Australian Crawl returned to the stage for the first time in 40 years and Men At Work for the first time in 25 years when the Red Hot Summer Tour opened in Toowoomba on 17 October 2026, with James Reyne, David Reyne and John Watson carrying the Crawl name and Colin Hay leading Men At Work.
Australian Crawl and Men At Work delivered their first Australian performances in decades when the Red Hot Summer Tour launched at Queens Park in Toowoomba on 17 October 2026, closing a 40-year gap for the Crawl and a 25-year gap for Men At Work.
The Toowoomba date marked the first time Australian Crawl had performed under that name on Australian soil since their final shows in early 1986. The band’s last Melbourne appearance came at Club Chevron on 29 January 1986, with the final concert of the original run taking place shortly afterwards. For Men At Work the wait was shorter but still substantial. The group had last appeared under the band name in any significant Australian context around the turn of the century, including a performance at the 2001 AFL Grand Final in Melbourne, after the original line-up had effectively wound down by 1999.
The current Australian Crawl presentation is anchored by three figures with direct historical ties to the band. James Reyne remains the unmistakable voice and primary songwriter from the 1978-1986 era. His younger brother David Reyne was the original drummer in the earliest line-up, leaving in 1979 to pursue acting before returning for these shows on percussion. John Watson joined as drummer in 1983, remaining through the final years that produced the live album The Final Wave and the last studio recordings. The three form the core link to the band’s original identity, supported by a larger ensemble drawn largely from James Reyne’s long-running solo band.
Australian Crawl setlist
Hoochie Gucci Fiorucci Mama (from The Boys Light Up, 1980)
The Boys Light Up (from The Boys Light Up, 1980)
Daughters of the Northern Coast (from Sons of Beaches, 1982)
Beautiful People (from The Boys Light Up, 1980)
Indisposed (from The Boys Light Up, 1980)
Lakeside (from Sirocco, 1981)
La Califusa (from Phalanx, 1985)
White Limbo (from Semantics, 1983)
Trouble Spot Rock (from Between a Rock and a Hard Place, 1985)
Unpublished Critics (from Sirocco, 1981)
Downhearted (from The Boys Light Up, 1980)
Reckless (Don’t Be So…) (from Semantics, 1983)
Oh No Not You Again (from Sirocco, 1981)
Errol (from Sirocco, 1981)
Encore:
Things Don’t Seem (from Sirocco, 1981)
Men At Work arrives as a vehicle for founding member Colin Hay, the sole constant from the classic line-up. The current touring band includes Allen Hinds (or SanMiguel depending on the leg) on guitar, Yosmel Montejo on bass and backing vocals, Jimmy Branly on drums, Rachel Mazer on saxophone, flute and keys, and Cecilia Noël on harmony vocals and percussion for selected dates. Hay has kept the catalogue alive through years of solo work and intermittent Men At Work tours overseas, but the Red Hot Summer run represents a rare concentrated return to Australian outdoor stages under the band name.
Both sets on the opening weekend drew heavily on the best-known material while leaving some catalogue deep cuts and secondary hits unplayed.
Australian Crawl did not include “Shutdown”, a word choice of song to ignore considering it is one of the band’s most enduring hits. Men At Work similarly left several familiar titles off the list. Nothing from the third studio album Two Hearts was played, an album that had delivered the radio single “Everything I Need” but never matched the commercial weight of the first two records.
Men At Work setlist:
Touching the Untouchables (from Business As Usual, 1981)
No Restrictions(from Cargo, 1983)
Can’t Take This Town (Colin Hay song)
Down by the Sea (from Business As Usual, 1981)
I Can See It in Your Eyes (from Business As Usual, 1981)
Dr. Heckyll & Mr. Jive (from Cargo, 1983)
No Sign of Yesterday (from Cargo, 1983)
Overkill (from Cargo, 1983)
It’s a Mistake (from Cargo, 1983)
Who Can It Be Now? (from Business As Usual, 1981)
Down Under (from Business As Usual, 1981)
Be Good Johnny (from Business As Usual, 1981)
The Red Hot Summer bill places the two bands alongside Birds of Tokyo, Vika & Linda, Eskimo Joe, Boom Crash Opera and Ella Hooper across a run of outdoor venues that stretches from Queensland through New South Wales, Victoria, Western Australia and South Australia. \
For Australian Crawl the shows function as a controlled celebration of a catalogue that once soundtracked beaches, pubs and car stereos across the country. The presence of the Reyne brothers and John Watson supplies continuity without attempting a full original-line-up resurrection.
For Men At Work the focus sits squarely on Colin Hay’s continued stewardship of songs that once dominated charts on both sides of the Pacific. The combination of the two acts on a single outdoor circuit creates a direct line back to the early 1980s without needing to claim anything more than the music itself.
The remaining dates continue through mid-November, giving audiences across the country the chance to hear the songs in the settings that first helped define them.
Dates are:
17 October 2026, Toowoomba, Queens Park
18 October 2026, Sandstone Point, Sandstone Point Hotel
24 October 2026, Berry, Berry Showground (Sold Out)
25 October 2026, Manly, Keirle Park
31 October 2026, Hunter Valley, Roche Estate (Sold Out)
1 November 2026, Coolangatta, Coolangatta Beach
7 November 2026, Ballarat, Victoria Park
8 November 2026, Mornington, Mornington Racecourse (Sold Out)
14 November 2026, Swan Valley, Sandalford Wines (Sold Out)
15 November 2026, Glenelg, Glenelg Beach
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