Madness return to Australia and New Zealand in February and March 2027 with the All Abroad for the Madness Hit Parade Tour, their first run of Australian headline shows since April 2017. Six dates are confirmed: Esplanade Park in Fremantle on Saturday 27 February, On the Banks at the QPAC Forecourt in Brisbane on Tuesday 2 March, the Sydney Opera House Forecourt on Friday 5 March, Palace Foreshore in Melbourne on Tuesday 9 March, Spark Arena in Auckland on Friday 12 March and Wolfbrook Arena in Christchurch on Saturday 13 March.
The Australian shows are all outdoor forecourt and foreshore events, while the two New Zealand dates are indoor arena concerts. For New Zealand it is a long-awaited return: the setlist.fm archive lists the band's only New Zealand shows in May 1981, at the Logan Campbell Centre in Auckland and the St James Theatre in Wellington.
Tickets have been on sale since Thursday 24 September 2026. This page covers the confirmed itinerary and venues, the band's Australian history from the Capitol Theatre in 1981 to Bluesfest in 2017, what the recent set lists contained and how to buy tickets safely.
The tour is built around the band's hits, as the title suggests, and opens on the west coast. Fremantle's Esplanade Park, set up as a Palace Foreshore site, hosts the first show on Saturday 27 February 2027. It is a fitting start: Madness's 2017 Australian tour also began in Fremantle, with a show at the Fremantle Arts Centre that sold out and led to a second night.
Brisbane follows on Tuesday 2 March at On the Banks, the outdoor stage on the forecourt of the Queensland Performing Arts Centre at South Bank. Sydney has the Opera House Forecourt on Friday 5 March, one of the city's most recognisable concert settings, with the harbour on one side and the steps of the Opera House on the other. Melbourne's show is on Tuesday 9 March at Palace Foreshore, the seasonal venue on the foreshore at St Kilda beside Luna Park and the Palais Theatre.
The band then flies to New Zealand for two arena dates on consecutive nights: Spark Arena in Auckland on Friday 12 March and Wolfbrook Arena in Christchurch on Saturday 13 March, the last show of the run. Adelaide, Hobart and Canberra are not on the itinerary as of 9 October 2026, and no support acts have been announced.
Guitarist Chris Foreman missed the band's 2025 dates while he was treated for myeloma. In June 2026 he announced that his cancer was in full remission and returned to the stage with Madness on 7 June 2026, so the 2027 shows are expected to feature six of the seven members of the classic line-up.
Esplanade Park is a grassed reserve in Fremantle's West End, between the city centre and the Fishing Boat Harbour. It is used for festivals and outdoor events, and in 2027 it is set up as a Palace Foreshore site for summer concerts.
On the Banks is an outdoor concert stage on the forecourt of the Queensland Performing Arts Centre at South Bank, beside the Brisbane River. QPAC itself opened in 1985 and has five theatres, including the 2,000-seat Lyric Theatre and the Glasshouse Theatre that opened in March 2026.
The Forecourt is the open plaza at the foot of the Sydney Opera House's monumental steps on Bennelong Point, used for outdoor concerts with the harbour as a backdrop. The Opera House, designed by Jørn Utzon, opened in 1973 and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Palace Foreshore is a seasonal open-air venue on the Lower Esplanade at St Kilda, about 7 km from Melbourne's city centre, next to the Palais Theatre and Luna Park. It is installed each summer for one-day festivals, headline shows and public events.
Spark Arena is Auckland's largest indoor arena, opened in March 2007 as Vector Arena in Quay Park, Parnell, close to the city centre. Spark New Zealand took over the naming rights in April 2017, and the venue holds more than 13,000 people for general events.
Wolfbrook Arena is Christchurch's main indoor arena, in Addington, and opened in 1998 as the WestpacTrust Centre. It has since been called Westpac Arena, CBS Canterbury Arena, Horncastle Arena and Christchurch Arena, and holds just over 7,000 for concerts.
Saturday 27 February 2027 — Esplanade Park (Palace Foreshore), Fremantle. Their most recent documented Fremantle show was at South Lawn on 11 April 2017. The tour starts here.
Tuesday 2 March 2027 — On the Banks – QPAC Forecourt, Brisbane. In Brisbane, the last documented Madness concert was at Mansfield Tavern (9 May 1986).
Friday 5 March 2027 — Sydney Opera House Forecourt, Sydney. In Sydney, the last documented Madness concert was at Hordern Pavilion (15 April 2017).
Tuesday 9 March 2027 — Palace Foreshore, Melbourne. Their most recent documented Melbourne show was at Festival Hall on 13 April 2017.
Friday 12 March 2027 — Spark Arena, Auckland. Their most recent documented Auckland show was at Logan Campbell Centre on 5 May 1981.
Saturday 13 March 2027 — Wolfbrook Arena, Christchurch. The run finishes here.
Madness first toured Australia in April 1981, when the 2 Tone era was at its height. The setlist.fm archive lists two nights at the Perth Concert Hall on 22 and 23 April, Thebarton Town Hall in Adelaide, Festival Hall in Melbourne on 25 April, three nights at the Capitol Theatre in Sydney (27 to 29 April) and the Cloudland Ballroom in Brisbane on 2 May. They then crossed to New Zealand for the Logan Campbell Centre in Auckland on 5 May and the St James Theatre in Wellington on 6 May 1981.
They were back in October 1982 on the Complete Madness tour, named after the greatest-hits album of that year. Sydney's Capitol Theatre again had three nights (14 to 16 October), followed by Brisbane Festival Hall, the Bruce Indoor Stadium in Canberra, two nights at the Palais Theatre in St Kilda, Thebarton Theatre in Adelaide and the Perth Entertainment Centre on 27 October.
The 1986 tour is the most unusual in the archive. Promoting Mad Not Mad a few months before the band split that September, Madness played mostly clubs, pubs and universities: the Bridge Hotel in Mildura, the Four Seasons Westlands Hotel in Whyalla, Thebarton Theatre, two nights each at Sweethearts in the Stardust Hotel and Selina's at the Coogee Bay Hotel in Sydney, Shellharbour and Newcastle workers clubs, The Palace in Melbourne, La Trobe, Monash and Melbourne universities, Deakin University in Geelong, Lismore Workers Club, Bombay Rock on the Gold Coast, two nights at the Mansfield Tavern in Brisbane, the Mooloolaba Hotel and The Powerhouse in Toowoomba on 11 May. The 22-song sets opened with “Keep Moving” and mixed newer songs such as “Yesterday's Men”, “Uncle Sam” and “Burning the Boats” with “Baggy Trousers”, “House of Fun” and “Our House”.
After the 1992 reunion, the next Australian dates in the archive come in March and April 2009, when the band played what Wikipedia describes as a series of festivals and headline shows. The list includes the Big Top at Luna Park in Sydney, Centennial Park in Sydney, Avica Resort on the Gold Coast, the Palace Theatre in Melbourne on 31 March, Thebarton Theatre in Adelaide, the Royal Melbourne Showgrounds on 4 April and Claremont Showground in Perth on 5 April. The Palace Theatre show ran to 22 songs and previewed “Dust Devil” and “Clerkenwell Polka” from The Liberty of Norton Folgate, released that May.
The most recent tour was in April 2017. It opened with two nights on the South Lawn of the Fremantle Arts Centre on 10 and 11 April, then went to Festival Hall in Melbourne on 13 April and the Hordern Pavilion in Sydney on 15 April before a closing set at Bluesfest at Tyagarah Tea Tree Farm near Byron Bay on 16 April. The headline sets ran to 23-25 songs, opening with “Can't Touch Us Now” from the album of the same name.
The table below lists 51 documented Australia/NZ concerts by Madness between 1981 and 2017, with the most shows in Sydney (12), Melbourne (11), Perth (4), Adelaide (4), Brisbane (4), Fremantle (2). It is not exhaustive: it only includes documented shows.
| Date | City | Venue | Tour / event |
|---|---|---|---|
| 16 April 2017 | Byron Bay | Tyagarah Tea Tree Farm | |
| 15 April 2017 | Sydney | Hordern Pavilion | |
| 13 April 2017 | Melbourne | Festival Hall | |
| 11 April 2017 | Fremantle | South Lawn | |
| 10 April 2017 | Fremantle | South Lawn | |
| 5 April 2009 | Perth | Claremont Showground | |
| 4 April 2009 | Melbourne | Royal Melbourne Showgrounds | |
| 1 April 2009 | Adelaide | Thebarton Theatre | |
| 31 March 2009 | Melbourne | Palace Theatre | |
| 29 March 2009 | Gold Coast | Avica Resort | |
| 28 March 2009 | Sydney | Centennial Park | |
| 11 May 1986 | Toowoomba | The Powerhouse | |
| 10 May 1986 | Maroochydore | Mooloolaba Hotel | |
| 9 May 1986 | Brisbane | Mansfield Tavern | |
| 8 May 1986 | Brisbane | Mansfield Tavern | |
| 7 May 1986 | Gold Coast | Bombay Rock | |
| 6 May 1986 | Lismore | Lismore Workers Club | |
| 4 May 1986 | Melbourne | Union House, University of Melbourne | |
| 3 May 1986 | Geelong | Deakin University | Mad Not Mad |
| 2 May 1986 | Melbourne | Monash University | |
| 1 May 1986 | Melbourne | La Trobe University | |
| 30 April 1986 | Melbourne | The Palace Complex | |
| 29 April 1986 | Melbourne | The Palace Complex | |
| 27 April 1986 | Newcastle | Newcastle Workers Club | |
| 26 April 1986 | Shellharbour | Shellharbour Workers Club | |
| 25 April 1986 | Sydney | Selina's Coogee Bay Hotel | |
| 24 April 1986 | Sydney | Selina's Coogee Bay Hotel | |
| 23 April 1986 | Sydney | Sweethearts, Stardust Hotel | |
| 22 April 1986 | Sydney | Sweethearts, Stardust Hotel | |
| 20 April 1986 | Adelaide | Thebarton Theatre | |
| 19 April 1986 | Whyalla | Four Seasons Westlands Hotel | |
| 18 April 1986 | Mildura | Bridge Hotel | |
| 27 October 1982 | Perth | Perth Entertainment Centre | Complete Madness |
| 25 October 1982 | Adelaide | Thebarton Theatre | Complete Madness |
| 23 October 1982 | Melbourne | Palais Theatre | Complete Madness |
| 22 October 1982 | Melbourne | Palais Theatre | Complete Madness |
| 21 October 1982 | Canberra | Bruce Indoor Stadium | Complete Madness |
| 19 October 1982 | Brisbane | Brisbane Festival Hall | Complete Madness |
| 16 October 1982 | Sydney | Capitol Theatre | Complete Madness |
| 15 October 1982 | Sydney | Capitol Theatre | Complete Madness |
| 14 October 1982 | Sydney | Capitol Theatre | Complete Madness |
| 6 May 1981 | Wellington | St James Theatre | |
| 5 May 1981 | Auckland | Logan Campbell Centre | |
| 2 May 1981 | Brisbane | Cloudland Ballroom | |
| 29 April 1981 | Sydney | Capitol Theatre | |
| 28 April 1981 | Sydney | Capitol Theatre | |
| 27 April 1981 | Sydney | Capitol Theatre | |
| 25 April 1981 | Melbourne | Festival Hall | |
| 24 April 1981 | Adelaide | Thebarton Town Hall | |
| 23 April 1981 | Perth | Perth Concert Hall | |
| 22 April 1981 | Perth | Perth Concert Hall |
Concert data: setlist.fm
Across the 10 most recent documented Australia/NZ concerts with a full song list (3 May 1986 to 16 April 2017), these are the songs that came up most often. Titles only — set lists change from night to night.
Madness closed their 2017 Australian tour at Byron Bay Bluesfest, playing the festival site at Tyagarah Tea Tree Farm on Easter Sunday, 16 April 2017. Their festival set of 23 songs opened with “One Step Beyond” and found room for a cover of AC/DC's “Highway to Hell” and a closing “Always Look on the Bright Side of Life”. In 2009 their Australian visit also mixed headline shows with festival appearances, including large outdoor dates at Centennial Park in Sydney, the Royal Melbourne Showgrounds and Claremont Showground in Perth.
The 2027 dates are the band's own outdoor and arena concerts; no Australian or New Zealand festival appearance had been confirmed in the data as of 9 October 2026.
Madness formed in Camden Town, north-west London, in 1976 as the North London Invaders, around Mike Barson on keyboards, Chris Foreman on guitar and Lee Thompson on saxophone. Graham McPherson, known as Suggs, took over vocals in 1977, drummer Dan Woodgate and bassist Mark Bedford joined in 1978, and Cathal Smyth (Chas Smash) rejoined late in 1979. The band took its name from a Prince Buster song and released its first single, “The Prince”, on the 2 Tone label in 1979.
Between 1980 and 1986 their songs spent 214 weeks on the UK singles chart, a 1980s record for a group that they share with UB40. They had 16 UK top-ten singles, among them “One Step Beyond”, “My Girl”, “Baggy Trousers”, “Embarrassment”, “It Must Be Love”, “Grey Day” and “Wings of a Dove”; “House of Fun” was a UK number one in 1982 and “Our House” reached number 7 in the United States. In Australia their albums One Step Beyond... (1979), 7 (1981) and The Rise & Fall (1982) all made the top 40.
Barson left in 1984 and the band split in 1986 after Mad Not Mad, briefly continuing as The Madness. The classic line-up reunited for the first Madstock concerts in 1992 and has stayed together since, releasing Wonderful (1999), The Dangermen Sessions Vol. 1 (2005), The Liberty of Norton Folgate (2009) and Oui Oui, Si Si, Ja Ja, Da Da (2012). They played on the roof of Buckingham Palace for the Diamond Jubilee and at the closing ceremony of the London 2012 Olympics. Chas Smash left in October 2014 and has not rejoined.
Can't Touch Us Now reached number 5 in the UK in 2016, and Theatre of the Absurd Presents C'est la Vie (2023) became their first number one studio album in the UK. The band toured the United States in 2024 for the first time in twelve years. Foreman was diagnosed with myeloma in 2025, with Kevin Burdett standing in on guitar, before his return in June 2026.
| Album | Year | AUS chart peak |
|---|---|---|
| One Step Beyond... | 1979 | AUS 29 |
| Absolutely | 1980 | AUS 56 |
| 7 | 1981 | AUS 35 |
| The Rise & Fall | 1982 | AUS 28 |
| Keep Moving | 1984 | AUS 94 |
| Mad Not Mad | 1985 | AUS 66 |
| The Madness (as The Madness) | 1988 | — |
| Wonderful | 1999 | — |
| The Dangermen Sessions Vol. 1 | 2005 | — |
| The Liberty of Norton Folgate | 2009 | — |
| Oui Oui, Si Si, Ja Ja, Da Da | 2012 | — |
| Can't Touch Us Now | 2016 | — |
| Theatre of the Absurd Presents C'est la Vie | 2023 | — |
Every Australian date in 2027 is outdoors. Fremantle's Esplanade Park, the QPAC Forecourt on Brisbane's South Bank, the Sydney Opera House Forecourt and the St Kilda foreshore in Melbourne are all temporary or open-air concert settings used for summer and early-autumn shows rather than permanent arenas.
For a band whose songs are built for dancing, that suits the format. The 2017 tour also began outside, on the South Lawn of the Fremantle Arts Centre, and ended at Bluesfest. Late February and early March are usually warm in all four cities, but the shows are open to the weather, so it is worth checking each venue's conditions of entry before the night.
The weeknight scheduling is worth noting. Brisbane on Tuesday 2 March and Melbourne on Tuesday 9 March fall midweek; only Fremantle (Saturday 27 February) and Sydney (Friday 5 March) are at the weekend in Australia.
Sydney's show on Friday 5 March 2027 is on the forecourt of the Sydney Opera House, the open area at the foot of the building's monumental steps on Bennelong Point. The forecourt concert series uses the steps and the harbour as a backdrop and holds a few thousand people, far fewer than an arena.
Sydney has seen Madness in many kinds of room: the Capitol Theatre in 1981 and 1982, pubs and hotels in 1986, the Big Top at Luna Park and Centennial Park in 2009, and the Hordern Pavilion in 2017. The forecourt is the most distinctive setting yet, and with a single Sydney date it is likely to be the hardest ticket of the tour.
According to the setlist.fm archive, Madness have played New Zealand only twice: the Logan Campbell Centre in Auckland on 5 May 1981 and the St James Theatre in Wellington the next night. The 2027 tour therefore marks the band's first New Zealand concerts on record in 46 years.
Unlike the Australian leg, both New Zealand shows are indoor arena concerts. Spark Arena in Auckland on Friday 12 March is the city's biggest indoor venue, and Wolfbrook Arena in Christchurch on Saturday 13 March is the first Madness show in the South Island in the archive.
Wellington, which hosted the band in 1981, is not included this time. With only two dates in the country, fans further afield will need to travel to Auckland or Christchurch.
Western Australia has been a regular first stop. The band played two nights at the Perth Concert Hall in 1981, the Perth Entertainment Centre in 1982 and Claremont Showground in 2009. In 2017 their first Australian show, at the Fremantle Arts Centre, sold out so quickly that a second night was added.
At the first of those Fremantle nights, on 10 April 2017, the set included a cover of AC/DC's “Highway to Hell”, a choice with local resonance in the port city where Bon Scott grew up and is buried. The 2027 opener is again in Fremantle, at Esplanade Park, on Saturday 27 February.
Madness's 2017 Australian headline sets were long and hit-heavy. At Festival Hall in Melbourne on 13 April 2017 they played 24 songs, opening with “Can't Touch Us Now” and running through “Embarrassment”, “The Prince”, “NW5”, “My Girl”, “Herbert”, “Wings of a Dove”, “Good Times”, “Cardiac Arrest”, “The Sun and the Rain”, “Grey Day” and “Tomorrow's (Just Another Day)” before a closing sequence of “One Step Beyond”, “House of Fun”, “Baggy Trousers”, “Our House”, “It Must Be Love”, “Mr. Apples”, “Madness” and “Night Boat to Cairo”.
The Fremantle shows added “Chrissy Boy's Showtime” on the second night, and the Bluesfest set reordered things for a festival crowd, starting with “One Step Beyond”. In 2009 the Palace Theatre set in Melbourne included a cover of “Forever Young”, “Bed and Breakfast Man” and “Tarzan's Nuts”, alongside new material from The Liberty of Norton Folgate.
With a tour named after their hits, expect the run of singles to dominate in 2027, with a few songs from Theatre of the Absurd Presents C'est la Vie likely alongside them. Their shows usually end with “Madness” and “Night Boat to Cairo”; the 2027 set list had not been published as of 9 October 2026.
Tickets for all six shows went on general sale on Thursday 24 September 2026 through the authorised ticket sellers for each venue, including the QPAC and Sydney Opera House box offices for those two dates. Every city has a single show, and the Australian events are outdoor, so read the conditions of entry for each one.
There is no public Madness presale code to buy or share. Treat codes or “guaranteed tickets” offered on social media as scams, buy only from the official outlets for each venue, and remember that most major Australian and New Zealand events now use name-locked mobile tickets.
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When does the Madness 2027 tour start?
In Fremantle, at Esplanade Park, on Saturday 27 February 2027.
Are the Australian shows outdoors?
Yes. All four Australian dates are outdoor forecourt and foreshore events; the New Zealand shows are in arenas.
Where is the Sydney show?
On the Sydney Opera House Forecourt on Friday 5 March 2027.
Where is the Melbourne show?
At Palace Foreshore, on the St Kilda foreshore, on Tuesday 9 March 2027.
Are Madness playing New Zealand?
Yes: Spark Arena in Auckland on Friday 12 March and Wolfbrook Arena in Christchurch on Saturday 13 March 2027.
When did Madness last tour Australia?
In April 2017, with two nights in Fremantle, Festival Hall in Melbourne, the Hordern Pavilion in Sydney and Bluesfest near Byron Bay.
Is there an Adelaide date?
Not as of 9 October 2026. The band last played Adelaide at Thebarton Theatre in April 2009.
Are tickets on sale?
Yes. General sale began on Thursday 24 September 2026.
Will Chris Foreman be playing?
Foreman announced in June 2026 that his cancer was in full remission and returned to the band's live shows that month.
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