Massive Attack Announces Australian Tour, New Track with Tom Waits
Massive Attack is set to return to Australia for the first time since 2010, announcing three arena dates. The news comes alongside a collaboration with Tom Waits on a new track, "Boots on the Ground."
Massive Attack is making a triumphant return to Australia for their first headline shows since 2010, with three arena dates locked in for August in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne.
The Bristol collective, spearheaded by Robert “3D” Del Naja and Grant “Daddy G” Marshall, will kick off at Brisbane Entertainment Centre on August 6, followed by Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney on August 9, and concluding at Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne on August 11.
The shows are presented by Frontier Touring. Frontier Members presale opens Thursday, June 4 at 2 p.m. local time, with general on sale from Friday, June 5 at 3 p.m. local time via frontiertouring.com/massiveattack.
The announcement coincides with the release of a new collaboration with Tom Waits, titled “Boots on the Ground.” This marks the first new material from Massive Attack in quite some time, signaling their continued artistic vitality more than three decades after their formation within Bristol’s Wild Bunch sound system collective.
Few bands can claim the influence wielded by Massive Attack. Their 1991 debut, Blue Lines, often credited with inventing trip-hop, peaked at No. 13 on the UK Albums Chart and has since been recognized as one of Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.
Their third album, Mezzanine (1998), topped the UK Albums Chart and spawned the iconic tracks “Teardrop,” famously used as the theme for the American television drama House, and “Angel,” both now considered seminal recordings of the era. Mezzanine reached No. 60 on the Billboard 200—their strongest U.S. chart performance—and has sold over 3.5 million copies worldwide.
Their fourth album, 100th Window (2003), also reached the summit of the UK Albums Chart, giving the collective two U.K. No. 1 albums. Heligoland, their fifth and most recent studio album, was released in 2010—the same year as their last Australian visit—and debuted at No. 2 on the U.K. Albums Chart.
Massive Attack’s live shows are renowned for their immersive visual and sonic experiences, incorporating large-scale political messaging, bespoke audio-visual systems, and collaborations with artists including Adam Curtis, United Visual Artists, and Robert Del Naja’s own visual art practice.
Massive Attack — Australia 2026
Aug. 6 — Brisbane, QLD — Brisbane Entertainment Centre
Aug. 9 — Sydney, NSW — Qudos Bank Arena
Aug. 11 — Melbourne, VIC — Rod Laver Arena
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