Rodrigo Y Gabriela will return to Australia in January 2027 for six national dates supporting their forthcoming album OurHome, a record shaped by Japan, personal loss and a renewed focus on acoustic guitar.
by Paul Cashmere
Mexican acoustic guitar duo Rodrigo Y Gabriela will return to Australia in January 2027 for a six-date national tour, with the shows following the September 18 release of their new album OurHome through ATO Records. The tour will take in Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Hobart, Adelaide and Perth, giving Australian audiences an early opportunity to hear material from the duo’s latest studio project alongside established songs from a career spanning more than two decades.
The Australian dates form part of the next chapter for Rodrigo Sánchez and Gabriela Quintero, whose music has consistently challenged the boundaries of instrumental guitar. Their approach combines flamenco technique with rock, heavy metal, percussive playing and elements of classical and world music, without relying on a conventional rhythm section.
OurHome was recorded and self-produced at NK Sound Tokyo and represents a return to a predominantly acoustic palette after the electric guitar emphasis of 2023’s In Between Thoughts…A New World. The album also extends the duo’s longstanding creative relationship with Japan, a country that has repeatedly provided inspiration and a setting for their work.
The record grew from an unexpected period of personal grief following the death of Pelusa, the duo’s studio cat. Gabriela says the loss eventually helped break a period of creative uncertainty.
“It was like she was telling us, ‘Stop messing around and just do what you do best,’” Gabriela says.
That sense of returning to instinctive playing informs the album. OurHome explores themes drawn from manga, mythology, migration, philosophy, nature and personal transformation, while remaining centred on the physical interaction between two acoustic guitars.
The album’s title has a distinctly Australian connection. The duo were inspired by a Melbourne public housing tower carrying the words “OUR HOME”, a phrase that resonated with the album’s broader idea of finding peace internally rather than relying on outside approval.
The guest list also reflects the breadth of Rodrigo Y Gabriela’s musical interests. OurHome includes contributions from former Megadeth guitarist Marty Friedman, Japanese jazz pianist Hiromi, cellist Hiyori Okuda and guitarist and composer Yukihiro Atsumi. Five-time Grammy winner Dave Sardy handled the mixing, while Stephen Marcussen, whose mastering credits include Nirvana, R.E.M. and The Rolling Stones, mastered the album.
The first single, ‘Monster’, was inspired by Naoki Urasawa’s acclaimed manga of the same name. Urasawa created original artwork for the accompanying video, marking an unusual meeting between two distinct creative disciplines. Urasawa, a longtime admirer of the duo, described the collaboration as “an encounter I still find incredible.”
The second single, ‘OurHome’, takes a markedly different approach. The instrumental composition is meditative and reflective, reinforcing the album’s themes of emotional clarity, stillness and finding a sense of belonging.
Rodrigo Y Gabriela’s history makes the new album’s acoustic emphasis particularly significant. Sánchez and Quintero met as teenagers in Mexico City and initially played together in the heavy metal band Tierra Ácida. They eventually left Mexico and relocated to Dublin in 1999, despite not speaking English.
Their years playing pubs and busking on Grafton Street became the foundation of an international career. Their connection with Irish singer-songwriter Damien Rice helped open further opportunities, while their independently released material attracted enough attention to secure a deal with ATO Records in 2005.
Their self-titled 2006 album subsequently reached number one on the Irish Albums Chart. The record introduced a broader audience to their highly physical guitar style and included instrumental interpretations of Led Zeppelin’s ‘Stairway To Heaven’ and Metallica’s ‘Orion’.
They continued to expand their musical reach through albums including 11:11, Area 52, 9 Dead Alive and Mettavolution. The latter won the Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Instrumental Album in 2020. Their catalogue has also included collaborations and appearances connected to film, orchestral projects and other genres.
The duo’s live history includes performances at Glastonbury, the Hollywood Bowl, Red Rocks, Royal Albert Hall, Radio City Music Hall and the Sydney Opera House. They have also performed at the White House for President Barack Obama and worked with composer Hans Zimmer on music for Pirates Of The Caribbean: On Stranger Tides.
Tour Dates
Wednesday 13 January, Brisbane, Fortitude Music Hall
Thursday 14 January, Sydney, Enmore Theatre
Friday 15 January, Melbourne, Palais Theatre
Sunday 17 January, Hobart, Odeon Theatre
Tuesday 19 January, Adelaide, The Gov
Thursday 21 January, Perth, Regal Theatre
Ticket Details
Presale: Wednesday, August 26 at 9am local time
General Public On Sale: Friday, August 28 at 9am local time
Presale sign-up: Destroy All Lines
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