Icehouse are coming back to Australia, and they are bringing the whole of Man of Colours with them. The band led by Iva Davies will mark the 40th anniversary of their 1987 album with a six-date tour across June and July 2027, their first indoor headline run in more than 20 years.
The shows open at the Newcastle Entertainment Centre on June 5 and travel through Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth, wrapping at the RAC Arena on July 10. Each night will see the band play Man of Colours in full, including songs they have never performed live before.
“We’ve never played some of the songs from the album, so this tour is going to include some firsts for us as well as our fans,” Davies said. He explained why the indoor format suits the material: “Compared to the big outdoor shows we’ve mainly been playing over the past 15 years, indoors means we get to play more songs and create an even bigger show for us all.”
The Newcastle Start
The Newcastle show begins the run on June 5. Brisbane follows on June 12, with Sydney at the TikTok Entertainment Centre on June 19. Melbourne comes next at the Margaret Court Arena on June 26, followed by Adelaide on July 3.
The Perth finale closes the tour at the RAC Arena on July 10.
Songs They Have Never Played
The Man of Colours album has been a touchstone for Icehouse throughout their career, but Davies confirmed that several songs on the record have never been heard live before. The tour will change that.
The band will perform the entire 1987 album in full for the first time. Davies noted that the setlist includes songs the group has never played publicly, making this a true first for both the band and their audience.
“We’ve never played some of the songs from the album, so this tour is going to include some firsts for us as well as our fans.”
Career Hits Alongside the Anniversary Set
The full Man of Colours run will sit alongside a set of career-spanning hits. The shows promise a mix of deep cuts and fan favourites, with Davies indicating that the setlist will stretch beyond the anniversary material.
“Great Southern Land,” “Hey Little Girl,” “We Can Get Together” and “Love in Motion” are all listed as signature tracks that will appear across the run. These songs anchor the career portion of each show, offering familiar territory for longtime fans.
The combination of the anniversary material and the career hits means audiences will get a complete picture of the band’s history in one sitting.
Ticket Details and Guest Announcements
Fan-club and PayPal presales begin Sept. 16, with general tickets on sale Friday, Sept. 18 at 11 a.m. local time via TEG Live. Special guests are to be announced.
The ticket process starts early for dedicated fans, with the presale window giving members first access before the wider public gets their chance. General tickets follow shortly after, with a single release date across all six venues.
The special guests remain unannounced.
Why the Indoor Format Matters
Davies framed the indoor shows as a return to form for Icehouse. After years of playing large outdoor festivals, he sees the smaller venues as a chance to reconnect with the music in a more intimate setting.
“Compared to the big outdoor shows we’ve mainly been playing over the past 15 years, indoors means we get to play more songs and create an even bigger show for us all,” he said.
The indoor format allows the band to expand their setlist without the logistical constraints of a festival stage. More songs mean more variety, and Davies has made clear that the band intends to capitalise on that freedom.
The Album’s Legacy
Man of Colours was released in September 1987 and remains the commercial high point of Icehouse’s career. It was the band’s fifth studio album and it spent 11 weeks at No. 1 on the Australian albums chart.
The album also topped the New Zealand chart and has sold more than one million copies. Its success was recognised at the ARIA Awards, where it won Album of the Year and Highest Selling Album in 1988.
The record gave Icehouse their biggest U.S. success. “Electric Blue,” co-written by Davies and John Oates of Hall & Oates, became the band’s only Australian No. 1 single and reached No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 — their highest-charting U.S. single.
“Crazy” appeared on the Mainstream Rock chart, where it reached the top 10. The album itself reached No. 43 on the Billboard 200.
The Songs That Defined the Album
“Electric Blue” remains the band’s signature hit. Its climb to No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 made it one of the few Australian singles to reach that position.
“Crazy” reached No. 14 on the Hot 100. Both songs also appeared on the Mainstream Rock chart, where they reached the top 10.
The album’s success in the U.S. was notable for a band that had built its reputation primarily in Australia. The Hot 100 performance showed that Icehouse could compete with American acts on their own terms.
What Fans Should Expect
The tour is a celebration of a specific moment in Icehouse’s history. The 1987 album remains central to their catalogue, and the shows will let fans hear it in its entirety.
The full album run will be a rare opportunity to hear songs that have never been performed live. For Davies, that is the point of the tour.
“We’ve never played some of the songs from the album, so this tour is going to include some firsts for us as well as our fans,” he said.
The career hits will provide context for the anniversary material. Hearing “Great Southern Land,” “Hey Little Girl,” “We Can Get Together” and “Love in Motion” alongside the lesser-known tracks from Man of Colours will give audiences a fuller picture of the band’s evolution.
The Road Ahead
The tour is a significant moment for Icehouse. It marks the first indoor headline run in more than 20 years, and it celebrates the 40th anniversary of an album that defined their career.
The shows will run from June 5 to July 10, with dates spread across six cities. Tickets go on sale Sept. 18, and the special guests will be announced in the coming weeks.
For Davies and the rest of the band, the tour is a chance to reconnect with the material that made them famous. Playing songs they have never performed before is a bold move, and it signals a willingness to engage with the band’s legacy in a fresh way.
The tour promises to be a comprehensive look at Icehouse’s history, from the early hits to the deeper cuts of Man of Colours. For fans, it is a rare opportunity to hear the band in a new light.
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