This week’s update brings you a round up of some recent and exciting tour announcements. Featuring who’s heading to Melbourne and where to grab your tickets.
International Acts
Ashanti
GRAMMY winning singer/songwriter and actress ASHANTI will be back on theatre and arena stages in Australia and New Zealand this November! Following an extensive run of international tour dates including a recent successful UK arena tour with Sean Paul, this new chapter for ASHANTI is one that is only adding to a career marked by numerous awards and accolades.
One of music’s forever icons, ASHANTI has maintained her status as a genre champion since her debut, self-titled album launched her to global stardom in 2002. Earning her the #1 spot on both the Billboard Top 200 and R&B Charts and becoming the fastest-selling debut album by a female in history (per Soundscan), the ASHANTI album solidified the artist’s place as part of music’s DNA for a whole generation. Her return to Australia and New Zealand this November is an unmissable opportunity to reconnect with one of music’s greats!
Australia NZ Tour Dates
Monday 9 November Riverside Theatre Perth
Wednesday 11 November Fortitude Music Hall Brisbane
Friday 13 November TikTok Arena (ICC) Sydney
Saturday 14 November Margaret Court Arena Melbourne
Monday 16 November Kiri Te Kanawa Theatre Auckland
Presale starts Wednesday 3 June @ 1pm (local). General sale starts Thursday 4 June @ 1pm (local).
Get your tickets HERE
Massive Attack
Iconic English trip-hop collective Massive Attack are returning to Australia for the first time since 2010. Formed in Bristol in the late 80s by Robert ‘3D’ Del Naja, Grant ‘Daddy G’ Marshall, Adrian ‘Tricky’ Thaws and Andrew ‘Mushroom’ Vowles, the group helped define the trip-hop movement. Their debut album, Blue Lines (1991), is frequently cited as the first major work of the trip hop genre, and the single ‘Unfinished Sympathy’ achieved chart success in Europe.
Critically lauded, with numerous awards including a Brit Award for Best British Dance Act, two MTV Europe Music Awards and two Q Awards, their five studio albums have sold more than 13 million copies worldwide. Massive Attack also support several political, human rights and environmental causes and are known for their deeply immersive and politically outspoken live performances.
Australia Tour Dates
Thursday 6 August Brisbane Entertainment Centre Brisbane
Sunday 9 August Qudos Bank Arena Sydney
Tuesday 11 August Rod Laver Arena Melbourne
Presale starts Thursday 4 June @ 2 pm AEST. General sale starts Friday 5 June @ 3pm AEST.
Get your tickets HERE
Australian / New Zealand Acts
Holly Hebe
In celebration of the upcoming release of her new EP Mood Ring, Holly Hebe has announced her first headline shows in over a year. Arriving July 17th, Mood Ring is a deeply personal project exploring heartbreak, nostalgia, superstition and emotional growing pains through layered indie-pop production and vivid storytelling.
A self described music nerd, the Melbourne based artist has become known for her energetic, piano-driven dream pop, and this forthcoming Mood Ring tour promises to delight and enthrall fans with her blend of deeply personal, poetic lyrics and unique soundscapes filled with her trademark quirky sounds and samples.
Australia NZ Tour Dates
Friday 24 July Metro Theatre Sydney
Saturday 25 July Music Industry College Brisbane
Wednesday 29 July The Tuning Fork Auckland
Friday 31 July The Austral Adelaide
Saturday 1 August YMCA HQ Perth
Saturday 8 August The Espy Melbourne
Presale tickets are now live. General sale starts Wednesday 3 June @ 8am.
Get your tickets HERE
Bec Sykes
Rising Naarm/Melbourne-based dream folk singer & songwriter Bec Sykes (she/her) has announced the Pepperpot Magic Tour, a seven date East Coast headline run this June & July. She will be performing songs from her Australian Music Prize-nominated debut album Pepperpot Magic as well as previewing the exciting new music she has been creating since its release. Supports and special guests to be announced, and all shows will be Auslan Interpreted.
Lauded for her song-writing prowess, striking voice and captivating stage presence, the magnetism of Bec Sykes’ live performance is as palpable when performing stripped back sets on iconic Recital Centre stages as it is with her full band at much-loved sticky carpet venues.
Australia Tour Dates
Friday 12 June Simba Sessions @ Kyneton Uniting Church Taungurung and Dja Dja Wurrung/Kyneton
Thursday 2 July Shotkickers Naarm/Melbourne
Thursday 9 July The Junk Bar Meanjin/Brisbane
Friday 10 July Lazy Thinking Gadigal Land/Sydney
Saturday 11 July Smiths Alternative Ngunnawal Land/Canberra
Sunday 19 July GROW Cafe Wadawurrung/Anglesea **matinee
Saturday 25 July Old Church on the Hill Dja Dja Wurrung and Taungurung/Bendigo
Get your tickets HERE
The Offtopics
Melbourne-based seven-piece comedy-funk band The Offtopics have recently announced a new tour of Northside shows that promise to be filled with new songs, old favourites and plenty of nostalgic sounds.
From Bourbon Street in New Orleans to Memphis and Jamaica via the bars of Brunswick, The Offtopics deliver infectious songs that will make you tap your feet and bring a smile to your face. Fronted by funk dynamo Polash Larsen, these are some of Melbourne’s most talented musicians working their basses off to show you a good time.
Australia Tour Dates
Saturday 20 June Union Hotel Brunswick
Saturday 4 July Brunswick Artists’ Bar Brunswick
Friday 24 July Post Office Hotel Coburg
Sunday 25 October Bodriggy Brewing Abbotsford
Keep an eye on their Instagram for further updates HERE
Gigs Coming Soon
Ruby Jones
Ruby Jones and her band return to the stage at Northcote Social Club for a special show to celebrate the release of her second album, Souvenir, a powerful and deeply reflective new body of work. Continuing the poetic, emotionally raw songwriting of her acclaimed 2021 debut The Woman Who Loves You, Ruby has cemented her place as one of Australia’s most compelling voices. Across Souvenir, Ruby expands her lyrical world, exploring intergenerational trauma, climate anxiety and cycles of rebirth through sweeping arrangements and striking, image-rich songwriting.
Ruby and her 7-piece band will bring Souvenir to life on stage for the very first time in its most expansive and immersive form. Ruby’s live show has drawn comparisons to Stevie Nicks, Joni Mitchell and Florence Welch, capturing a similarly powerful blend of storytelling, atmosphere and emotional intensity.
Australian Tour Date
Saturday 6 June Northcote Social Club Melbourne
Get your tickets HERE