Smokie will return to Australia in February and March 2027 for a national Greatest Hits Tour spanning 11 dates and revisiting the songs that established the Bradford band as one of the defining British pop-rock acts of the 1970s.
by Paul Cashmere
Smokie will return to Australia in February 2027 for an 11-date Greatest Hits Tour, taking in Perth, Rockhampton, Tweed Heads, Brisbane, Adelaide, Newcastle, Sydney, Canberra, Bendigo, Melbourne and Geelong. The tour will focus on the catalogue that produced seven Australian Top 20 singles during the 1970s, including ‘Living Next Door to Alice’, ‘Lay Back in the Arms of Someone’, ‘Needles and Pins’, ‘Oh Carol’ and ‘I’ll Meet You at Midnight’.
The Australian connection remains significant for Smokie. ‘Living Next Door to Alice’ reached No. 1 in Australia in 1977, while the band’s All The Best compilation has sold more than 230,000 copies locally according to the supplied tour information. ‘Living Next Door to Alice’ has also accumulated worldwide sales of more than 10 million copies.
The 2027 concerts will be built around the familiar repertoire rather than a new album campaign, placing the emphasis on Smokie’s established catalogue. The current touring lineup features Pete Lincoln on lead vocals and rhythm guitar, Mick McConnell on lead guitar and vocals, Martin Bullard on keyboards, Steve Pinnell on drums and Luke Bullard on bass and vocals.
The tour also represents the latest chapter in a history that began more than six decades ago in Bradford, Yorkshire. The group evolved through several names before becoming Smokey and later Smokie. Among the musicians central to the band’s formation were Chris Norman, Alan Silson and Terry Uttley.
Their breakthrough came after the group began working with songwriting and production team Mike Chapman and Nicky Chinn. The partnership helped establish the melodic, harmony-driven sound that became synonymous with Smokie during the mid to late 1970s.
The 1975 album Changing All The Time provided the breakthrough single ‘If You Think You Know How To Love Me’, which reached No. 3 in the UK. Midnight Café followed in 1976, extending the band’s run of international success with songs including ‘Something’s Been Making Me Blue’, ‘Wild Wild Angels’ and ‘I’ll Meet You At Midnight’.
‘Living Next Door to Alice’, originally recorded by Australian group New World, became one of Smokie’s signature songs after their version was released in 1976. It was followed by ‘Lay Back in the Arms of Someone’, while the 1977 album Bright Lights & Back Alleys added ‘It’s Your Life’ and Smokie’s version of ‘Needles and Pins’ to the catalogue.
The band’s Australian relationship also has a direct recording connection. Smokie recorded the 1979 album The Other Side of the Road in Australia, during a period when the group was extending its international touring and recording activity beyond Britain.
The classic lineup eventually changed. Chris Norman departed in 1986 to pursue a solo career, with Alan Barton taking over lead vocals. Barton died in 1995 following injuries sustained in a tour bus accident in Germany. The band subsequently continued with Mike Craft as vocalist, while Alan Silson left in 1996.
Terry Uttley, the bassist who had been part of Smokie’s history almost from the beginning, remained with the band for decades and became its final active original member. Uttley died in December 2021 at the age of 70. Noise11 previously reported that Uttley had been the last original member still performing with the group.
Pete Lincoln became Smokie’s lead vocalist in 2021 after Mike Craft retired following 26 years with the band. The present lineup therefore represents a later generation of Smokie musicians performing a catalogue created across the group’s various eras.
Smokie’s recording career extends well beyond the 1970s, with albums including All Fired Up, Boulevard of Broken Dreams, Whose Are These Boots?, Chasing Shadows, The World and Elsewhere, Wild Horses: The Nashville Album, Uncovered, On The Wire and Take a Minute. Their later work was particularly successful in parts of Europe, even as their commercial profile in Britain changed.
The Australian tour will revisit the period that remains most familiar to local audiences. Alongside the songs that defined Smokie’s original run of chart success, the concerts provide a snapshot of how a band formed in the 1960s has continued to operate through multiple generations of performers.
Smokie will play Australia from February 19 through March 13, 2027. Tickets go on presale Wednesday, August 19 at 12pm local time, with general public sales beginning Friday, August 21 at 12pm local time.
Smokie 2027 Greatest Hits Tour
Friday 19 February, Perth, Regal Theatre
Saturday 20 February, Perth, Regal Theatre
Wednesday 24 February, Rockhampton, Pilbeam Theatre
Friday 26 February, Tweed Heads, Twin Towns
Sunday 28 February, Brisbane, The Tivoli
Tuesday 2 March, Adelaide, Thebarton Theatre
Friday 5 March, Newcastle, Civic Theatre
Saturday 6 March, Sydney, State Theatre
Sunday 7 March, Canberra, Southern Cross Club
Wednesday 10 March, Bendigo, Ulumbarra Theatre
Friday 12 March, Melbourne, Palais Theatre
Saturday 13 March, Geelong, Costa Hall
Ticket Details
Presale: Wednesday 19 August, 12pm local time
General Public On Sale: Friday 21 August, 12pm local time
Tickets: Metropolis Touring
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