Ben Lee has announced an Australian tour for September and October to mark the 20th anniversary of his fifth album ‘Awake Is The New Sleep’.
‘Awake Is The New Sleep’ is Ben’s biggest selling album, achieving double platinum status in Australia.
The album, released on 22 February 2005 reached number five in Australia. It contained the two hits ‘Gamble Everything For Love’ and ‘Catch My Disease’.
Ben wrote:
Writing with the news that today I am announcing a special 20th anniversary Awake is the New Sleep Australian tour for September and October.
I’m not really a nostalgic person, I prefer to keep pushing forward with new projects and ideas, but this feels weirdly right to me. I’ve done so much touring in the last couple of years, averaging about 100 shows a year, and it’s become abundantly clear to me that this album Awake was a really vital part of so many people’s lives and emotional journeys. I’ve chatted to so many people about the wide-eyed exploration and optimism of the record, and how it still seems to find people at the exact right time that they need that kind of energy.
For me, it’s an album of endings and beginnings. I made it when I’d just left a major romantic relationship, had no record deal for the first time in my career, and was getting into spirituality, philosophy and the occult (but wasn’t in over my head just yet – that would come soon enough lol).
It’s an album that seemed to change a lot of lives, including mine. I’m looking forward to facing that, head on, and exploring what these songs mean to me and the audience today, 20 years on. They still feel potent.
In conjunction with the tour announce I am also releasing ‘Catch My Disease 2025’ – a 20th anniversary reworking of my unlikely 2005 anthem, with my buddies Phantom Planet.
My history with Phantom Planet goes deep. I can be seen in a blur running across their debut album cover The Guest. We have toured together and collaborated in different ways. And most importantly, ‘Catch My Disease’ was written “backstage in Pomona” when I was opening for them in 2003. Epic tour. Loud and rowdy. Pashed a lot of girls. Good memories.
Anyway, a little while back, Alex the singer from PP and I were collaborating with Ninajirachi on her most recent single ‘All I Am’, I asked if he would be up for reworking ‘Catch’ with me. He said “Yes, as long as we can go shoegaze with it”. I said “of course.”
I made a few tweaks to the lyrics too. Had to chuck in a mention of Ulladulla – a little internet easter egg for those that saw the Breakfast Shirts TikTok about my notorious Marlin show where I left the venue while the band were still playing at the end of my set!
Also shouted out some of my favourite Aussie artists, Mallrat and Miss Kanina in the bridge. We gotta keep championing Aussie music, no matter how bleak the industry outlook is. As always, we have unparalleled talent right in our back yards, and we’ve got to get behind it at every opportunity. And just for fun got a few musician pals to sing backing vox on the track: Lara Meyerratken, Sadie Dupuis, Alex Lahey, Khatumu and Tim Blunt from FVNERAL
Back to the shows, I’m going to play the whole album in full, with a great band behind me, and tell you some stories about how these tunes came to be. We’re doing it 2005 style, no backing tracks, no click tracks, no video screens. Just a great band on a stage covered in flowers, singing songs about love and lust and adventure and interconnectivity. It’s gonna be a vibe.
Come along for the ride.
And in the meantime, tune into my weekly podcast Weirder Together with my wife Ione Skye, as we gear up for the tour, it’s a guaranteed good time.
Big love!
Your friend.
Ben
BEN LEE
AWAKE IS THE NEW SLEEP 20TH ANNIVERSARY TOUR
SEPTEMBER & OCTOBER 2025
Presented by Frontier Touring
FRONTIER MEMBER PRESALE
via frontiertouring.com/benlee
Runs 24 hours from: Tuesday 20 May (2pm local time)
or until presale allocation exhausted
TICKETS ON SALE
Begins: Thursday 22 May (2pm local time)
Thursday 25 September
UC Refectory | Canberra, ACT
Friday 26 September
King Street Bandroom | Newcastle, NSW
Saturday 27 September
Liberty Hall | Sydney, NSW
Thursday 2 October
The Beach Hotel | Byron Bay, NSW
Friday 3 October
The Princess Theatre | Brisbane, QLD
Saturday 4 October
Miami Marketta | Gold Coast, QLD
Thursday 9 October
Theatre Royal | Castlemaine, VIC
Friday 10 October
Torquay Hotel | Torquay, VIC
Saturday 11 October
Northcote Theatre | Melbourne, VIC
Friday 17 October
The Gov | Adelaide, SA
Saturday 18 October
Fremantle Arts Centre – Front Garden | Fremantle, WA
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