Simple Minds Australia Tour 2027

Simple Minds return to Australia and New Zealand in February 2027 for eight arena shows, with Gary Numan as special guest on every night. The run opens at RAC Arena in Perth on Saturday 13 February 2027 and closes at Wolfbrook Arena in Christchurch on Monday 1 March 2027, three years after the band’s last summer of shows on this side of the world.

The Australian leg takes in five cities: Perth, then the Adelaide Entertainment Centre Arena on 16 February, Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne on 18 February, Afterpay Arena in Sydney on 20 February and the Brisbane Entertainment Centre on 21 February. The band then cross the Tasman for Spark Arena in Auckland on 25 February, TSB Arena in Wellington on 27 February and the Christchurch finale.

It is a bigger-room tour than the last one. In 2024 Simple Minds spent much of their visit at wineries, racecourses and outdoor sites; in 2027 they are back in the main city arenas, the circuit they first played in the 1980s when New Gold Dream, Sparkle in the Rain and Once Upon a Time were all top-twenty albums in Australia and top-three albums in New Zealand. Tickets have been on sale since Friday 19 June 2026.

Simple Minds Australia Tour 2027: confirmed dates

The 2027 dates went on sale on Friday 19 June 2026, so this is a tour that has had time to build: by October most of the calendar is fixed and the only open questions concern set lists and production. The pairing with Gary Numan is the headline detail. The two acts come out of the same late-1970s British post-punk and electronic scene, and Numan’s own hits, “Are ‘Friends’ Electric?” and “Cars”, date from 1979, the year Simple Minds released their first two albums.

The routing runs west to east and then south across New Zealand. Perth comes first on a Saturday, followed by a short gap before Adelaide on Tuesday 16 February. Melbourne on Thursday 18 February and Sydney on Saturday 20 February are the two biggest rooms on the Australian side, and Brisbane follows the very next night, Sunday 21 February, at the arena in Boondall. There is a three-day break before Auckland on Thursday 25 February, then Wellington on Saturday 27 February and Christchurch on Monday 1 March.

Each city gets one show, and no second nights had been added as of 9 October 2026. Every Australian state capital on the mainland except Hobart and Darwin is covered; there are no regional or winery dates on this run, which marks a clear change from the 2012, 2017 and 2024 tours, when the band played vineyards in the Yarra Valley, the Hunter Valley, McLaren Vale and on Brisbane’s southern fringe.

The Australian and New Zealand dates come a few weeks before the band’s own British and Irish arena tour, which runs in May 2027 from London’s O2 to Dublin’s 3Arena, also with Gary Numan. No other 2027 dates outside the UK, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand had been confirmed as of 9 October 2026.

Simple Minds Australia Tour 2027: venue guide

Simple Minds Australia Tour 2027 at RAC Arena, Perth

Perth's main indoor arena opened as Perth Arena on 10 November 2012 with an Elton John concert, and took the RAC Arena name in September 2018. It holds up to 15,000 for concerts and stands on Wellington Street in the CBD, near the site of the old Perth Entertainment Centre.

Simple Minds Australia Tour 2027 at Adelaide Entertainment Centre Arena, Adelaide

The Adelaide Entertainment Centre opened on 20 July 1991 at Hindmarsh, north-west of the city centre, and is the largest auditorium in South Australia, with a capacity of up to 11,300. A $52 million redevelopment was completed in 2010, and the complex also includes a 3,000-seat theatre.

Simple Minds Australia Tour 2027 at Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne

Opened on 11 January 1988 as the National Tennis Centre at Flinders Park, Rod Laver Arena is the main court of the Australian Open at Melbourne Park. It was the first arena in Australia with a retractable roof and seats about 14,800 for tennis.

Simple Minds Australia Tour 2027 at Afterpay Arena, Sydney

Built for the 2000 Olympics at Sydney Olympic Park, the arena opened on 6 November 1999 as the Sydney SuperDome and was later known as Acer Arena, Allphones Arena and Qudos Bank Arena. It has carried the Afterpay Arena name since July 2026 and holds up to about 21,000 with floor seating.

Simple Minds Australia Tour 2027 at Brisbane Entertainment Centre, Brisbane

The Brisbane Entertainment Centre at Boondall, in the city's north, opened on 20 February 1986 and holds up to 14,500 for concerts. It will host Olympic handball during the Brisbane 2032 Games.

Simple Minds Australia Tour 2027 at Spark Arena, Auckland

Auckland's largest indoor arena opened on 24 March 2007 as Vector Arena and was renamed Spark Arena in April 2017. It holds about 13,000 people and sits in Quay Park, a short walk from Britomart station.

Simple Minds Australia Tour 2027 at TSB Arena, Wellington

Opened on the Wellington waterfront by Sir Peter Blake on 18 November 1995 as the Queens Wharf Events Centre, the arena has carried TSB naming rights since 2006. Its capacity is around 5,600, and it is home to the Wellington Saints basketball team.

Simple Minds Australia Tour 2027 at Wolfbrook Arena, Christchurch

Christchurch's arena in Addington opened on 12 September 1998 and has been known as the Westpac Trust Centre, Westpac Arena, CBS Canterbury Arena and Horncastle Arena. It is New Zealand's second-largest indoor arena, holding about 9,000 for concerts.

Simple Minds Australia Tour 2027: night by night

Saturday 13 February 2027 — RAC Arena, Perth. Their most recent documented Perth show was at Kings Park and Botanic Garden on 21 February 2024. This is the opening night of the run.

Tuesday 16 February 2027 — Adelaide Entertainment Centre Arena, Adelaide. Their previous show at this venue was on 2 December 2012, on the Live 2012.

Thursday 18 February 2027 — Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne. In Melbourne, the last documented Simple Minds concert was at Palais Theatre (13 February 2024).

Saturday 20 February 2027 — Afterpay Arena, Sydney. In Sydney, the last documented Simple Minds concert was at Concert Hall (8 February 2024).

Sunday 21 February 2027 — Brisbane Entertainment Centre, Brisbane. Simple Minds last played Brisbane Entertainment Centre on 1 April 2007.

Thursday 25 February 2027 — Spark Arena, Auckland. In Auckland, the last documented Simple Minds concert was at Vector Arena (14 February 2017).

Saturday 27 February 2027 — TSB Arena, Wellington. Their most recent documented Wellington show was at Wellington Town Hall on 15 May 2006.

Monday 1 March 2027 — Wolfbrook Arena, Christchurch. In Christchurch, the last documented Simple Minds concert was at Horncastle Arena (16 February 2017). This venue closes the tour.

Before the Simple Minds Australia Tour 2027: Australia/NZ concert history

Simple Minds’ connection with this part of the world started early, and in New Zealand rather than Australia. The setlist.fm archive has them at Wellington Town Hall on 20 October 1982 and at the Opera House in Palmerston North the next night, on the New Gold Dream Tour, when the album was on its way to number 2 in New Zealand. In February 1984 they were back for two outdoor shows at Festival Farm in Pukekawa, south of Auckland, and a date at Queen Elizabeth II Park in Christchurch, playing “Waterfront”, “Up on the Catwalk” and “Glittering Prize” from Sparkle in the Rain, which topped the New Zealand album chart that year.

The first big Australian arena tour came in October and November 1986 on the Once Upon a Time Tour. It opened at Thebarton Theatre in Adelaide on 21 October, then moved to the Sports & Entertainment Centre in Melbourne, Bruce Indoor Stadium in Canberra, the Brisbane Entertainment Centre (opened that same year) and several nights at the Sydney Entertainment Centre, before three more Melbourne shows from 31 October to 2 November. The New Zealand leg that followed took in Christchurch Town Hall twice, Wellington Town Hall, the Michael Fowler Centre and the Logan Campbell Centre in Auckland on 9 November 1986.

Three years later the Street Fighting Years Tour came through in November 1989: the Perth Entertainment Centre on 18 November, the National Tennis Centre at Flinders Park in Melbourne (today’s Rod Laver Arena) on 22 and 24 November, two nights at the Sydney Entertainment Centre and Brisbane on 28 November. The Melbourne set opened with “Street Fighting Years”, “Wall of Love” and “Mandela Day” and included covers of Peter Gabriel’s “Biko” and “Sun City” alongside “Belfast Child”.

After a long gap the band returned in May 2006 with the Black & White 050505 shows, playing theatres rather than arenas: two nights at the Burswood Theatre in Perth, three at the State Theatre in Sydney, the Brisbane Convention Centre, the Palais Theatre in St Kilda, then Wellington Town Hall and the ASB Theatre in Auckland. In March 2007 they were back on a larger scale, starting at the WACA Ground in Perth and taking in the Adelaide Entertainment Centre, two Palais nights, the AIS Arena in Canberra, the WIN Entertainment Centre in Wollongong, the Sydney Entertainment Centre, Tempus Two Winery in Pokolbin and Brisbane, with a New Zealand finale at Westpac Arena in Christchurch (now Wolfbrook Arena) on 4 April 2007.

The 2010s brought a different pattern. March 2010 included the Lyric Theatre in Sydney, Albert Park in Melbourne and Auckland’s Civic Theatre; October 2011 a beach show at Surfers Paradise. The Live 2012 tour in late November and December 2012 mixed the Palais, the Adelaide Entertainment Centre, Kings Park in Perth, the Sydney Entertainment Centre and WIN Entertainment Centre with winery dates at Rochford in the Yarra Valley, Bimbadgen in the Hunter and Sirromet at Mount Cotton, finishing at Villa Maria Estate in Auckland on 15 December. February 2017 followed the same idea, with Margaret Court Arena in Melbourne, the Hordern Pavilion in Sydney, Kings Park, Leconfield Wines in McLaren Vale and two New Zealand arena nights at Vector Arena in Auckland and Horncastle Arena in Christchurch; in November 2018 the band played the No1 Sports Oval in Newcastle.

The most recent visit was the Global Tour 2024. It opened in New Zealand at Riverside Park in Taupō on 27 January, Claudelands Oval in Hamilton and Gibbston Valley near Queenstown, then crossed to Australia for the Sydney Opera House Concert Hall on 8 February, Mornington Racecourse, Rochford Winery, the Palais Theatre on 13 February, the AEC Theatre in Adelaide, Sandstone Point Hotel at Moreton Bay, The Star Gold Coast and a final night at Kings Park in Perth on 21 February 2024.

The table below lists 78 documented Australia/NZ concerts by Simple Minds between 1982 and 2024, with the most shows in Melbourne (13), Sydney (12), Perth (7), Christchurch (5), Auckland (5), Adelaide (4). It is not exhaustive: it only includes documented shows.

Concert data: setlist.fm

Simple Minds Australia Tour 2027 setlist: the songs played most often in Australia and New Zealand

Across the 15 most recent documented Australia/NZ concerts with a full song list (14 February 2017 to 21 February 2024), these are the songs that came up most often. Titles only — set lists change from night to night.

1. Don't You (Forget About Me) — played at 15 of 15 shows
2. Love Song — played at 15 of 15 shows
3. Promised You a Miracle — played at 15 of 15 shows
4. Someone Somewhere in Summertime — played at 15 of 15 shows
5. Waterfront — played at 15 of 15 shows
6. Alive and Kicking — played at 14 of 15 shows
7. Glittering Prize — played at 14 of 15 shows
8. Sanctify Yourself — played at 14 of 15 shows
9. New Gold Dream (81-82-83-84) — played at 13 of 15 shows
10. Belfast Child — played at 12 of 15 shows
11. I Travel — played at 9 of 15 shows
12. Once Upon a Time — played at 8 of 15 shows
13. Amazing Grace — played at 7 of 15 shows
14. Solstice Kiss — played at 7 of 15 shows

Before the Simple Minds Australia Tour 2027: past Australia/NZ tours at a glance

• Global Tour 2024 (2024): 11 Australia/NZ shows — Taupo, Hamilton, Queenstown, Sydney, Mornington, Coldstream, Melbourne, Adelaide, Moreton Bay, Gold Coast, Perth.
• Walk Between Worlds Live'18 (2018): 1 Australia/NZ show — Newcastle.
• Live 2012 (2012): 9 Australia/NZ shows — Melbourne, Coldstream, Adelaide, Perth, Sydney, Pokolbin, Mount Cotton, Wollongong, Auckland.
• Black & White 050505 (2006): 9 Australia/NZ shows — Perth, Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, Wellington, Auckland.
• Street Fighting Years Tour (1989): 4 Australia/NZ shows — Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane.
• Once Upon a Time Tour (1986): 14 Australia/NZ shows — Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney, Canberra, Brisbane, Christchurch, Wellington, Auckland.
• New Gold Dream Tour (1982): 2 Australia/NZ shows — Wellington, Palmerston North.

Simple Minds Australia Tour 2027 and Australia/NZ festivals

Simple Minds have rarely played the big touring festivals in Australia; the archive is almost entirely headline shows. The closest equivalents are the open-air dates at Festival Farm in Pukekawa in February 1984 and the beach concert at Surfers Paradise in October 2011.

Their summer visits since 2012 have relied instead on the winery and outdoor circuit, which works like a series of one-day festivals. The 2027 tour has no festival or winery appearances: all eight shows are indoor arena concerts.

Simple Minds Australia Tour 2027: career and records

Simple Minds formed in Glasgow in 1977. The band’s core today is the duo of original members Jim Kerr (vocals) and Charlie Burchill (guitar), with other musicians around them; former members include keyboard player Mick MacNeil, bassists Derek Forbes and John Giblin, and drummers Brian McGee and Mel Gaynor.

Their debut album Life in a Day came out on Arista in 1979, followed by Real to Real Cacophony the same year and Empires and Dance in 1980, records that won critical praise but sold modestly. After moving to Virgin they released Sons and Fascination and Sister Feelings Call in 1981, reaching the UK top twenty and the Australian top forty. New Gold Dream (81–82–83–84) in 1982 was the breakthrough, a top-ten album in the UK, Australia, New Zealand and Sweden, with “Promised You a Miracle”, “Glittering Prize” and “Someone Somewhere in Summertime”.

Sparkle in the Rain (1984) went straight to number one in the UK and New Zealand with “Waterfront”. In 1985 “Don't You (Forget About Me)”, recorded for the film The Breakfast Club, reached number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number 6 in Australia, and Once Upon a Time followed with “Alive and Kicking”, “Sanctify Yourself”, “All the Things She Said” and “Ghostdancing”. Street Fighting Years (1989), led by “Belfast Child”, reached number 11 in Australia and number 4 in New Zealand.

Real Life (1991) and Good News from the Next World (1995) kept them in the Australian top twenty before a commercial decline in the late 1990s. The band returned to chart prominence from the late 2000s with Graffiti Soul (2009), Big Music (2014), Walk Between Worlds (2018) and Direction of the Heart (2022), and they have sold more than 60 million albums worldwide, which made them the most commercially successful Scottish band of the 1980s. They received the Q Inspiration Award in 2014 and an Ivor Novello Award for Outstanding Song Collection in 2016.

Simple Minds Australia Tour 2027: back in the arenas

The most striking thing about the 2027 itinerary is the scale of the rooms. Simple Minds’ last three visits leaned on theatres, wineries and parks: the Palais in St Kilda, Rochford in the Yarra Valley, Kings Park in Perth, Sandstone Point on Moreton Bay. In 2027 every show is in a city arena, from the 15,000-capacity RAC Arena in Perth to Rod Laver Arena and Afterpay Arena on the east coast.

That is a return to the circuit of the 1980s. In 1986 and 1989 the band filled the Sydney and Brisbane Entertainment Centres and the tennis centre at Flinders Park. The Brisbane Entertainment Centre is the one venue on the 2027 list they have already played under the same name, in October 1986, November 1989 and April 2007.

Simple Minds Australia Tour 2027: the Gary Numan double bill

Gary Numan opens every night of the tour. The pairing makes sense historically: both acts emerged from the same British post-punk and synthesiser scene at the end of the 1970s, and both have kept recording new albums rather than relying on their early hits alone.

For fans this means two full sets of 1979-to-now music in one evening. Running orders and set times are normally confirmed by each venue in the week of the show, so check the venue’s event page on the day before travelling.

Simple Minds Australia Tour 2027: Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch

New Zealand has been part of Simple Minds’ story from the start. The first shows in the archive anywhere in the region are in Wellington and Palmerston North in October 1982, and Sparkle in the Rain topped the New Zealand album chart in 1984. The 2027 tour gives the country three of the eight dates.

Auckland’s Spark Arena on Thursday 25 February is the venue the band played as Vector Arena in February 2017. Wellington’s TSB Arena on the waterfront on Saturday 27 February is a smaller room, with a capacity of about 5,600. The tour ends in Christchurch on Monday 1 March 2027 at Wolfbrook Arena in Addington, the same building the band played as Westpac Arena in 2007 and as Horncastle Arena in 2017.

Simple Minds Australia Tour 2027: Melbourne and Sydney

Melbourne has hosted more Simple Minds concerts than any other Australian city in the archive, from the Sports & Entertainment Centre in 1986 to the Palais Theatre in 2006, 2007, 2012 and 2024. On Thursday 18 February 2027 they play Rod Laver Arena, the building that hosted them as the National Tennis Centre at Flinders Park in November 1989.

Sydney follows on Saturday 20 February at Afterpay Arena in Sydney Olympic Park, the former Qudos Bank Arena, which took its new name in July 2026. It will be the band’s first show in that arena; in the past they played the Sydney Entertainment Centre, the State Theatre, the Lyric Theatre, the Hordern Pavilion and, in 2024, the Concert Hall of the Sydney Opera House.

Simple Minds Australia Tour 2027: what to expect live

Recent Simple Minds shows in Australia and New Zealand have been tight, hit-heavy sets of 14 to 17 songs. At the Palais Theatre in Melbourne on 13 February 2024 the band opened with “Waterfront”, “I Travel” and “Love Song”, played newer songs such as “Solstice Kiss” alongside “Once Upon a Time”, “Glittering Prize”, “Promised You a Miracle”, “New Gold Dream (81-82-83-84)”, “Belfast Child” and “Someone Somewhere in Summertime”, and finished with “Don't You (Forget About Me)”, “Theme for Great Cities”, “All the Things She Said”, “Amazing Grace”, “Alive and Kicking” and “Sanctify Yourself”.

Earlier tours went deeper into the catalogue. The 2010 Sydney show at the Lyric Theatre ran to 24 songs, including “Sons and Fascination”, “Moscow Underground”, “Chelsea Girl” and “Rockets”, while the 2017 Margaret Court Arena set brought in “Blindfolded”, “Hunter and the Hunted” and “Big Music”.

With Gary Numan on the bill, a set of roughly that length is the most likely shape in 2027, but the band had not published a 2027 set list as of 9 October 2026. The most-played songs table on this page, built from the archive of Australian and New Zealand shows, gives a good idea of what to expect.

Simple Minds Australia Tour 2027 tickets and presales

Tickets for all eight shows have been on sale since Friday 19 June 2026 through the official outlets for each venue and at the venues’ own box offices. There was no separate presale phase to wait for now: if a date still has availability, it is on general sale.

There is no public Simple Minds presale code, and codes or “guaranteed” tickets offered on social media or marketplaces are not genuine. Many arena tickets in Australia and New Zealand are now mobile tickets linked to the buyer’s account, so buy through the official outlet or its official resale service to make sure the ticket is in your name. If a night sells out, use the official resale service attached to the original seller.

If new dates or extra nights are added, they will appear in the itinerary on this page. Sign up below for the alert to be told as soon as something changes.

Simple Minds Australia Tour 2027: questions and answers

When does the Simple Minds Australia and New Zealand tour start?

At RAC Arena in Perth on Saturday 13 February 2027.

Who is supporting Simple Minds in 2027?

Gary Numan is the special guest on all eight dates.

Which Australian cities are on the tour?

Perth (13 February), Adelaide (16 February), Melbourne (18 February), Sydney (20 February) and Brisbane (21 February 2027).

Are Simple Minds playing New Zealand?

Yes: Spark Arena in Auckland on 25 February, TSB Arena in Wellington on 27 February and Wolfbrook Arena in Christchurch on 1 March 2027.

Where is the Sydney show?

At Afterpay Arena in Sydney Olympic Park, formerly Qudos Bank Arena, on Saturday 20 February 2027.

When did tickets go on sale?

On Friday 19 June 2026. All shows are on general sale.

Are there any winery shows this time?

No. Unlike 2012, 2017 and 2024, all 2027 dates are indoor arena concerts.

When did Simple Minds last tour Australia?

In February 2024 on the Global Tour, finishing at Kings Park in Perth on 21 February 2024 after New Zealand dates in late January.

What is the last date of the tour?

Wolfbrook Arena in Christchurch on Monday 1 March 2027.