James Blake is bringing his self-released album Trying Times to Australia in December, with shows in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne.
The British producer, songwriter and musician will play three dates down the east coast, finishing at Melbourne’s Margaret Court Arena. James Blake takes a different kind of space in each city, from an inner-city Brisbane hall to the steps of the Sydney Opera House.
All three shows run through the same promoter, with a stack of presales landing across the same week as the announcement. It’s a tight run rather than a sprawling one, hitting a single room in each town.
The dates follow Trying Times, the 2026 album Blake put out himself. It adds to a catalogue rooted in soul, electronica, hip-hop and alt-R&B, and built up over more than a decade.
James Blake Australian tour 2026
- 1 December – The Fortitude Music Hall, Brisbane
- 2 December – Sydney Opera House (On the Steps), Sydney
- 5 December – Margaret Court Arena, Melbourne
Stay up to date with what’s happening in and around Melbourne here.
Several presales open before the general public sale. A partner presale and an artist presale both start on 24 June at 10am, followed by a Secret Sounds presale on 25 June at 10am.
The general on-sale lands on 26 June at 10am, with every show handled by promoter Secret Sounds. Presale access typically means signing up ahead of time, so it’s worth sorting before the codes drop.
Blake has been a fixture since his self-titled debut, with Overgrown taking out the Mercury Prize in 2013. Later records Assume Form and Friends That Break Your Heart widened a sound that moves between pop, soul and electronics.
Across those releases he’s worked as both a solo name and a producer, putting his hands on other artists’ material as well as his own. The Grammy winner has spent years sitting just off-centre of the mainstream while shaping plenty of it.
Trying Times marks a change in approach, arriving as a record he steered independently rather than through a major label. The December visit gives local audiences a first chance to hear that material live, with the Melbourne date the only Victorian show on the run.
For more information, head here.
