Stranger Cole brings authentic Jamaican reggae, ska and rocksteady to Brunswick Ballroom this December.
Stranger Cole, born Wilburn Theodore Cole in Kingston in 1945, represents one of the last living links to the birth of Jamaican popular music. Having earned his nickname because he resembled no one else in his family, Cole has spent over six decades creating the foundation sounds that would become ska, rocksteady and reggae. His 1962 debut Rough and Tough for legendary producer Duke Reid arrived when these genres were still forming, making him not just a participant but an architect of Jamaica’s musical revolution.
This December tour marks another chapter in Cole’s long relationship with Australia, where he’s been visiting regularly for the past 15 years. Melbourne has become something of a second home since his first visit in 2010 at the invitation of Melbourne Ska Orchestra. The 79-year-old pioneer deliberately chose intimate venues for this national tour, wanting to give his Australian family, as he calls local audiences, a chance to experience Jamaican music royalty up close and personal.
Stranger Cole
- Saturday 13 December 2025
- Brunswick Ballroom, 314 Sydney Road, Brunswick
- Tickets available through Moshtix
Check out our gig guide here.
Cole’s career reads like a history of Jamaican music itself. His Louis Jordan revival Run Joe became a hit in 1965, featuring members of The Techniques on harmony vocals. Throughout his career, he’s partnered with numerous artists, most notably Millicent Patsy Todd and Ken Boothe, and later Gladstone Anderson. Their version of Just Like a River stands as one of Cole’s finest recordings. Despite an apparent shyness in the studio that led him to seek out duet partners, Cole developed into a soulful vocalist whose songs radiate a joyful personality that’s rare in reggae.
The More Ska Australia tour also includes stops in Margaret River, Perth, Brisbane, Adelaide and Sydney, with local support from carefully selected acts who understand the heritage they’re celebrating. For Melbourne audiences, this represents a rare opportunity to witness a true giant of reggae in the intimate setting of Brunswick Ballroom.
For more information, head here
