DMA’S will return to Australian stages in late 2026, with the Sydney trio confirming a run of East Coast headline dates alongside a major Melbourne performance at Live At The Gardens.
by Paul Cashmere
DMA’S have confirmed a national tour for November and December 2026, anchored by a headline appearance at Melbourne’s Royal Botanic Gardens on Saturday 28 November as part of the Live At The Gardens series. The shows coincide with the release cycle of their upcoming fifth studio album, DMA’S, due out on 7 August, and will also feature a special Hills End anniversary set marking a decade since their debut record.
The timing of the tour aligns with a significant release moment for the band. Their self-titled fifth album, recorded between Sydney and Los Angeles, has been described as a defining project, with the trio co-producing alongside Grammy-nominated Lach Bostock, as well as collaborators Jimi Somewhere and Styalz Fuego. The record follows How Many Dreams? from 2023 and continues a catalogue trajectory that has consistently delivered top-tier chart outcomes in Australia and the UK.
A new single, Heatin Park, offers an early insight into the sonic direction. Built around a dense, guitar-driven arrangement with distorted vocal textures, the track contrasts sharply with the more melodic My Baby’s Place, which reached the top of triple j’s most-played list earlier this year. The divergence between those two releases suggests a broader dynamic range across the upcoming album, reinforcing the band’s shift beyond their early Britpop-leaning framework.
Formed in Sydney in 2012 by Tommy O’Dell, Matt Mason and Johnny Took, DMA’S emerged during a period of renewed interest in guitar-based alternative music. Their 2016 debut Hills End established the group domestically, while subsequent releases For Now and The Glow expanded their international footprint, particularly in the UK, where both records charted strongly. By the time How Many Dreams? arrived in 2023, DMA’S had secured an ARIA Award for Best Group and accumulated over 500 million streams across their catalogue.
The Hills End anniversary component of the 2026 shows reflects the enduring significance of that debut. Originally released in 2016, the album delivered early singles such as Delete and laid the foundation for the band’s identity, blending baggy rhythms with anthemic songwriting. Revisiting that material in a live context speaks to both audience demand and the broader trend of anniversary performances becoming a central feature of touring cycles.
The Melbourne date also intersects with the continued growth of the Live At The Gardens series. Now in its fifth season, the event has established itself as a key fixture in the city’s summer music calendar, transforming the Royal Botanic Gardens’ Observatory Precinct into a temporary outdoor venue. Previous line-ups have combined international acts with Australian artists, reflecting a programming model that balances scale with location-specific appeal.
DMA’S Australian Tour Dates
Friday 27 November 2026, Brisbane, Fortitude Music Hall
Saturday 28 November 2026, Melbourne, Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne, Live At The Gardens
Thursday 3 December 2026, Sydney, Sydney Opera House Forecourt, On The Steps
Tickets on sale Friday 1 May 2026 at 1.00pm local time.
Presales commence Thursday 30 April 2026 from 12.00pm local time.
https://www.liveatthegardens.com.au/dmas
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