Seattle garage rock band The Darts (US) have been announced as special guests for two Australian dates on The Damned’s September 2026 Australian tour, joining the pioneering British punk group for concerts in Brisbane and Melbourne.
by Paul Cashmere
American garage rock band The Darts (US) will support The Damned at the Brisbane and Melbourne legs of the British punk pioneers’ Australian and New Zealand tour this September, adding two high energy performances to a tour that already marks the return of one of punk’s defining acts. The announcement follows another busy international touring period for The Darts, who continue to build an international audience through extensive live work and a steady catalogue of independent releases.
The addition of The Darts expands the Australian bill for The Damned’s four-date Australasian run, which begins in Auckland before heading to Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne. The Seattle based quartet has previously shared stages with The Damned in the United States, making the Australian concerts a continuation of a relationship that stretches back several years.
The current lineup features Nicole Laurenne on vocals and organ, Lindsay Scarey on bass, Rebecca Davidson on guitar and original drummer Rikki Watson. Since forming in 2016, the band has established a reputation through constant touring across North America and Europe, combining garage rock with punk influences while maintaining a distinctive visual identity.
The Australian performances come after the release of Halloween Love Songs, issued in 2026 through Adrenalin Fix Music and Meow Hiss Music. The record follows a productive period for the band that included Snake Oil in 2023 and Boomerang in 2024, both released through Alternative Tentacles, the label founded by former Dead Kennedys frontman Jello Biafra.
The Darts’ career has been built largely through independent touring and fan support. After releasing two self-produced EPs in their first year, the band signed with Britain’s Dirty Water Records, which released their debut albums Me.Ow and The Darts in 2017. Early touring opportunities included runs with Australian rock band The Living End and Billie Joe Armstrong’s project The Longshot.
In 2018, Jello Biafra signed the group to Alternative Tentacles, leading to the release of the Bullet single and the album I Like You But Not Like That. During the same period the band supported The Damned on a United States tour and appeared at festivals including Punk Rock Bowling, Hipnosis Fest and The Bash. Their music has also featured in the television series Peaky Blinders.
The pandemic temporarily halted international touring, although the band maintained visibility through online performances before returning to the road with the Love Tsunami EP in 2022. The following year’s Snake Oil, co-produced by Biafra and funded by fans, sold out its initial pressings in both the United States and Europe, prompting additional vinyl production while the band completed a 100-day European tour.
Recording sessions with Grammy Award winning producer Mark Rains produced Boomerang, released in 2024. That album led to further international touring, media coverage and an unusual performance inside Scotland’s Barlinnie Prison, while continuing the band’s pattern of spending much of each year on the road.
For Australian audiences, the Brisbane and Melbourne appearances provide an opportunity to see a band that has built its reputation primarily through live performance rather than mainstream commercial exposure. Their addition also reinforces the international flavour of The Damned’s return to Australia, pairing one of punk’s original bands with a newer act that has emerged from the contemporary garage rock scene while drawing on many of the same musical traditions.
The Damned’s Australian and New Zealand tour begins in Auckland on 8 September before visiting Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne.
Tour Dates
Tuesday 8 September, Auckland, Powerstation
Thursday 10 September, Sydney, Sydney Opera House
Friday 11 September, Brisbane, The Tivoli
Special Guest: The Darts (US)
Sunday 13 September, Melbourne, The Forum
Special Guest: The Darts (US)
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