ArtistDirect News
Australian Crawl and Men At Work Reunite on 2026 Red Hot Summer Tour, Adding Brisbane and Melbourne Dates
After more than four decades, the original lineup of Australian Crawl will share a stage with Men At Work on the 2026 Red Hot Summer Tour. The new dates – Brisbane’s Riverstage on 20 November and Melbourne’s Sidney Myer Music Bowl on 22 November – bring the two iconic Australian acts together with Vika & Linda and Boom Crash Opera.
The November shows mark the first occasion since 1983 that Australian Crawl’s founding members James Reyne, Simon Binks and David Reyne will perform side‑by‑side. They will be joined by former guitarist John Watson, who played with the band from 1983 to 1986, and a larger ensemble that includes Brett Kingman, Josh Owen, Andrew McIvor, Sean Johnson, Melinda Jackson and Nicole Kurta. The group will take the crowd through the Crawl’s catalog, featuring the 1983 hit “Reckless” and the 1982 album Sons of Beaches.
Men At Work will be led by founding member Colin Hay, who has toured the group’s material internationally since the band split in 1985. Hay continues a solo career and is a member of Ringo Starr’s All Starr Band. The Men At Work set will feature songs such as “Down Under”, “Who Can It Be Now?” and “It’s A Mistake”. Greg Ham, the original saxophonist, died in 2012; Hay has performed the catalogue with a Los Angeles‑based band since 2019.
Vika & Linda, inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame and recipients of the Medal of the Order of Australia, will perform tracks from their latest album Where Do You Come From?. Boom Crash Opera, whose hits include “Great Wall” and “Hands Up In The Air”, will close the program.
The Red Hot Summer Tour already includes 10 performances across Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, Western Australia and South Australia. Several dates are sold out, and others are listed as selling fast. The tour’s pre‑sale for Red Hot Summer Tour and Face To Face starts Wednesday, 9 September at 10:00 am local time and runs until Thursday, 10 September at 10:00 am. General‑public sales begin Thursday, 10 September at 12:00 pm.
The addition of Brisbane and Melbourne follows strong demand for the existing schedule. The two new shows provide the first opportunity in more than 40 years for the original Crawl lineup to perform together and for Australian fans to see the two bands share a stage. The collaboration also highlights the enduring popularity of 1980s Australian rock and the continued relevance of its key figures.
Australian Crawl formed in Melbourne in 1978 and released a string of successful albums, including The Boys Light Up (1979), Sirocco (1981) and Sons of Beaches (1982). The band disbanded in early 1986 after a series of lineup changes and a costly final album. In 1996 the group was inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame.
Men At Work achieved international success in the early 1980s, winning a Grammy and selling multi‑platinum records. Their catalogue remains a staple of Australian pop‑rock history.
The Red Hot Summer Tour’s November dates are scheduled as follows:
20 November – Brisbane, Riverstage 22 November – Melbourne, Sidney Myer Music Bowl
Tickets are available through the tour’s official website. The tour’s continued expansion underscores the sustained demand for classic Australian acts and the viability of large‑scale nostalgia tours.
The 2026 Red Hot Summer Tour therefore represents a significant moment for Australian music history, reuniting key figures from two landmark bands and offering fans a rare live experience that has not occurred in four decades.
The November shows mark the first occasion since 1983 that Australian Crawl’s founding members James Reyne, Simon Binks and David Reyne will perform side‑by‑side. They will be joined by former guitarist John Watson, who played with the band from 1983 to 1986, and a larger ensemble that includes Brett Kingman, Josh Owen, Andrew McIvor, Sean Johnson, Melinda Jackson and Nicole Kurta. The group will take the crowd through the Crawl’s catalog, featuring the 1983 hit “Reckless” and the 1982 album Sons of Beaches.
Men At Work will be led by founding member Colin Hay, who has toured the group’s material internationally since the band split in 1985. Hay continues a solo career and is a member of Ringo Starr’s All Starr Band. The Men At Work set will feature songs such as “Down Under”, “Who Can It Be Now?” and “It’s A Mistake”. Greg Ham, the original saxophonist, died in 2012; Hay has performed the catalogue with a Los Angeles‑based band since 2019.
Vika & Linda, inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame and recipients of the Medal of the Order of Australia, will perform tracks from their latest album Where Do You Come From?. Boom Crash Opera, whose hits include “Great Wall” and “Hands Up In The Air”, will close the program.
The Red Hot Summer Tour already includes 10 performances across Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, Western Australia and South Australia. Several dates are sold out, and others are listed as selling fast. The tour’s pre‑sale for Red Hot Summer Tour and Face To Face starts Wednesday, 9 September at 10:00 am local time and runs until Thursday, 10 September at 10:00 am. General‑public sales begin Thursday, 10 September at 12:00 pm.
The addition of Brisbane and Melbourne follows strong demand for the existing schedule. The two new shows provide the first opportunity in more than 40 years for the original Crawl lineup to perform together and for Australian fans to see the two bands share a stage. The collaboration also highlights the enduring popularity of 1980s Australian rock and the continued relevance of its key figures.
Australian Crawl formed in Melbourne in 1978 and released a string of successful albums, including The Boys Light Up (1979), Sirocco (1981) and Sons of Beaches (1982). The band disbanded in early 1986 after a series of lineup changes and a costly final album. In 1996 the group was inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame.
Men At Work achieved international success in the early 1980s, winning a Grammy and selling multi‑platinum records. Their catalogue remains a staple of Australian pop‑rock history.
The Red Hot Summer Tour’s November dates are scheduled as follows:
20 November – Brisbane, Riverstage 22 November – Melbourne, Sidney Myer Music Bowl
Tickets are available through the tour’s official website. The tour’s continued expansion underscores the sustained demand for classic Australian acts and the viability of large‑scale nostalgia tours.
The 2026 Red Hot Summer Tour therefore represents a significant moment for Australian music history, reuniting key figures from two landmark bands and offering fans a rare live experience that has not occurred in four decades.