The Strokes bring the Reality Awaits Tour to Australia in February 2027, their first Australian tour not built around a festival since 2006. There are four shows: the Brisbane Entertainment Centre on Saturday 13 February, two nights at Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne on Tuesday 16 and Wednesday 17 February, and an open-air show at Centennial Park in Sydney on Saturday 20 February 2027, part of the Sydney Summertime series.
Courtney Barnett and Promiseland are the support acts, and Beck joins the bill for the Sydney show at Centennial Park. The tour follows the release of Reality Awaits, the band's seventh album, on 24 July 2026; it reached number 10 in Australia.
Australia has a special place in the band's story: Is This It came out here in July 2001, before the UK, Japan and the United States, and the band toured the country that same month. This page covers the 2027 dates and venues, a quarter-century of Strokes concerts in Australia and New Zealand, the songs they play here and how the ticket sales worked.
The Reality Awaits Tour reaches Australia less than seven months after the album's release. Sales ran in two stages: an artist, Mastercard and Vodafone presale from 09:00 local time on Monday 28 September, a promoter presale from 12:00 the same day, and the general sale from 13:00 on Tuesday 29 September 2026. Those sales have now taken place.
The tour opens at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre in Boondall on Saturday 13 February 2027. Melbourne then gets two consecutive weeknights at Rod Laver Arena, Tuesday 16 and Wednesday 17 February. The last date is Saturday 20 February in Sydney, outdoors at Centennial Park, where Beck is added to the line-up alongside the band's regular supports.
Courtney Barnett, the Melbourne singer-songwriter, opens on the tour together with Promiseland. For Australian fans, seeing Barnett on the same bill is a strong local link: she is one of the country's best-known guitar songwriters internationally.
There are no Adelaide, Perth or New Zealand dates. Adelaide had a Strokes show as recently as October 2025, when the band headlined Harvest Rock, but as of 9 October 2026 nothing further had been announced for South Australia, Western Australia or New Zealand.
The Brisbane Entertainment Centre opened on 20 February 1986 in Boondall, in Brisbane's northern suburbs. It holds about 14,500 people for concerts and is the city's main indoor arena for touring acts.
Rod Laver Arena opened on 11 January 1988 in Melbourne Park, a short walk from the city centre. It is the centre court of the Australian Open and seats about 14,800 people, making it one of the country's busiest concert arenas.
Centennial Park was opened on 26 January 1888 by Sir Henry Parkes to mark Australia's centenary and is part of the 360-hectare Centennial Parklands in Sydney's eastern suburbs. The heritage-listed park regularly hosts large outdoor events and concerts.
Saturday 13 February 2027 — Brisbane Entertainment Centre, Brisbane. The Strokes last played Brisbane Entertainment Centre on 3 August 2006 (First Impressions of Earth). The tour starts here.
Tuesday 16 February 2027 — Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne. 2 nights are booked at Rod Laver Arena; this is number 1. Their most recent documented Melbourne show was at John Cain Arena on 26 July 2022.
Saturday 20 February 2027 — Centennial Park (Sydney Summertime), Sydney. Their most recent documented Sydney show was at Hordern Pavilion on 29 July 2022. The run finishes here.
The Strokes first came to Australia in July 2001, as Is This It was released here ahead of the rest of the world. The setlist.fm archive shows a full run of small venues: The Arena in Brisbane on Thursday 12 July, The Palace and The Hi-Fi in Melbourne, a show at the Hallam Hotel, a set on the RRR rooftop, two nights at The Globe in Perth, the Thebarton Theatre in Adelaide on 21 July and four nights at the Newtown Theatre in Sydney from 26 to 29 July. Radio and TV sessions for the ABC, Channel V and Triple J filled the gaps.
Those sets were short, around 11 songs: essentially the whole of Is This It, from "The Modern Age" and "Soma" to "Last Nite", "Hard to Explain" and "New York City Cops", closing with "Take It or Leave It".
They were back in January 2004 for the Big Day Out, by then promoting Room on Fire. The festival took them to Auckland's Ericsson Stadium on 16 January, the Gold Coast on 18 January, Sydney on 23 and 24 January, Melbourne on 26 January, Adelaide on 30 January and Perth's Claremont Showground on 1 February. Sideshows were at the Hordern Pavilion in Sydney on 21 January and the Palais Theatre in St Kilda on 28 January, with another Perth show listed on 31 January.
In November 2005 the band played a small preview show at The Gaelic Club in Sydney on Wednesday 23 November, trying out songs from First Impressions of Earth such as "Heart in a Cage", "Juicebox" and "Electricityscape". The full tour followed in August 2006: the St James Theatre in Auckland on Tuesday 1 August, the Brisbane Entertainment Centre on 3 August, the Hordern Pavilion on 4 August, Festival Hall in Melbourne on 6 August, the Thebarton Theatre on 7 August and Challenge Stadium in Perth on 9 August.
After that the visits became rarer and centred on festivals. In July 2010 they headlined Splendour in the Grass at Woodford in Queensland, with shows at the Esplanade Reserve in Fremantle, the Hordern Pavilion and Festival Hall. In July 2016 they flew in for a single headline set at Splendour in the Grass at North Byron Parklands. In July 2022 Splendour brought them back again, followed by John Cain Arena in Melbourne on Tuesday 26 July and two nights at the Hordern Pavilion on 28 and 29 July.
Their most recent Australian concert was Harvest Rock in Adelaide on Saturday 25 October 2025, in Rymill and King Rodney Parks, billed as an exclusive Australian appearance. The 2027 tour is the first time since 2006 that they have played several Australian cities on their own bill rather than around a festival.
The table below lists 39 documented Australia/NZ concerts by The Strokes between 2001 and 2025, with the most shows in Sydney (12), Melbourne (9), Perth (5), Adelaide (4), Byron Bay (2), Brisbane (2). It is not exhaustive: it only includes documented shows.
| Date | City | Venue | Tour / event |
|---|---|---|---|
| 25 October 2025 | Adelaide | Rymill & King Rodney Parks | |
| 29 July 2022 | Sydney | Hordern Pavilion | |
| 28 July 2022 | Sydney | Hordern Pavilion | |
| 26 July 2022 | Melbourne | John Cain Arena | |
| 23 July 2022 | Byron Bay | North Byron Parklands | |
| 22 July 2016 | Byron Bay | North Byron Parklands | Future Present Past |
| 31 July 2010 | Woodford | Woodfordia | 2010 Tour |
| 30 July 2010 | Melbourne | Festival Hall | 2010 Tour |
| 29 July 2010 | Sydney | Hordern Pavilion | 2010 Tour |
| 24 July 2010 | Fremantle | Esplanade Reserve | 2010 Tour |
| 9 August 2006 | Perth | Challenge Stadium | First Impressions of Earth |
| 7 August 2006 | Adelaide | Thebarton Theatre | First Impressions of Earth |
| 6 August 2006 | Melbourne | Festival Hall | First Impressions of Earth |
| 4 August 2006 | Sydney | Hordern Pavilion | First Impressions of Earth |
| 3 August 2006 | Brisbane | Brisbane Entertainment Centre | First Impressions of Earth |
| 1 August 2006 | Auckland | St James Theatre | First Impressions of Earth |
| 23 November 2005 | Sydney | The Gaelic Club | First Impressions of Earth |
| 1 February 2004 | Perth | Claremont Showground | Room on Fire |
| 31 January 2004 | Perth | The Lookout | Room on Fire |
| 30 January 2004 | Adelaide | Orange Stage | Room on Fire |
| 28 January 2004 | Melbourne | Palais Theatre | Room on Fire |
| 26 January 2004 | Melbourne | Orange Stage | Room on Fire |
| 24 January 2004 | Sydney | Orange Stage | Room on Fire |
| 23 January 2004 | Sydney | Orange Stage | Room on Fire |
| 21 January 2004 | Sydney | Hordern Pavilion | Room on Fire |
| 18 January 2004 | Gold Coast | Orange Stage | Room on Fire |
| 16 January 2004 | Auckland | Ericsson Stadium | Room on Fire |
| 29 July 2001 | Sydney | Newtown Theatre | |
| 28 July 2001 | Sydney | Newtown Theatre | |
| 27 July 2001 | Sydney | Newtown Theatre | |
| 26 July 2001 | Sydney | Newtown Theatre | |
| 21 July 2001 | Adelaide | Thebarton Theatre | |
| 20 July 2001 | Perth | The Globe | |
| 19 July 2001 | Perth | The Globe | |
| 18 July 2001 | Melbourne | RRR Rooftop | |
| 15 July 2001 | Melbourne | Hallam Hotel | |
| 14 July 2001 | Melbourne | The Hi-Fi | |
| 13 July 2001 | Melbourne | The Palace Complex | |
| 12 July 2001 | Brisbane | The Arena |
Concert data: setlist.fm
Across the 15 most recent documented Australia/NZ concerts with a full song list (3 August 2006 to 25 October 2025), these are the songs that came up most often. Titles only — set lists change from night to night.
Festivals have shaped the Strokes' Australian history. They played every leg of the Big Day Out in 2004, including Auckland, and headlined Splendour in the Grass three times: in 2010 at Woodford, and in 2016 and 2022 at North Byron Parklands. Their latest visit was a headline set at Harvest Rock in Adelaide in October 2025.
The 2027 shows are not festival dates, although the Sydney concert at Centennial Park is part of the Sydney Summertime outdoor series and has Beck on the bill. No Australian or New Zealand festival appearance had been announced for 2027 as of 9 October 2026.
The Strokes formed in New York City in 1998 and have kept the same line-up ever since: Julian Casablancas on vocals and songwriting, Nick Valensi and Albert Hammond Jr. on guitar, Nikolai Fraiture on bass and Fabrizio Moretti on drums. Casablancas, Valensi and Moretti met at school in Manhattan; they played their first show as the Strokes in September 1999 and built a following in Lower East Side clubs.
The Modern Age EP in early 2001 started a label bidding war, and Is This It, released that summer, became one of the defining records of the garage rock revival. It reached number 5 in Australia. Room on Fire (2003) peaked at 6 and First Impressions of Earth (2006) at 4.
After a five-year break the band returned with Angles (2011), which went to number one in Australia, and Comedown Machine (2013), which reached 7. They then released the Future Present Past EP in 2016 on Casablancas' label Cult and spent several years mostly on side projects, playing only occasional shows.
The New Abnormal (2020), produced by Rick Rubin, was hailed as a return to form and won the Grammy for Best Rock Album. Their seventh album, Reality Awaits, came out on 24 July 2026 and reached number 10 in Australia; the 2027 tour is named after it.
| Album | Year | AUS chart peak |
|---|---|---|
| Is This It | 2001 | AUS 5 |
| Room on Fire | 2003 | AUS 6 |
| First Impressions of Earth | 2006 | AUS 4 |
| Angles | 2011 | AUS 1 |
| Comedown Machine | 2013 | AUS 7 |
| The New Abnormal | 2020 | AUS 21 |
| Reality Awaits | 2026 | AUS 10 |
Most accounts of the Strokes' rise focus on New York and London, but Australia was where Is This It was released first, in July 2001. The band were here to meet it, with a tour that ran from Brisbane to Perth and finished with four nights at the Newtown Theatre in Sydney.
Those first Australian shows were in rooms of a few hundred to a couple of thousand people. Twenty-five years later, the same songs fill Rod Laver Arena twice and a park in Sydney's eastern suburbs.
Melbourne is the only city with two shows in 2027, on Tuesday 16 and Wednesday 17 February. The band's Melbourne history runs from The Hi-Fi and The Palace in 2001, through the Palais Theatre in 2004 and Festival Hall in 2006 and 2010, to John Cain Arena in 2022.
Rod Laver Arena is the biggest indoor room the Strokes have played in the city. With Courtney Barnett, a Melbourne artist, opening, these are likely to be the most locally flavoured nights of the tour.
Sydney has seen more Strokes concerts than any other Australian city: the Newtown Theatre run of 2001, the Hordern Pavilion in 2004, 2006, 2010 and twice in 2022, The Gaelic Club in 2005 and the Big Day Out in 2004. In 2027 they move outdoors for the first time in the city, to Centennial Park on Saturday 20 February.
The Sydney show is part of the Sydney Summertime series and is the only date where Beck also appears. It is the closing night of the Australian run.
Brisbane opens the tour on Saturday 13 February 2027 at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre, the same arena the band played in August 2006. Their first Brisbane show was at The Arena in July 2001.
Queensland also gave them two festival nights: the Big Day Out on the Gold Coast in 2004 and Splendour in the Grass at Woodford in 2010.
Strokes sets have never been long, and that has not changed much in Australia. The 2001 shows were about 11 songs, festival sets in 2004 around 15, the 2006 arena and theatre shows 18 or 19, and the 2022 headline shows 19 to 23. At Harvest Rock in 2025 they played 16 songs.
Recent Australian sets have opened with "Bad Decisions" and mixed The New Abnormal ("The Adults Are Talking", "Brooklyn Bridge to Chorus", "Selfless", "Ode to the Mets") with the early classics: "Reptilia", "Juicebox", "Hard to Explain", "Someday", "You Only Live Once", "The Modern Age" and "Last Nite". "Take It or Leave It" has closed most of their Australian shows since 2001.
Across the archive, the songs played most often in Australia and New Zealand are "The Modern Age", "Last Nite", "Take It or Leave It", "New York City Cops", "Hard to Explain" and "Someday". The 2027 set list had not been published as of 9 October 2026; songs from Reality Awaits are expected to feature, but no Australian set list exists yet.
Sales for the Reality Awaits Tour in Australia opened on Monday 28 September 2026 with an artist, Mastercard and Vodafone presale from 09:00 local time and a promoter presale from 12:00, followed by the general sale on Tuesday 29 September 2026 from 13:00. Tickets are sold through the authorised outlets for each venue and the venue box offices.
If the show you want is no longer available, use the official resale service linked to the original seller. Australian arena and park tickets are normally mobile and name-locked, so tickets from strangers on social media are a real risk. There is no Strokes "presale code" to buy: presale access in September came only through the artist, card and promoter channels, and any code offered for sale is not genuine.
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When do the Strokes play Australia in 2027?
Brisbane on 13 February, Melbourne on 16 and 17 February and Sydney on 20 February 2027.
Who is supporting the Strokes?
Courtney Barnett and Promiseland. Beck also joins the bill for the Sydney show at Centennial Park.
Where is the Sydney show?
Outdoors at Centennial Park on Saturday 20 February 2027, as part of the Sydney Summertime series.
How many Melbourne shows are there?
Two, at Rod Laver Arena on Tuesday 16 and Wednesday 17 February 2027.
Are the Strokes playing New Zealand?
No New Zealand date had been announced as of 9 October 2026. Their last Auckland show was at the St James Theatre on 1 August 2006.
When did tickets go on sale?
Presales ran on Monday 28 September 2026 and the general sale opened on Tuesday 29 September 2026 at 13:00 local time.
When did the Strokes last play Australia?
At Harvest Rock in Adelaide on 25 October 2025.
Is there a Perth or Adelaide date?
No. The 2027 tour is Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney only.
What is the Strokes' latest album?
Reality Awaits, released on 24 July 2026. It reached number 10 in Australia.
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