Madness are set to play their first Australian show since 2017.

The British ska icons will make their Sydney Opera House debut next year, playing the forecourt on Friday, March 5th. The band will perform “Our House”, “It Must Be Love”, “Baggy Trousers” and “House of Fun”, among other tracks from across their catalogue.

Tickets will go on sale at 9am on Thursday, September 24th, following a Insiders presale from 9am on Tuesday, September 22nd and a What’s On presale from 9am on Wednesday, September 23rd. All times are AEST. See here for details.

Formed in North London in the late 1970s, Madness became key figures in Britain’s 2 Tone ska revival and went on to become one of the country’s most successful bands, with multiple UK top 10 singles and millions of records sold worldwide.

Sydney Opera House Head of Contemporary Music, Ben Marshall said: “Few bands have turned pure, unadulterated joy into something so brilliantly subversive and enduring as Madness.

“I first saw them aged 10, performing House of Fun on TV, and can still remember thinking: ‘What was that?! I want to watch it again!’ Their infectious mayhem didn’t just spearhead the 2 Tone/ska subculture, they reconstructed the DNA of British pop music with a raw, sharp-witted class consciousness wrapped in ska syncopation.

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“Bringing their high-energy, theatrical live show to the Forecourt is a dream come true. Their blistering live catalogue is a masterclass in controlled madness – brimming with surging horns and ecstatic choral swells that feel simultaneously nostalgic and alive,” he continued. “Madness on the Sydney Opera House steps isn’t just a concert, it’s a harbourside takeover by one of the world’s most uncompromising, timeless and joyously chaotic bands.”

The band’s most recent studio album, Theatre of the Absurd Presents C’est La Vie, hit No. 1 on the UK albums chart in 2023 – the first time one of their studio albums has reached the top spot. In 2012, they performed on the roof of Buckingham Palace for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee.

Madness join Angus & Julia Stone, Dijon, Cat Power and Tara Clerkin Trio as part of the Opera House’s summer lineup, with more to be announced.

For complete show and ticket information, see here. 

MADNESS AUSTRALIA 2027

Friday, March 5th
Sydney Opera House Forecourt, Sydney NSW