Finding Our Voice Again: Reflections from Pub Choir and the Power of Singing Anyway
In September I found myself standing in a crowd of more than a thousand people, shoulder to shoulder, all of us singing You Get What You Give by New Radicals. It wasn’t an official choir. No one auditioned. No one was chosen. We simply turned up, followed Astrid’s lead, and sang our hearts out.
For years I watched videos of Pub Choir — these enormous gatherings of everyday people, led by Astrid Jorgensen, singing with no expectation of being “good”. I’d admired it from a distance, mostly because the tickets sell out immediately! This time I was ready, successfully secured two tickets, and with husband, Tom, headed down the Bruce Highway to the Tivoli Theatre in Brisbane for a night.
What Pub Choir and Astrid Jorgensen stand for
- Everyone can sing — no experience needed
Astrid’s core belief is that music shouldn’t belong only to trained singers. Pub Choir invites people to sing, not because they’re good, but because their presence and voice matter. “Everybody can sing. Like, not well, but literally.” - No shame, no judging — collective participation creates the magic
Pub Choir turns audiences into choirs, encouraging people to throw self-criticism aside, let go of perfectionism, and join in. It’s partly why the events are described as “improvised, comedy-music lessons” — because the point isn’t virtuosity, but shared expression. - Communion and belonging through voice and presence — togetherness over performance
Astrid often emphasises that the act of singing together — voices rising in harmony — becomes a fast-track to community. People feel seen, heard, and connected without needing to be polished performers. - Letting go of internal pressure and embracing “average” — reclaiming joy in being human
Her memoir titled Average at Best is a direct statement: this isn’t about greatness, it’s about participation and reclaiming simple joy.
In short: Pub Choir is about being present, belonging, and singing together regardless of skill
We all sang loud, out of tune, struggled with the breath needed for the long notes, no one cared, every voice was full of heart. Some people drank alcohol, but most drank water. No one wanted to be queuing for a drink or for the loo, we were there to sing.
It was communal, embodied joy, the opposite of silence and disconnect in a world that spends so much time with faces buried in devices. It was people showing up and taking part, even if they weren’t sure if their lungs had it in them or their voices would blend in.
In a world that encourages critique and comparison — especially of ourselves — gathering with others to sing freely is strangely liberating. You feel your voice join with strangers and somehow your nervous system settles. You belong, even briefly. You contribute, even quietly.
The following day while waiting to meet up with lived experience advocate, Maggie Bell, in Brisbane, I couldn’t help thinking about our worldwide community affected by sibling sexual trauma. So many of us grew up silenced. Not seen or heard. Not believed. Or forced to “get on with it” without language or community.
What does it mean, then, to reclaim voice — even in small ways?
To show up imperfectly?
To join others rather than stay alone with the weight of what happened?
At the Blue Borage Conversation Cafe events and all the conversations before and after each cafe that we have hosted this year, so many people are reclaiming their voices. We must keep the momentum of that. We don’t have to know where it will lead us – but it’s worth continuing to see what comes next.
If you’ve ever felt silenced, alone or unsure of your place, you’re not the only one.
And you don’t have to stay there.
On Thursday, 11th of December, Pub Choir will gather 6,500 people at the Riverstage in Brisbane’s Botanic Gardens — hopefully under the stars.
Thousands of people breathing, singing, raising the energy together. An incredibly powerful good vibe tribe! I can’t wait to hear what song we will be singing. That night is the beginning of my annual break – what a way to go!
I’m sharing the video below – 35,000 people across multiple Pub Choir events these past few months, captures the feeling of dropping your shoulders, raising your chin, smiling and singing your heart out, with people we do and don’t know. What a feeling of being one voice among many and participating in something joyful and safe.
As we step into 2026, I’m thinking a lot about what it looks like for this community moving forward.
I am very conscious that we are only new at opening up conversations on SSTA. That is not something to underestimate. Conversations on SSTA are something that most of us have never had the opportunity to participate in before. There is still so much to be discussed, unpacked, explored and to get curious about.
So:
- Those conversation cafe events will continue each month from February. Expect new voices from our 2025 community to step up as co-leads. We will keep them small to medium sized depending on what each month focuses on. Themes will be taken from what people felt was interesting at the Seven Conversations event in November.
- We are looking at opening up avenues to bring the Blue Borage conversations to local communities, organisations, universities and schools.
- There is a vision mapped for what the Seven Conversations on 12th November 2026 will look like. It will not be the same 12-hour span. It will be special.
- Our workshops and programs begin in early February. Before that I’m guiding some of my coaching clients through their annual strategy reviews in January.
I’ll be taking a break from mid-December to travel for family events. Then across Christmas/New Years, Tom and I close our businesses to rest, reflect and get ready to be back in mid-January.
Thank you for being here,
Susan Dunlop
Founder – Blue Borage