COG will close out 2026 with three December shows after spending the year working on new music at Byron Bay’s Key Sound Studios.
COG will return to the stage this December for its annual holiday shows, bringing the Australian rock trio to Booval, the Sunshine Coast and Byron Bay for three performances marking the end of the band’s 2026 live schedule.
Fresh from a year spent working on new material at Key Sound Studios in Byron Bay, COG will begin the run at the Racehorse Hotel in Booval on Friday 11 December, followed by the Kings Beach Tavern on the Sunshine Coast on Saturday 12 December. The final show will take place at The Northern in Byron Bay on Friday 18 December.
The shows continue a tradition for the band, which has maintained a strong connection with Australian audiences through its combination of progressive rock, heavy guitar work and rhythmically complex arrangements.
Kodiak Empire will join COG for all three dates. Queensland audiences will also see Elko Fields, while Jackrabbit will open the Byron Bay performance.
Tickets are on sale now, with availability through COG’s official ticket links at linktr.ee/cog101.
The December dates follow COG’s recent touring activity around its single Walk The Line. Released as the band continued its return to regular recording and touring, the track received airplay on Double J and positive attention from music publications covering the Australian heavy music scene.
The trio spent 2026 touring through Western Australia, New South Wales, Tasmania and Victoria before turning its attention to writing and recording. The time at Key Sound Studios has kept the band focused on its next creative chapter, although no release date or further details for the new material have been announced.
COG’s December shows therefore offer a chance to catch the band live before it turns its attention to whatever comes next in the studio.
The group’s history stretches back to 1998, when Flynn Gower, Luke Gower and Lucius Borich established the lineup that would build a devoted following across Australia. Early releases, including Pseudo and the two Just Visiting EPs, laid the foundations for the band’s reputation, before its 2005 debut album, The New Normal, brought COG to a wider audience.
Produced by Sylvia Massy, known for her work with Tool and System Of A Down, The New Normal established the band’s distinctive approach to heavy music, balancing intricate musicianship with accessible songwriting. Its follow-up, Sharing Space, arrived in 2008 and was certified Gold in Australia.
After a five-year hiatus, COG reunited in 2016 with a sold-out Australian tour. New music followed in 2018 with The Middle, the band’s first new material in a decade. Subsequent singles Altered States, Drawn Together and Walk The Line have continued the group’s recorded output.
A significant milestone came in 2023, when COG resolved longstanding issues surrounding the ownership of its recorded catalogue. The development enabled the band to move forward with vinyl releases of its earlier albums and helped set the stage for further touring.
The annual holiday shows bring together that history and the band’s continuing activity, giving Queensland and northern New South Wales audiences three opportunities to see COG before the year ends.
For fans, the dates also come at an interesting point in the group’s story: COG has been back on the road, has released new music and has spent much of this year working on its next material. Whether that studio work leads to a new release in 2027 remains unconfirmed, but the December shows provide the next scheduled opportunity to hear the band live.
COG December 2026 Tour Dates
Friday 11 December, Booval, Racehorse Hotel
Saturday 12 December, Sunshine Coast, Kings Beach Tavern
Friday 18 December, Byron Bay, The Northern
Tickets: linktr.ee/cog101
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