Less Than Jake will return to Australia and New Zealand this October and November with the Circus Down Under tour, bringing more than three decades of ska-punk history back to local stages alongside special guests The Aquabats! and The Suicide Machines.
by Paul Cashmere
American ska-punk veterans Less Than Jake have confirmed a run of Australian and New Zealand shows for October and November 2026, marking their latest visit to a region that has supported the Gainesville band since the late 1990s. The tour, titled Circus Down Under, will take the group through Fremantle, Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Auckland, with presale tickets opening on April 14 and the general sale beginning April 15.
The Florida group, now more than three decades into its career, remains a consistent touring act in Australia. Each visit typically draws packed venues and audiences familiar with the band’s blend of ska brass, punk tempos and melodic pop-punk choruses. For Less Than Jake, the return is part of an ongoing touring cycle that has kept them active internationally since the early 1990s.
The upcoming shows also feature The Aquabats! and Detroit’s The Suicide Machines, two groups that share roots in the ska-punk and punk scenes that flourished through the 1990s. The Aquabats! are known for theatrical stage shows and a visual identity influenced by comic-book culture, while The Suicide Machines bring a faster, more aggressive edge grounded in hardcore punk.
Less Than Jake’s current line-up includes founding guitarist and vocalist Chris DeMakes, bassist and vocalist Roger Lima, trombonist Buddy Schaub, saxophonist Peter “JR” Wasilewski and drummer Matt Yonker. Yonker joined the band full-time after the departure of founding drummer and lyricist Vinnie Fiorello, a transition that marked a new chapter in the band’s history after more than twenty-five years with its original rhythm section.
Formed in Gainesville, Florida in 1992, Less Than Jake emerged during the third wave of ska, blending the horn arrangements of traditional ska with the pace and energy of punk rock. Their debut album Pezcore arrived in 1995, establishing the group’s early identity with songs such as Liquor Store and My Very Own Flag. The band quickly gained a following through relentless touring and appearances on the Vans Warped Tour, a key platform for alternative and punk acts throughout the late 1990s and early 2000s.
Their second and third albums, Losing Streak in 1996 and Hello Rockview in 1998, expanded the band’s reach through major-label distribution with Capitol Records. Hello Rockview produced the track History Of A Boring Town, which reached No. 39 on the Billboard Modern Rock chart and introduced the band to a wider college-radio audience in North America.
Commercial momentum continued with Anthem in 2003, the group’s most successful album to date. The record included the singles She’s Gonna Break Soon and The Science Of Selling Yourself Short, songs that received both radio and television exposure at the time. The album also marked a period when ska-influenced punk briefly crossed into mainstream rock programming.
Over the following years the band maintained independence in its releases, launching the Sleep It Off Records label in 2008 and experimenting with EP formats rather than traditional album cycles. That approach continued through the 2010s with projects including Greetings From Less Than Jake and Seasons Greetings From Less Than Jake, eventually compiled into Greetings And Salutations in 2012.
The band returned to full-length albums with See The Light in 2013 and later Silver Linings in 2020. In November 2024 they issued the seven-song EP Uncharted, produced by Bill Stevenson of Descendents and Black Flag, continuing a pattern of shorter releases aimed at keeping new material circulating between tours.
Less Than Jake’s music sits within a broader revival of interest in ska-influenced punk. In recent years, younger bands have drawn from the genre’s mix of brass instrumentation and fast punk rhythms, while festivals and retrospective tours have highlighted the role of 1990s ska acts in shaping alternative rock culture of that era. For audiences in Australia, the band’s return also reflects a long-standing touring connection between North American punk bands and the Australian live circuit.
Tour Dates
Friday, October 30, Fremantle, Metropolis
Saturday, October 31, Adelaide, Hindley Street Music Hall
Monday, November 2, Melbourne, Forum Theatre
Thursday, November 5, Sydney, Enmore Theatre
Friday, November 6, Brisbane, Eatons Hill Hotel
Saturday, November 7, Auckland, The Studio
Pre-sale tickets begin Tuesday April 14 at 9.00am local time.
General public tickets go on sale Wednesday April 15 at 9.00am 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
