Mick Thomas Announces GoChristmasComeBack Tour

Mick Thomas and Roving Commission will return for their annual Christmas tour in November, with a new split single and a New Year’s Day show among the highlights.

by Paul Cashmere

Mick Thomas’ Roving Commission will return to the road in November for the annual GoChristmasComeBack tour, with 17 shows scheduled across Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia and Western Australia before the traditional New Year’s Day concert at Archies Creek.

The tour will also introduce a new seven-inch vinyl split single recorded with last year’s touring partners Hana and Jessie-Lee’s Bad Habits. The release pairs (Still) Don’t Need Much by Mick Thomas’ Roving Commission with Somebody’s Fool, and includes a download of four live tracks from the previous tour.

The Christmas shows have become a recurring part of Thomas’ touring calendar, bringing together his work with Roving Commission and a seasonal tradition that has developed around his music. This year’s dates begin at Theatre Royal in Castlemaine on November 6 and conclude with the New Year’s Day “All In Brawl” at Archies Creek Hotel on January 1, 2027.

The majority of the tour features Melbourne alt-folk group Norwood as special guests. Norwood’s Olivia Bolmat is also part of Thomas’ revived holiday project Shackleton3, alongside Thomas and Anna Burley of The Killjoys.

The Archies Creek concert expands the line-up further, with Charlotte Le Lievre, a Kylie Auldist dance set and Henry Wagons as MC.

The new split single extends a relationship that began with last year’s tour, when Thomas shared stages with Hana and Jessie-Lee’s Bad Habits. Released through Coolin’ By Sound Records, the seven-inch also reflects the continuing connection between Thomas’ recorded work and the live community surrounding his shows.

The live programme follows a substantial period for Thomas and Roving Commission. The band released GoComeBack in late 2025, an album that charted in the ARIA Top 40, followed by extensive touring and a separate GoSoloComeBack run for Thomas.

Thomas has also expanded his writing beyond recorded music and touring through The Top Paddock, his Substack publication. The newsletter has become a regular outlet for music, interviews, stories and writing, adding another dimension to the work of an artist whose career has consistently moved between songwriting, performance and storytelling.

Thomas’ history with Christmas music stretches back through his catalogue, including Christmas Day At Spencer’s, while the annual shows have become a meeting point for his various musical eras. The continued presence of Weddings Parties Anything material in his live work also connects the Roving Commission performances to the broader history of Australian folk rock that Thomas helped establish.

Weddings Parties Anything remains central to Thomas’ musical legacy. The band emerged from Melbourne’s alternative music scene in the 1980s and developed a catalogue rooted in Australian stories, traditional folk influences and contemporary working-class experience. Thomas’ subsequent solo and Roving Commission recordings have continued that approach while allowing him to explore different collaborators and musical settings.

The Christmas shows therefore operate on more than one level. They provide a regular touring period for Thomas while giving audiences an opportunity to revisit songs from across his career alongside newer material. The inclusion of emerging artists such as Norwood also places the established catalogue alongside a younger generation of Australian performers.

For independent Australian artists, the end-of-year touring period can provide an important opportunity to reconnect with audiences through established regional and metropolitan venues. Thomas’ 2026 schedule reflects that model, moving between theatres, halls, pubs, clubs and community venues rather than concentrating solely on major metropolitan rooms.

The tour will also give Thomas an opportunity to continue developing the live repertoire surrounding GoComeBack while introducing the new split single. The final performance, the traditional New Year’s Day “All In Brawl” at Archies Creek Hotel, will take place on January 1, 2027.

Tour Dates

November 6, Castlemaine, Theatre Royal
November 7, Frankston, Young Street Tavern
November 13, Birregurra, Birregurra Hall
November 14, Heatherton, Arco Bar
November 21, Warrnambool, Whalers Bandroom
November 26, Canberra, Smiths Alternative
November 27, Port Kembla, The Servo
November 28, Sydney, Marrickville Bowling Club
November 29, Newcastle, Hamilton Station
December 5, Mudgeeraba, Wallaby Hotel
December 6, Brisbane, Lefty’s Music Hall
December 10, Adelaide, The Wheatsheaf
December 11, Fremantle, Mojo’s
December 12, Perth, Oxford Hotel
December 13, Perth, Oxford Hotel
December 17, Hepburn Springs, Hepburn Palais
December 18, Geelong, Eureka Hotel
December 19, Melbourne, Corner Hotel
January 1, 2027, Archies Creek, Archies Creek Hotel