a headlining set at Revitalize Music Festival in New Zealand in January 2024. Kitley’s other recent group endeavours include “Huntress”, Gleny Rae Virus’s musical brainchild featuring 13 of the Hunter Region’s best female musicians; and “Glam Slam”, an incredibly-dressed tribute to glam rock, fronted by Kitley’s alter ego Kitty Kozmik.
Kitley was writing music from a young age, growing up in Coonabarabran, and set about performing her original music after settling in Newcastle NSW Australia. Influenced by artists ranging from Donny Hathaway to Prince to Erykah Badu, Kitley’s sound has an incredibly soulful vibe to it, making one feel like leaving the work day behind to sit in a bar full of dark corners with a glass of brandy.
Late 2016 saw the release of Kitley’s debut album The Temporal Lope. In 2021 she released her second recording Live at Hazy Cosmic Jive, an EP recorded and mixed live to 2-track tape by Gareth Hudson, with her band at Hudson’s studio Hazy Cosmic Jive.
Photography: Craig Wilson - Swamp House Photography