Kae Tempest will return to Australia in June 2026 for a national tour following the release of the new album Self Titled, bringing the acclaimed poet, author and musician back to local stages with a body of work that reflects his evolving artistic voice.
by Paul Cashmere
Kae Tempest will return to Australia this June for a national tour celebrating the release of the new album Self Titled, a record that continues the London artist’s long tradition of blending poetry, music and storytelling into a singular live experience.
Presented by Handsome Tours, the tour will take Tempest across Perth, Melbourne, Brisbane and Sydney, including appearances as part of Melbourne’s Rising festival and Sydney’s Vivid Sydney program. The shows arrive at a moment of renewed creative momentum for Tempest, whose work across music, theatre, poetry and fiction has established him as one of the most distinctive voices to emerge from the UK in the past decade.
Self Titled explores themes of identity, resilience and personal transformation. The album draws on Tempest’s own life experiences while reflecting on broader questions of psychology, society and connection. Musically the record references elements of hip hop’s formative years alongside alternative soul influences, while maintaining the rhythmic spoken word style that has become central to Tempest’s work.
The project also features notable collaborations, including contributions from Mercury Prize-winning trio Young Fathers, London soul artist Tawiah and Annie Lennox on vocals. The guests extend the sonic range of the album while allowing Tempest’s direct, narrative-driven writing to remain the central focus.
Tempest’s career began in South London, where he grew up in Lewisham and first performed as a teenage MC, busking and appearing in small venues across the city. Those early performances laid the foundation for a career that would move easily between artistic disciplines.
His debut album Everybody Down earned a Mercury Prize nomination in 2014, a milestone that introduced Tempest’s storytelling approach to a wider international audience. The record combined spoken word delivery with cinematic arrangements and established the character-driven narratives that would remain a hallmark of his songwriting.
Beyond music, Tempest has also built a reputation as an acclaimed writer. His novels have appeared on the Sunday Times bestseller list and his work for theatre has been staged at London’s National Theatre. In a rare crossover between art forms, Tempest became the only artist to open a play at the National Theatre one summer and then perform at Glastonbury Festival the following year.
That fluid approach between literature and music continues in 2026 with the release of a new book arriving in April, coinciding with the build up to the Australian tour. The forthcoming publication further explores questions of identity, creativity and human connection that have become central themes across Tempest’s catalogue.
Reflecting on the new album, Tempest has described Self Titled as a project that developed its own direction during the creative process. “This album has its own life force, it knows where it wants to go. I’ve just got to follow it for a bit and see what happens,” he said.
The upcoming shows are expected to highlight the immersive quality of Tempest’s live performances. Known for commanding stages with little more than voice, rhythm and narrative intensity, Tempest has built a reputation for concerts that feel closer to communal storytelling than traditional gigs.
For Australian audiences, the June performances will offer an opportunity to experience the new material from Self Titled alongside key works from across Tempest’s catalogue,
delivered with the emotional immediacy that has defined his career.
Kae Tempest Australian Tour 2026
Thu 4 Jun, Perth, Astor Theatre
Sat 6 Jun, Melbourne, Melbourne Town Hall (RISING: Day Tripper)
Sun 7 Jun, Brisbane, Princess Theatre
Tue 9 Jun, Sydney, City Recital Hall (Vivid Sydney)
Wed 10 Jun, Sydney, City Recital Hall (Vivid Sydney)
Tickets available via handsometours.com
Melbourne On Sale: Wednesday 11 March, 9am Local Time
Sydney Presale: Wednesday 11 March, 9am Local Time
Sydney On Sale: Wednesday 11 March, 10am Local Time
Perth Presale: Thursday 12 March, 9am Local Time
Perth On Sale: Friday 13 March, 9am Local Time
Brisbane Presale: Thursday 12 March, 9am Local Time
Brisbane On Sale: Friday 13 March, 9am Local Time
Stay updated with your free Noise11.com daily music news email alert. Subscribe to Noise11 Music News here
Be the first to see NOISE11.com’s newest interviews and special features on YouTube. See things first—Subscribe to Noise11 on YouTube
Follow Noise11.com on social media:
Bluesky
Facebook – Comment on the news of the day
