Adam Thompson was 13 when Meat Loaf’s landmark album first opened a door to a world beyond regional Australia. Now, 50 years after its release, Chocolate Starfish will take their theatrical interpretation of the rock classic back on the road in 2027.
Chocolate Starfish will revive their Bat Out Of Hell live production in 2027, celebrating the 50th anniversary of Meat Loaf’s landmark album with a national tour that includes Sydney’s State Theatre, Melbourne’s Palais Theatre and Perth’s Crown Theatre.
The Melbourne rock band will revisit the seven-song album that became Australia’s highest-selling record, bringing their own theatrical performance style to the music written by Jim Steinman and made famous by Meat Loaf.
The tour begins with a one-off performance at Toronto Hotel in New South Wales on 12 December 2026, before the main Australian run starts at Anita’s Theatre in Thirroul on 12 March 2027. Further regional and capital-city dates follow through to July, with additional shows and states expected to be announced.
For Chocolate Starfish frontman Adam Thompson, the project is rooted in a personal connection that began long before he became a recording artist.
Growing up in regional Australia, where local radio offered limited exposure to music outside conservative programming, Thompson discovered Bat Out Of Hell at the age of 13. The combination of Steinman’s expansive compositions and Meat Loaf’s extraordinary vocal delivery opened up an alternative musical world.
“The songs and Meat Loaf’s voice transported me out of that country isolation and into a fantasy world. It’s shaped the theatrical and dynamic way I looked at songwriting and performance ever since,” Thompson said.
That influence has remained part of his approach to performing, making the album a natural fit for Chocolate Starfish, a band whose own catalogue and live shows have long embraced dramatic arrangements and powerful vocals.
“It’s been a few years since we toured our Bat Out Of Hell show. Our fans have spoken, and we’re bringing it back with a fresh take for the 50th anniversary of the album,” Thompson said.
“It’s wild to think that one in 15 people in Australia own the Bat Out Of Hell album. There’s a lot of love out there for the classic original, and we’ll honour and celebrate that on tour next year.”
Released in 1977, Bat Out Of Hell became one of the defining albums of theatrical rock. Its combination of extended song structures, romantic narratives, operatic vocals and explosive arrangements established a distinctive musical universe that continues to attract audiences decades later.
Its Australian commercial standing is particularly significant. The album is certified 26-times platinum in Australia and remains the country’s highest-selling album, according to the figures cited by the tour announcement.
The record’s seven tracks include the title song, You Took The Words Right Out Of My Mouth (Hot Summer Night), Heaven Can Wait, All Revved Up With No Place To Go, Two Out Of Three Ain’t Bad, Paradise By The Dashboard Light and For Crying Out Loud.
Steinman’s writing gave the album its theatrical scale, while Meat Loaf’s performance supplied the vocal force that brought those stories to life. The songs were built around emotional extremes, shifting dynamics and arrangements that demanded more than a straightforward rock performance.
Chocolate Starfish’s interpretation approaches that material through the perspective of an Australian band with its own history of big-stage rock and ambitious live productions. Rather than simply relying on nostalgia, the show places Thompson’s vocals and the band’s performance at the centre of a new presentation of familiar material.
Chocolate Starfish formed in Melbourne in 1992 and quickly established themselves as a prominent live act. Their self-titled debut album reached No. 2 on the ARIA Albums Chart in 1994 and achieved platinum certification. Its follow-up, Box, peaked at No. 6.
The band also scored chart success with their cover of Carly Simon’s You’re So Vain, which reached No. 11 on the Australian singles chart, while Mountain peaked at No. 12. In 1994, they won the Australian Music Award for Most Popular Album.
After initially disbanding in 1998, Chocolate Starfish reformed in 2010. Guitarist Zoran Romic died in 2012 after battling non-Hodgkin lymphoma, a loss that remained part of the band’s story as it continued recording and performing.
The group released Spider in 2017, dedicating the album to Romic, followed by Beautiful Addiction in 2021. Alongside their original material, Chocolate Starfish have developed a reputation for performing complete-album tributes, including programs based on INXS’ Kick and Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody repertoire.
Their first full performance of Bat Out Of Hell took place in 2014. The return of the production for the album’s 50th anniversary gives the band an opportunity to revisit a show that connects Thompson’s early musical inspiration with the group’s established live identity.
The 2027 itinerary combines regional venues with major theatres, taking the production from New South Wales to Victoria, Queensland and Western Australia. The State Theatre engagement in Sydney on 1 May and the Palais Theatre performance in Melbourne on 5 June are among the principal dates on the schedule.
The tour continues in Perth at Crown Theatre on 26 June, followed by a performance at the Evan Theatre in Penrith on 2 July.
For longtime fans, the production offers another opportunity to hear one of rock’s most recognisable albums performed in full. For younger audiences, it provides an introduction to a record whose theatrical ambition helped distinguish it from conventional rock releases of its era.
Fifty years after its original release, Bat Out Of Hell remains a defining part of Australian album history. For Thompson, the return of the show is also a chance to celebrate the record that helped shape his understanding of what rock music could be.
Tickets and further information are available through the official Chocolate Starfish website at chocolatestarfish.com.au.
Chocolate Starfish Bat Out Of Hell Tour Dates
Saturday 12 December 2026, Toronto Hotel, Toronto, NSW
Friday 12 March 2027, Anita’s Theatre, Thirroul, NSW
Saturday 13 March 2027, Tilba Valley Winery, Narooma, NSW
Saturday 20 March 2027, Bellarine Estate, Bellarine, VIC
Saturday 1 May 2027, State Theatre, Sydney, NSW
Friday 28 May 2027, Miami Marketta, Gold Coast, QLD
Saturday 29 May 2027, Eatons Hill, Brisbane, QLD
Saturday 5 June 2027, Palais Theatre, Melbourne, VIC
Saturday 26 June 2027, Crown Theatre, Perth, WA
Friday 2 July 2027, Evan Theatre, Penrith, NSW
https://www.chocolatestarfish.com.au
Bat Out Of Hell Original Album Tracklisting
Bat Out Of Hell
You Took The Words Right Out Of My Mouth (Hot Summer Night)
Heaven Can Wait
All Revved Up With No Place To Go
Two Out Of Three Ain’t Bad
Paradise By The Dashboard Light
For Crying Out Loud
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