Large Mirage have released Wildfire, a song shaped by bushfire, resilience and the Sydney band’s rapid rise, following two sold-out AC/DC support shows and ahead of a national run of dates.
by Paul Cashmere
Sydney rock band Large Mirage have released their new single Wildfire and its accompanying video on August 27, following a year that has taken the young group from club stages to opening two sold-out Sydney stadium shows for AC/DC. The band will begin the Wildfire Single Tour at BIGSOUND in Brisbane on September 3, with the current run extending through Australia before a scheduled appearance at Bonfest in Scotland in April 2027.
Wildfire connects Large Mirage’s increasingly prominent live profile with a song rooted in a personal experience of the 2019-20 Black Summer bushfires. Lead singer, guitarist and principal songwriter Kolya Chan wrote the song after travelling through the Hawkesbury during the bushfire crisis.
Chan said the song reflects the effect of fires on communities and the process of rebuilding afterwards. “This one is very introspective for me,” he said. “It’s about seeing how bushfires affect communities and in turn communities rebuild after, it is about banding together and being able to overcome almost anything.”
The AC/DC connection gives the release particular context. Large Mirage were selected to open two sold-out AC/DC concerts at Sydney’s Accor Stadium, placing a relatively new Australian rock band before a combined audience of more than 130,000 people. The shows became a significant step in the group’s development as it moved between emerging-artist showcases, festivals and its own headline performances.
Wildfire was recorded with Melbourne producer and engineer Michael Badger, whose credits include work with King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, Amyl & The Sniffers and You Am I. The recording was made without a click track, reflecting the band’s preference for capturing the dynamics of its live performances.
Large Mirage’s sound draws on 1960s and 1970s rock, psychedelic rock, melodic hard rock and power-pop. The current line-up comprises Chan on lead vocals and guitar, Blake Rochester on bass, AJ Stanton on keyboards and Bailey Brown on drums. Their musical approach combines guitar-led arrangements with Hammond and keyboard textures and three-part vocal harmonies.
The group released its debut EP, A Side To Blame, in 2023, followed by Wings Of Time in 2025. Among the band’s subsequent singles was Miss Okay, which incorporated Motown and psychedelic-pop influences. Wildfire represents the latest development in that catalogue, while its subject matter sets it apart from a purely retrospective approach to the band’s rock influences.
Chan’s inspiration dates to a jam session with Rochester at a studio in Tennyson in the Hawkesbury region. At the time, the Black Summer fires had intensified, and Chan found himself travelling by car towards an area affected by the fires. The experience ultimately became the basis for Wildfire.
The song’s central idea extends beyond the physical event. Chan describes it as being about collective resilience and the ability to make the most of life, giving Wildfire a broader meaning while retaining its connection to a specific Australian experience.
That theme sits alongside a career trajectory that has accelerated during 2026. In addition to AC/DC, Large Mirage have appeared at events including Woodford Folk Festival, Lost Paradise and Meatstock, while also performing alongside established Australian acts including The Screaming Jets, TISM, Amyl and the Sniffers and Diesel. The band has also developed its own headline audience, selling out shows in Sydney and Melbourne.
The Wildfire Single Tour places the band in a mixture of clubs, festivals and larger events. Its opening night at BIGSOUND is significant because the annual Brisbane conference and showcase brings artists, managers, labels, publishers, promoters and other music industry professionals together to identify emerging acts. Large Mirage will perform at the Oztix BIGSOUND Party on September 3 before continuing through Queensland and New South Wales.
The Australian dates include Southport, Mosman, Wamberal, Ulladulla and Wollongong. The band will also perform aboard the Rock The Boat Cruise travelling from Sydney to Noumea and at Crafted Festival in Newcastle. The present itinerary concludes internationally at Bonfest in Kirriemuir, Scotland, on April 30, 2027.
For Large Mirage, the significance of Wildfire is therefore tied to a measurable progression rather than a single release. The band has moved from independent EPs and smaller venues to major festival appearances and a support slot with one of Australia’s most internationally recognised rock acts. Wildfire provides the next recorded document of that progression while drawing on an experience that predates the band’s current momentum.
The Wildfire video is now available alongside the single. The band will play its first scheduled tour date at BIGSOUND on September 3, with further Australian performances continuing through November before the Scotland appearance in 2027.
Large Mirage Wildfire Single Tour 2026
September 3, Brisbane, Oztix BIGSOUND Party
September 4, Southport, Vinnie’s Dive Bar
September 18, Mosman, The Whalers Mosman Club
September 19, Wamberal, Ocean View
September 25, Ulladulla, Marlin Hotel
September 26, Wollongong, Dicey Riley’s Hotel
October 25 to November 1, Sydney to Noumea, Rock The Boat Cruise
November 7, Newcastle, Foreshore Park, Crafted Festival
April 30, 2027, Kirriemuir, Scotland, Bonfest
Ticket Details
Tickets for Large Mirage’s Wildfire Single Tour are available through the band’s official website.
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