American rock heavyweights Shinedown will return to Australia for the first time in over 15 years, joining British alternative pioneers Bush for a national arena run this September.
by Paul Cashmere
Two of modern rock’s most durable acts, Shinedown and Bush, will unite for a co-headline Australian and New Zealand tour in September 2026, marking Shinedown’s long-awaited return to this market and reaffirming Bush’s enduring connection with local audiences.
Presented by Destroy All Lines, the six-date run opens in Auckland on 17 September before moving through Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth. For Shinedown, it will be their first Australian shows in more than 15 years, a notable absence for a band that has dominated American rock radio for two decades.
Shinedown photo by Ryan R Camp
Formed in Jacksonville, Florida in 2001 by vocalist Brent Smith, Shinedown have built one of the most formidable chart records in contemporary rock. Across seven studio albums, from Leave A Whisper in 2003 through to 2022’s Planet Zero, the band has amassed more than 8.3 billion streams and a record-breaking run of number one singles on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart. Tracks including Second Chance, Sound Of Madness and Monsters have become generational staples, balancing muscular hard rock with melodic reach.
The band’s eighth studio album, EI8HT, is scheduled for release on 29 May 2026. Described by Smith as a project that pushed the group creatively and emotionally, it follows the dystopian themes of Planet Zero and continues a catalogue that has seen every Shinedown album achieve gold or platinum certification in the United States. The current line-up of Smith, drummer Barry Kerch, guitarist Zach Myers and bassist Eric Bass has been stable since the late 2000s, a factor that has underpinned their expansive live sound.
On stage, Shinedown have long cultivated a reputation for arena-scale performances, sharing bills over the years with artists including Papa Roach, Halestorm and Rob Zombie. Their return to Australia will test whether the band’s US chart dominance translates into renewed traction in this territory after a decade and a half away.
Bush photo by Chapman Baehler
Bush arrive with a different but equally significant legacy. Formed in London in 1992, the band exploded internationally with their 1994 debut Sixteen Stone. Powered by singles such as Glycerine, Machinehead and Comedown, the album went on to sell more than six million copies in the United States alone and reached No. 5 in Australia at the height of the post-grunge era.
Fronted by Gavin Rossdale, Bush became one of the defining acts of the mid-1990s alternative rock wave. Their 1996 follow-up Razorblade Suitcase debuted at No. 1 in the US and earned a Grammy nomination for the single Swallowed. While the band disbanded in 2002 amid shifting commercial fortunes, Rossdale revived Bush in 2010, initiating a second chapter that has produced six further studio albums.
The most recent, I Beat Loneliness, released in 2025, is the band’s tenth studio album and underscores their commitment to new material alongside catalogue favourites. The current line-up features Rossdale with guitarist Chris Traynor, bassist Corey Britz and drummer Nik Hughes. In recent Australian visits, including festival appearances in 2022, Bush demonstrated that the emotional pull of their 1990s material remains intact for local audiences.
Stylistically, Bush emerged from the same alternative rock climate that birthed Nirvana and Soundgarden, though Rossdale has consistently maintained the band’s independent identity. Over three decades, their sound has evolved from the raw edges of Sixteen Stone through the electronic inflections of The Science Of Things and into the heavier textures of The Kingdom and The Art Of Survival.
Pairing Shinedown and Bush creates a generational bridge between the mid-1990s post-grunge boom and the 2000s American hard rock resurgence. Both bands have shown longevity in an industry often hostile to guitar-driven acts, sustained by radio support, relentless touring and a capacity to refresh their creative output.
Tour Dates
Thursday 17 September, Auckland, Spark Arena
Sunday 20 September, Brisbane, Riverstage
Wednesday 23 September, Sydney, Hordern Pavilion
Friday 25 September, Melbourne, John Cain Arena
Sunday 27 September, Adelaide, AEC Theatre
Tuesday 29 September, Perth, HPC
Artist pre-sale runs from Friday 6 March at 9am local time until Thursday 12 March at 11am local time.
Early bird pre-sale runs from Tuesday 10 March at 10am local time until Thursday 12 March at 11am local time.
Spotify pre-sale runs from Wednesday 11 March at 11am local time until Thursday 12 March at 11am local time.
Venue and ticketing pre-sale runs from Wednesday 11 March at 11am local time until Thursday 12 March at 11am local time.
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