Nick Cave has let slip what Aussie fans have been hoping to hear for months: Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds will return to Australia in January 2026 for the Wild God tour. In a recent post on his Red Hand Files website, Cave revealed the news with typical candour, writing:
“Happily, I can report that The Bad Seeds are bringing the Wild God show to Australia and New Zealand in January (I’m not sure I am supposed to tell you this, but the tour will be announced next week). It’s gonna be wild, and it’s gonna be big and it’s gonna be beautiful!”
He added a heartfelt note about his longing for the Australian audiences he has been away from during the European and North American legs of the tour.
“I miss stepping onto the stage and that singular feeling of recognition, of a spiritual homecoming, of circles closing, of the natural order of things returning to their rightful place, of big, fierce Aussie love.”
For fans, the upcoming tour represents both a homecoming and a continuation of Cave’s extraordinary career, which began in Melbourne’s St Kilda before spanning four decades of international acclaim.
Nick Cave’s musical roots trace back to Melbourne in the 1970s with his first band The Boys Next Door, who morphed into The Birthday Party. Their abrasive post-punk sound made waves in both Melbourne and London before dissolving in 1983. Out of that chaos, Cave formed Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds with Mick Harvey, Blixa Bargeld, and Barry Adamson, laying the foundation for one of the most influential groups in modern rock.
The Bad Seeds debuted with From Her to Eternity in 1984, a record that announced Cave as a songwriter capable of mixing menace, literature, and biblical drama with rock and roll. From there, the group developed into a shape-shifting collective, drawing on blues, gospel, folk, and experimental soundscapes. Over the decades, the Bad Seeds catalogue has produced masterpieces including The Firstborn Is Dead (1985), Tender Prey (1988), The Boatman’s Call (1997), Push the Sky Away (2013), Skeleton Tree (2016), and Ghosteen (2019).
Cave’s influence extends far beyond music. He is a novelist, screenwriter, and cultural figure whose work has consistently challenged audiences to engage with themes of love, loss, violence, redemption, and faith.
Though Cave has lived much of his adult life abroad, his relationship with Australia has never waned. His tours back home are consistently charged with a sense of occasion.
Over the decades, Cave has toured Australia multiple times with the Bad Seeds, delivering shows that have become part of his mythos. Memorable tours include the Henry’s Dream shows of the early 1990s, the triumphant Push the Sky Away tour in 2013, and the deeply emotional Skeleton Tree and Ghosteen performances, which wrestled with themes of grief and transcendence.
Most recently, Cave performed in Australia in 2023 as part of a stripped-back duo with Colin Greenwood of Radiohead. That tour, which Noise11.com reported on extensively, offered audiences an intimate reimagining of his catalogue. Fans described the shows as profoundly moving, with Cave’s voice and piano accompanied by Greenwood’s understated bass. The upcoming Wild God shows, however, promise the full force of the Bad Seeds — a band celebrated for its raw energy and expansive soundscapes.
The Wild God album, released in 2024, marks a creative rebirth for Cave and the Bad Seeds. It is both a spiritual and visceral work, rich with lyrical invention and musical daring. Tracks like “Wild God,” “Cinnamon Horses,” and “Final Rescue Attempt” showcase Cave’s lyrical mysticism against arrangements that move between soaring intensity and delicate beauty.
The Wild God tour began in Europe in 2024, where audiences were treated to a career-spanning setlist blending new material with classic songs from across the Bad Seeds’ history. By the time it reaches Australia in January 2026, the show will have been road-tested into a powerful, finely honed performance.
The Paris setlist from late 2024 offers a strong indication of what Australian audiences can expect:
Main Set
Frogs – Wild God (2024)
Wild God – Wild God (2024)
Song of the Lake – Wild God (2024)
O Children – Abattoir Blues / The Lyre of Orpheus (2004)
Jubilee Street – Push the Sky Away (2013)
From Her to Eternity – From Her to Eternity (1984)
Long Dark Night – The Boatman’s Call (1997)
Cinnamon Horses – Wild God (2024)
Tupelo – The Firstborn Is Dead (1985)
Conversion – Wild God (2024)
Bright Horses – Ghosteen (2019)
Joy – Wild God (2024)
I Need You – Skeleton Tree (2016)
Carnage – Carnage (2021)
Final Rescue Attempt – Wild God (2024)
Red Right Hand – Let Love In (1994)
The Mercy Seat – Tender Prey (1988)
White Elephant – Carnage (2021)
Encore
O Wow O Wow (How Wonderful She Is) – Wild God (2024)
Papa Won’t Leave You, Henry – Henry’s Dream (1992)
The Weeping Song – The Good Son (1990)
Into My Arms – The Boatman’s Call (1997)
Expect the Aussie tour announcement tomorrow Monday 25 August 2025. Noise11 will update this story with the dates when they are announced.
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