Australian rock music icons are making comebacks left, right, and centre this year.
Cold Chisel’s 50th anniversary tour sold out its first 16 shows faster than one of their raucous guitar riffs, so they’ve added six more dates. The Saints (well, two of them) are gearing up for a landmark tour and vinyl box set release.
And that’s just from the last couple of months.
Read more about the resurgence of five Aussie rock acts below, who are bringing together devoted fans and new listeners alike.
Cold Chisel
Cold Chisel’s 50th anniversary tour first 16 shows sold out in a flash, showing fans were hungry for the legendary pub-rock band’s return. Responding to the buzz, Cold Chisel quickly added six more shows, including new stops in Brisbane, Sydney, Canberra, and the Hunter Valley.
“We were completely blown away by the response last week,” Jimmy Barnes said. “The demand for tickets was bigger than anything we’ve ever seen before.”
“Unfortunately we can’t do gigs everywhere, so we’ve tried to get to the places where the outcry was loudest,” added Ian Moss. “The reaction of our fans has really fired us up – we can’t wait to play for everyone.”
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‘The Big Five-0 Tour’ is set to be a tour like no other, with the band simply touring “because we all love playing gigs together.” Expect to hear timeless classics including “Khe Sanh”, “Cheap Wine”, “All for You”, “Last Wave of Summer”, and “Saturday Night”.
Ticket information available via coldchisel.com
The Saints
Following Cold Chisel’s lead, two of The Saints’ original members are teaming up with some special guests for a landmark tour and vinyl box set release.
Featuring Ed Kuepper and Ivor Hay alongside Mark Arm (Mudhoney), Peter Oxley (Sunnyboys), and Mick Harvey (The Birthday Party), the ‘The Saints ’73-’78’ tour will revisit their iconic first three albums: (I’m) Stranded (1977), Eternally Yours (1978), and Prehistoric Sounds (1978). Catch them in Adelaide, Castlemaine, Melbourne, Fremantle, Sydney, and Brisbane this November.
“The Saints’ first three albums rank among the best records ever made,” said Arm. “They have been a part of my life since stumbling upon them in the early ’80s. Their influence looms large in Mudhoney world. I am stoked, stunned, and humbled that I get to join in on this rock ‘n’ roll reality camp with Ed, Ivor, Peter, and Mick!”
Ticket information available via feelpresents.com
Robert Forster
Beyond tours, Robert Forster released brand-new material last year.
At the age of 65, The Go-Betweens member shared his eighth solo album, The Candle and the Flame, a life-affirming tribute to aging gracefully and finding happiness in later years.
The Candle and the Flame contained some of the finest songs of Forster’s latter career, and it was one of the best Australian albums of 2023. Considering mortality, ageing, contentment, anguish and, of course, love, in his singular way, the songs on the album were profoundly moving and quietly cathartic.
Dirty Three
Dirty Three are back! The Melbourne instrumental band recently announced their first album in 12 years.
Titled Love Changes Everything, it follows their 2012 release Toward the Low Sun and will be out on June 28th via Drag City. Formed in 1992, the trio of Warren Ellis, Mick Turner, and Jim White stayed active with solo projects despite never officially breaking up, releasing a total of 10 albums during their original run.
Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds
Last but not least, the prolific Nick Cave is back with another album, Wild God, set to release soon.
“Frogs”, their second album single is biblically epic, referencing the first murder in the Bible, Cain’s slaying of Abel. The track also happens to be one of Cave’s favourites. “The sheer exuberance of a song like ‘Frogs’, it just puts a big f*cking smile on my face,” he said.
“Frogs” follows title track “Wild God”, which tells a freewheeling story of a deity roaming the planet. Their upcoming album is due out on August 30th, and it will be the band’s 18th overall and first since 2019’s Ghosteen.
