The Drones Announce 2026 Australian Tour

Shane | 14 April 2026 | Reply

The Drones Announce 2026 Australian Tour
with special guests The Mess Hall
Tix on sale 10am AEST Tuesday, April 14th from venues

“The Drones evoke the Angry Penguins cultural movement, reinventing – and repudiating” The Guardian

“Liddiard has disdain for the idea of a songwriting muse with other-worldly inspiration; as quite possibly the best songwriter in Australia, he’s concerned mainly with process and application. He simply had a task to complete.” Sydney Morning Herald

Back by popular demand after a 10-year sabbatical, The Drones are reforming for a one-off tour of Australia in 2026.

In June 2025 the band played mini sets for two fundraiser shows at the Croxton Bandroom in Melbourne. Shows sold out in 20 minutes, making it obvious that a lap of the country was in order!

So here you go, national dates, featuring songs spanning their seven studio albums! Don’t miss your chance to see one of Australia’s greatest underground bands live. This is a one-off tour.

Gareth Liddiard and Fiona Kitschin will take a mini break from their other baby, Tropical F Storm, which has spent the past ten years relentlessly touring the globe and releasing ARIA Award-winning records.

Sauntering along the edges of chaos and precision, The Drones built a reputation off the back of their iconic live shows, delivering epic performances that are both confrontational and liberating at the same time. Led by Gareth Liddard (Tropical F Storm, Springtime, Spencer P Jones and The Nothing Butts, Bond Odyssey), one of the most uncompromising, distinctive songwriters of modern times, marked by his dense poetic lyricism and spitting vocal style. Lauded by peers, fans and critics alike for his blend of political commentary, dark humour, vivid storytelling and brutal musical conveyance.

The Drones turned their outsider status into a badge of honour, releasing seven studio albums, with classics like, ‘Taman Shud’, ‘To Think That I Once Loved You’, ‘Shark Fin Blues’, ‘Jezabel’, ‘Boredom’, ‘I See Seaweed’, ‘How To See Through Fog’ and ‘River Of Tears’.

They won the inaugural Australian Music Prize, for their LP ‘Wait Long by the River and the Bodies of Your Enemies Will Float By’, and toured with the likes of Neil Young, Pattie Smith, The Dirty Three, to name a few.
In 2016, they returned to where it all began for five sold-out nights straight at The Tote.

They will be joined by good mates and fellow Australian Music Prize winners, The Mess Hall, who have also returned to live touring in 2026 after a decade-long hiatus. The Sydney powerhouse two-piece made a triumphant return at OK Motels’ Charlton edition earlier this year. Jed remains hot; they both still have hair. Albums include Notes From A Ceiling, Devils Elbow and For The Birds.

The Drones are:
Gareth Liddiard
Fiona Kitschin
Dan Luscombe
Christian Strybosch
Steve Hesketh

The Drones 2026 Tour Dates With Guests The Mess Hall

Saturday, 8 Aug Darwin Festival NT
Friday, 14 Aug Thornbury Theatre VIC
Friday, 28 Aug Crowbar, Brisbane QLD
Saturday, 29 Aug Factory Theatre, Marrickville NSW
Friday, 4 Sept The Gov Adelaide SA
Saturday, 5 Sept Rechabite Perth WA
Friday, 11 Sept Theatre Royal Castlemaine VIC
Saturday, 12 Sept Archie’s Creek Hotel Archies Creek VIC