Colin Hay leads a new Men At Work touring lineup through Australia, revisiting the catalogue that made the band an international success, alongside a selection of his solo material.
Men At Work are back on Australian stages for the first time in more than two decades, with Colin Hay leading a touring band through the songs that made the group one of Australia’s biggest international acts. But while the show is billed as Men At Work, the reality is closer to Colin Hay performing the Men At Work catalogue, with a selection of his solo work thrown into the mix.
There is a distinction worth making. This is a Men At Work show in name, but it is also very much a Colin Hay show. The setlist draws from both catalogues, and the balance between the two creates an interesting challenge for an audience that has come primarily to hear the Men At Work hits.
The Melbourne performance at the Palais Theatre on 4 November opened with two less familiar Men At Work songs, ‘Touching the Untouchables’ and ‘No Restrictions’. Four solo songs appeared within the first eight selections, including ‘Broken Love’, ‘Looking For Jack’, ‘Come Tumblin’ Down’ and ‘Can’t Take This Town’.
For anyone who attended Hay’s solo performance in June, there was considerable crossover. ‘Looking For Jack’, ‘Come Tumblin’ Down’ and ‘Waiting For My Real Life To Begin’ were also part of that earlier show. The solo concerts have traditionally included Men At Work material, leaving Hay with a difficult balancing act when constructing a set specifically promoted under the Men At Work name.
There is historical precedent for the opening sequence. Men At Work’s 1982 concerts also had ‘No Restrictions’,’Touching the Untouchables’ and ‘Catch A Star’ early in the set. However, there is an argument that opening the Australian return with one of the band’s signature songs would have immediately established the occasion.
Instead, the audience had to wait for the major hits. The final six songs of the main set finally delivered the familiar sequence, beginning with ‘Dr. Heckyll & Mr. Jive’ and moving through ‘Overkill’, ‘It’s A Mistake’, ‘Who Can It Be Now?’, ‘Down Under’ and ‘Be Good Johnny’.
By then, the reason Men At Work became an international phenomenon was unmistakable. These are songs that defined Australian popular music internationally in the early 1980s, and hearing them performed together again on Australian stages carries considerable historical significance.
Hay remains an engaging frontman. His solo performances are usually equal parts music and conversation, and although the Melbourne show contained less extended banter than his June appearance, there were still plenty of observations and the occasional dad joke between songs.
There was also a more personal moment when Hay spoke about his mother having worked at the Palais Theatre years earlier. FUN FACT: the video for ‘Overkill’ was filmed on The Esplanade, the road immediately outside the theatre.
The current touring band features Hay’s wife, Cecilia Noël, on backing vocals and percussion, San Miguel Perez on guitar, Yosmel Montego on bass, Jimmy Branly on drums and Rachel Mazer on saxophone. Together, they provide the musical framework for Hay to revisit the recordings that established Men At Work while also accommodating his later solo catalogue.
The Melbourne performance received one additional treat. After the encore began, Hay returned with ‘Waiting For My Real Life To Begin’, a solo favourite that gave the hometown audience an extra song beyond the main Men At Work programme.
Melbourne has a particular connection to this music. It was where Hay and Men At Work began, long before the band became an international success with ‘Down Under’, ‘Who Can It Be Now?’ and ‘Overkill’. The Palais Theatre performance brought that history back to the city where it started.
Perhaps the issue was simply the right songs in the wrong order. There is a strong argument for moving some of the solo material around and giving the audience a major Men At Work song much earlier. Nevertheless, the second half delivered the catalogue people had come to hear, and the crowd left with the satisfaction of having experienced those songs live again.
Getting Men At Work back onto Australian stages after more than 20 years is a welcome development. The current show may be Colin Hay revisiting the songs of Men At Work rather than a recreation of the original band, but the songs themselves remain the real attraction.
Men At Work Setlist
Palais Theatre, Melbourne, 4 November 2026
1. Touching The Untouchables (Business As Usual, 1981)
2. No Restrictions (Cargo, 1983)
3. Broken Love (American Sunshine, 2009)
4. I Can See It In Your Eyes (Business As Usual, 1981)
5. Looking For Jack (Looking For Jack, 1987)
6. High Wire (Cargo, 1983)
7. Come Tumblin’ Down (Fierce Mercy, 2017)
8. Can’t Take This Town (Peaks & Valleys, 1992)
9. Down By The Sea (Business As Usual, 1981)
10. Everything I Need (Two Hearts, 1985)
11. Catch A Star (Business As Usual, 1981)
12. No Sign Of Yesterday (Cargo, 1983)
13. Dr. Heckyll & Mr. Jive (Cargo, 1983)
14. Overkill (Cargo, 1983)
15. It’s A Mistake (Cargo, 1983)
16. Who Can It Be Now? (Business As Usual, 1981)
17. Down Under (Business As Usual, 1981)
18. Be Good Johnny (Business As Usual, 1981)
Encore:
19. Waiting For My Real Life To Begin (Topanga, 1994)
Men At Work Australian Tour Dates
Red Hot Summer Tour
7 November 2026, Ballarat, Victoria Park
8 November 2026, Mornington, Mornington Racecourse (Sold Out)
14 November 2026, Swan Valley, Sandalford Wines (Sold Out)
15 November 2026, Glenelg, Glenelg Beach
https://facetofacetouring.com.au/current-tours/red-hot-summer-tour-2026-australian-crawl
Additional Men At Work Shows
12 November 2026, Fremantle, Fremantle Prison
17 November 2026, Thirroul, Anita’s Theatre
18 November 2026, Newcastle, Civic Theatre
https://facetofacetouring.com.au/current-tours/men-at-work-live-in-concert
20 November 2026, Brisbane, Riverstage (with Australian Crawl)
22 November 2026, Melbourne, Sidney Myer Music Bowl (with Australian Crawl)
https://facetofacetouring.com.au/current-tours/red-hot-summer-tour-2026-australian-crawl
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