RIP your bank account.
At the tail end of 2018 we pondered some tours we hoped to see this year and you might as well just call us The Simpsons because we basically predicted the future – in most cases, anyway. Although the likes of Beyonce and Oasis are yet to reveal plans to head Down Under, we’ve already welcomed Eminem and Nicki Minaj onto our stages while Fleetwood Mac and Slayer have confirmed 2019 slots. In short, it’s looking to be a good year.
In case you haven’t been paying attention or just need a reminder of how many gig tickets you need to splurge on in the coming months, here is a list of some of the most anticipated tours heading our way this year.
It may not be the original lineup, seeing as the band gave their now-former guitarist and songwriter Lindsey Buckingham the flick last year, but what’s more classic Fleetwood Mac than bandmate drama anyway? In lieu of Buckingham, Crowded House’s Neil Finn and Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers’ Mike Campbell have been recruited to join the band on their Australian jaunt this October in what is set to be an unmissable event.
While their latest album Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino wasn’t exactly a unanimous favourite among fans, that hasn’t dampened the excitement to see Arctic Monkeys back on Australian soil. Despite your stance on the English rockers’ most recent album, you know the powerhouse ensemble that brought albums like AM and Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not into the world won’t disappoint on their forthcoming tour.
It’s been a big few years for Kurt Vile, from his joint album with Courtney Barnett Lotta Sea Lice in 2017 to last year’s Bottle It In, there’s hardly an ear his rambling rock hasn’t drifted through. While Vile has been singing tunes for over a decade now, it wasn’t until 2015’s ‘Pretty Pimpin’ that the mainstream began paying attention to the solo career of the former The War on Drugs guitarist. Here’s hoping he’ll bring his mate Courtney along for a song or two while he’s in the country.
With the release of their forthcoming album amo around the corner, it’s only right that metalcore outfit Bring Me The Horizon head our way for a tour. The last time we saw the band was in 2017, a year after they’d planned due to the band’s frontman Oli Sykes bout of acute laryngitis. The band have been transitioning towards a less aggressive sound, so here’s hoping that Sykes’ vocal chords are in better shape this time around.
Californian thrash metal stalwarts Slayer are calling it a day, but not until they’ve screamed and shredded their way around the world. With 12 studio albums to their name, the outfit have built quite the fanbase over the past 38 years, but all good things must eventually come to an end. Slayer are locked in for gigs all over the world right up until October, with a handful of dates in Australia. It’s been a hell of a ride and there’s no doubt the band will cap it off with a tour to remember.
Pop-punk favourites The 1975 are spoiling us this year. Along with plans to drop their third studio album Notes on a Conditional Form this May, they’ll be heading on an Australian tour later in the year – giving you plenty of time to learn all the lyrics from their new record. The 1975 haven’t toured in Australia since 2016, which is pretty much a lifetime ago, so their return is set to be pretty dang special.
If you didn’t lose your mind when punk legend Iggy Pop announced his Australian tour, do you even care about music? The Stooges frontman is a legend for countless reasons, but his knack for pleasing crowds is right up there. He’ll be headlining Bluesfest along with playing just two sideshows, in Melbourne and Sydney, but no matter where you catch him you can guarantee you’ll be seeing his naked torso.
To celebrate the 20th anniversary of her seminal record The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, Ms Lauryn Hill herself will be bringing the album to life around Australia alongside long-time collaborator and hip-hop sensation, Nas. The singer, songwriter and genre-elusive powerhouse will fortify your love of live music through one of this year’s most anticipated live performances.
It’s been over ten years since Lily Allen’s ‘I’m not taking your shit’ attitude and built-for-pop voice burrowed their way into our hearts, but we’ve far from forgotten the loveable Brit. After a few tough years for Allen, she’s emerged afresh with her latest album No Shame. While she may not be singing about sexual frustration or taking pleasure in the misfortune of others, Allen has turned her talent towards something a little more introspective and it is powerful stuff.
It’s been 12 years since Red Hot Chili Peppers’ last Australian tour and five since they hit the stage at Big Day Out, so to say it’s been a long time between drinks would be an understatement. After dropping their 11th studio album The Getaway in 2016, the Chili Peppers have been keeping quiet on the new music front, but perhaps some time on the road will get the creative juices flowing. Red Hot Chili Peppers will play their first ever Hobart gig too, much to the delight of Tasmanian fans.
In a tour announcement that took everyone off guard, homegrown pop princess Kylie Minogue announced her first string of headline Aussie shows since 2015. As part of the tour, Minogue will also make appearances at A Day on the Green, because nothing pairs with a glass of pinot quite like yelling the lyrics to ‘The Locomotion’ alongside hundreds of strangers. It’ll be worth heading along for the nostalgia factor alone.
Post Malone is basically a phenomenon in and of himself, meaning when he first let slip he’d be heading Down Under everyone went nuts and he had to add more shows to his tour. After dropping his anthemic single ‘White Iverson’ in 2015, the hip-hop sensation lovingly dubbed ‘Posty’ has blown up across the globe. With hits like ‘Psycho’ and ‘Rockstar’ coming out the wazoo, the chances of having a bad time at one of his upcoming gigs are very slim.
