Kevin Morby will return to Australia in November 2026 for a run of headline and festival dates behind his eighth studio album Little Wide Open, recorded with producer Aaron Dessner and released this month through Dead Oceans.
by Paul Cashmere
American singer-songwriter Kevin Morby has announced a seven-date Australian tour for November 2026, marking his first local shows since 2023 and his first performances in support of the newly released album Little Wide Open. The tour will combine full band theatre appearances with a series of smaller solo performances across New South Wales and Queensland before concluding with shows in Castlemaine and Melbourne.
The announcement follows the release of Little Wide Open, Morby’s eighth solo studio album and the latest chapter in a catalogue that has steadily expanded from indie folk beginnings into broader Americana and alternative rock territory. The album arrived via Dead Oceans on 15 May and features collaborations with producer Aaron Dessner of The National, alongside contributors including Justin Vernon of Bon Iver, Lucinda Williams, Amelia Meath and Katie Gavin.
Morby has framed the record as a reflection on movement, geography and identity, drawing heavily on imagery from the American Midwest. Songs such as ‘Javelin’, ‘Die Young’, ‘Badlands’ and ‘100,000′ explore transient spaces, roadside landscapes and small-town isolation. “Despite its title, this album is, in fact, very wide open,” Morby said in a statement accompanying the release.
The Australian tour begins with solo performances at Bellingen Golf Club, Brisbane’s Old Museum and Elm House at Mt Glorious before Morby switches to full band shows for Sydney’s Metro Theatre, Hotel Brunswick in Brunswick Heads, Town Folk Festival in Castlemaine and Melbourne’s Forum Theatre.
The album also marks Morby’s first collaboration with Dessner as producer. The partnership developed after Morby supported The National at Crystal Palace Park in London during 2024. Recording sessions for the album began early the following year at Dessner’s Long Pond Studio in upstate New York.
“Aaron did a heroic job of holding me back from throwing too many tricks at the songs and letting my stories stand a bit naked,” Morby said of the sessions.
The project continues a thematic thread established on 2020’s Sundowner and 2022’s This Is A Photograph, records shaped by Morby’s return to Kansas City after years in Los Angeles and New York. While the earlier albums centred on memory and Midwestern nostalgia, Little Wide Open shifts toward uncertainty and transition, reflecting Morby’s more recent life between Kansas and Los Angeles.
Morby first emerged in the late 2000s as bassist for Brooklyn psych-folk group Woods before forming The Babies with Cassie Ramone of Vivian Girls. His solo breakthrough arrived with 2013’s Harlem River, followed by a prolific decade that included critically praised releases such as Singing Saw, City Music and Oh My God. His songwriting has frequently drawn comparisons to classic American troubadours including Bob Dylan and Lou Reed, while maintaining a distinctly contemporary indie aesthetic.
Australian audiences have played a consistent role in Morby’s touring history. Previous visits included appearances at Brunswick Music Festival, Panama Festival and Wanderer Festival, alongside headline theatre shows that built a loyal following through Double J and community radio support. His 2018 Australian run with Waxahatchee further expanded his local audience.
Critical response to Little Wide Open has focused on the restraint of both Morby’s songwriting and Dessner’s production. Reviews from Pitchfork and The Wall Street Journal highlighted the album’s understated arrangements and recurring themes of ritual, repetition and emotional endurance. The involvement of musicians such as Lucinda Williams and Justin Vernon has also positioned the record within a broader Americana landscape increasingly shaped by crossover collaborations between indie and mainstream artists.
The tour announcement arrives during a sustained period of international activity for Morby, who continues to balance solo recording work with soundtrack projects, collaborations and the operation of his Mare Records imprint. While Little Wide Open revisits the landscapes and imagery that have defined much of his recent work, the Australian dates will provide the first opportunity for local audiences to hear the material performed live.
KEVIN MORBY 2026 AUSTRALIAN TOUR
Fri 13 Nov, Bellingen Golf Club, Bellingen NSW
Sat 14 Nov, Old Museum, Brisbane QLD
Sun 15 Nov, Elm House, Mt Glorious QLD
Wed 18 Nov, Metro Theatre, Sydney NSW
Fri 20 Nov, Hotel Brunswick, Brunswick Heads NSW
Sat 21 Nov, Town Folk Festival, Castlemaine VIC
Sun 22 Nov, Forum, Melbourne VIC
Tickets on sale via Handsome Tours.
Pre-sale begins Wednesday 20 May at 10am local time and concludes Thursday 21 May at 9am local time.
General public tickets go on sale Thursday 21 May at 10am local time.
Tracklisting
Badlands
Die Young
Javelin
All Sinners
Natural Disaster
100,000
Little Wide Open
Cowtown
Bible Belt
I Ride Passenger
Junebug
Dandelion
Field Guide For The Butterflies
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