Madness will return to Australia and New Zealand in February and March 2027 for the All Abroad For The Madness Hit Parade Tour, their first Australian tour since 2017 and first New Zealand shows since 1981.
by Paul Cashmere
Madness will return to Australia and New Zealand in 2027 for the All Abroad For The Madness Hit Parade Tour, marking the Camden band’s first Australian tour in a decade and its first New Zealand performances in 46 years. The seven-date tour will take in Fremantle, Brisbane, Sydney, Adelaide, Melbourne, Auckland and Christchurch from February 27 to March 13. Presented by Handsome Tours, the tour follows the release of Hit Parade, a career-spanning collection bringing together 45 singles recorded across 45 years, from 1979 through to 2024.
The Australian and New Zealand dates extend a touring history that has taken Madness from the British two-tone scene of the late 1970s to major international stages. The band first broke through with a distinctive combination of ska, pop and British songwriting, developing a catalogue that includes “One Step Beyond”, “Baggy Trousers”, “It Must Be Love”, “House of Fun” and “Our House”.
For Australian audiences, the return is particularly significant because the last Madness tour was in 2017. That year the band played its first Australian show at Fremantle Arts Centre, where the concert sold out and a second performance was added. New Zealand audiences have had an even longer wait, with the 2027 shows representing the band’s first visit there since 1981.
Hit Parade provides the catalogue framework for the new tour. The collection spans the band’s recording history from its first commercial recordings through to material released in 2024 and contains 27 UK Top 40 hits alongside rarities and songs from different periods of the band’s career.
The collection follows the band’s most recent studio album, Theatre Of The Absurd Presents C’est La Vie, released in November 2023. The album became the first Madness studio album to reach number one in the UK, more than four decades after the band’s recording career began.
The 2027 tour also coincides with the planned January reissues of the band’s first five studio albums: One Step Beyond…, Absolutely, 7, The Rise & Fall and Keep Moving. Those records document the rapid evolution of Madness during the first half of the 1980s, from the ska-driven sound of their first two albums towards a broader pop and songwriting palette. One Step Beyond… spent 78 weeks on the British album chart and peaked at number two, while Absolutely also reached number two.
The band’s commercial peak produced 16 UK Top 10 singles, including “One Step Beyond”, “Baggy Trousers” and “It Must Be Love”, while “House of Fun” became their only UK number one single. “Our House” reached number seven on the US Billboard Hot 100, giving Madness their biggest American chart success.
The band’s influence also extended beyond records and radio. Madness performed “Our House” and “It Must Be Love” from the roof of Buckingham Palace during the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations in 2012 and subsequently opened the closing ceremony of the London Olympic Games.
Madness have continued recording and performing across successive generations. Their 2016 album Can’t Touch Us Now reached number five in the UK, while the 2017 Australian performances demonstrated the continuing demand for the band more than three decades after its original commercial breakthrough.
The band’s catalogue has also continued to expand. Theatre Of The Absurd Presents C’est La Vie was their 13th studio album and followed a period of renewed recording and touring activity. Its UK number one achievement gave the band a new chart milestone late in its career.
The All Abroad For The Madness Hit Parade Tour will begin at Fremantle’s Palace Foreshore on February 27, followed by Brisbane, Sydney, Adelaide and Melbourne. The New Zealand leg then moves to Auckland and Christchurch. Tickets go on sale Thursday, September 24 at 9am local time through Handsome Tours.
Tour Dates
February 27, Fremantle, Palace Foreshore, WA
March 2, Brisbane, On The Banks, QLD
March 5, Sydney, Sydney Opera House Forecourt, NSW
March 7, Adelaide, WOMADelaide, SA
March 9, Melbourne, Palace Foreshore, VIC
March 12, Auckland, Spark Arena, NZ
March 13, Christchurch, Wolfbrook Arena, NZ
Ticket Details
Tickets go on sale Thursday 24 September at 9am local time through Handsome Tours.
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