The Avalanches are coming home. The electronic music pioneers, led by Robbie Chater, Tony Di Blasi and Andy Szekeres, have announced a six-concert Australian tour for February and March 2027, presented by Takumi. It ends at the Sydney Opera House Forecourt after a sold-out run through Perth, Adelaide, Melbourne, Brisbane and Sydney.
The tour caps a busy year for the group. They just wrapped a European and UK run that included a sold-out show at The Roundhouse in London on Nov. 27. Now they’re bringing their fourth studio album, No Bad Memories, to their homeland, with a string of dates that starts at Perth Festival and ends at the Opera House.
The Cities, In Order
The run begins in Perth. Two shows at Perth Festival kick things off on Saturday, Feb. 27 and Sunday, Feb. 28. The Sunday date is already sold out.
Then the band heads east. Adelaide gets a stop at Hindley St Music Hall on Thursday, March 4. Melbourne follows on Friday, March 5 at the Royal Botanic Gardens. Brisbane hosts the Saturday, March 6 date at On The Banks. The tour wraps Sunday, March 7 at the Sydney Opera House Forecourt.
What The Opera House Said
Ben Marshall, head of contemporary music at the Sydney Opera House, welcomed the group back to the venue. He has hosted them before — at Vivid LIVE in the Studio in 2011 and on the Northern Broadwalk in 2017 — and now he says it’s a thrill to finally hand them the keys to the Forecourt.
“The chaotic virtuosity and charm of The Avalanches have brought unmatched joy to ears and feet around the world for more than 25 years,” Marshall said. “After hosting them at Vivid LIVE in the Studio in 2011 and on the Northern Broadwalk in 2017, it’s a thrill to finally hand them the keys to the Sydney Opera House Forecourt.”
He also praised their creative approach. “From the very start, The Avalanches have continually reconstructed the DNA of electronic music with a generous cast of brilliantly curated, visionary guests,” Marshall said. “Experiencing their kaleidoscopic, deeply human storytelling on the grandest stage our city can offer will be an extraordinary summer moment – and a hell of a lot of fun.”
HAAi Joins The Final Shows
The Australia-born, London-based electronic music artist HAAi will join The Avalanches on the final three dates of the tour. She brings her new 10-track collection, DIGITiSE, which drops Oct. 9 via Mute Records.
The band’s own new album, No Bad Memories, arrives Oct. 16 via Modular Recordings. It’s their fourth studio record, and it follows a career built on sampling and collaboration.
From Since I Left You To No Bad Memories
The Avalanches started with Since I Left You, their debut album from 2000. It was an instant classic, built from slivers of thousands of vinyl samples from artists like Françoise Hardy, Sérgio Mendes, Raekwon, Wayne and Shuster, and even Madonna. The band painstakingly wove those samples into a musical patchwork.
The result included the title track and “Frontier Psychiatrist.” The album was both timeless and immediate, according to a statement from the band’s representatives. They described it as “a global footprint for collaborative sampology in the 21st century.”
The followup took 16 years. Many thought it would never see the light of day. When Wildflower arrived, it went straight to No. 1 on the ARIA Albums Chart.
Their third album, We Will Always Love You, came at comparative warp-speed in 2020. It later won the coveted Australian Music Prize, for the best album of the year.
What’s On The New Album
Chater explained that No Bad Memories began with rhythmic experiments using the sonic leftovers and hallmarks of the technologies the band grew up with. Recordings of hard drives, computer hardware and forgotten technologies became part of the album’s sonic palette.
The album includes several previously released cuts. “Together” features Nikki Nair, Jessy Lanza and Prentiss. “Every Single Weekend” pairs the band with Jamie xx. “Blue Shadows” features Karen O. “Can’t Get Over Losing You” comes with Portraits of Tracy. Most recently, “Far Away” pairs the band with John Glacier and Khadija Al Hanafi.
Tickets Go On Sale Soon
The general onsale for the 2027 Australia tour starts Tuesday, Oct. 6 at 9am local time. An artist pre-sale opens earlier. Tickets and full information are available online.
Why This Tour Matters
The Avalanches have spent decades bending electronic music to their own shape. Their records are full of collaborators and samples, but the shows are where the chaos meets the crowd.
Marshall put it well. “Experiencing their kaleidoscopic, deeply human storytelling on the grandest stage our city can offer will be an extraordinary summer moment – and a hell of a lot of fun.”
The band agrees. “We’re crazy excited to be back on home soil playing these shows in Australia,” they said in a statement. “We can’t wait to be back in a room with people and seeing where the night takes us. We’ve got a lot of new music we’re excited to play, alongside some old favorites, and we can’t wait to spend a few nights making some beautiful noise and memories together.”
| Album | Year | Peak Position |
|---|---|---|
| Since I Left You | 2000 | — |
| Wildflower | 2016 | No. 1 on ARIA Albums Chart |
| We Will Always Love You | 2020 | Won Australian Music Prize |
| No Bad Memories | 2027 | Not yet released |
The Dates, At A Glance
- Perth Festival, East Perth Power Station: Saturday, Feb. 27 and Sunday, Feb. 28 (Sunday is sold out)
- Hindley St Music Hall, Adelaide: Thursday, March 4
- Royal Botanic Gardens, Melbourne: Friday, March 5
- On The Banks, Brisbane: Saturday, March 6
- Sydney Opera House Forecourt: Sunday, March 7
The tour spans six concerts across roughly two weeks. The band has packed a lot into that stretch.
What To Expect
The shows will mix new material from No Bad Memories with older favorites. The band promised a lot of new music alongside some old favorites, and they want to make beautiful noise and memories together.
The final stop at the Sydney Opera House Forecourt will be a fitting end to a long journey. The band has played sold-out shows across Europe and the UK, and now they’re bringing that energy home.
The Avalanches have been doing this for more than 25 years. They’ve built a sound that mixes old samples with new rhythms, and they’ve kept audiences moving since the turn of the millennium. This tour gives fans a chance to hear the new album live, in the cities where the band has played for decades.
The tour is a homecoming. The band is back where it started, playing the cities that have watched it grow. The new album is the reason to come, but the live show is the draw.
See the video the story is built around at Billboard.
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