The Sharp will return to stages across Victoria, South Australia and New South Wales later this year, with the Melbourne band’s September performances set to become the centrepiece of a new live album.
by Paul Cashmere
Melbourne rockabilly-pop favourites The Sharp have announced their Live & Loud Australian tour, a run of dates that will take the band through Victoria, South Australia and New South Wales while also documenting a new chapter in their long history. The tour opens on 12 September at St Kilda Bowls Club in Melbourne, where two performances will be professionally recorded for a forthcoming live album, The Sharp – Live & Loud, scheduled for release on 1 November.
After reforming in recent years and returning with new recordings in 2025, The Sharp are now turning their attention to a live release, a format that many long-time followers argue best captures the group’s appeal.
The September shows will include both an afternoon all-ages performance and an evening 18+ show, giving audiences the opportunity to become part of the band’s recorded legacy. According to the group, the decision to record in front of a live audience reflects the importance of the connection they have built with fans over more than three decades.
“The Sharp has always been a live band,” the band said in a statement. “The connection between the band and the audience is a huge part of what makes our shows special. Recording a live album in front of our fans felt like the perfect way to capture that energy.”
Following the Melbourne dates, the tour will continue through South Australia before heading to New South Wales for performances in Sydney and Newcastle. Support acts for all dates are expected to be announced in the coming months.
The Sharp first emerged from Melbourne’s inner north in 1991, forming in Collingwood with Allan Catlin on double bass and vocals, Charlie Rooke on guitar and vocals, and Piet Collins on drums. At a time when Australian alternative music was increasingly influenced by grunge and heavier rock, The Sharp developed a distinctive sound that combined rockabilly traditions with melodic pop songwriting and energetic guitar-driven arrangements.
Their debut single, ‘Love Your Head’, arrived in 1992 and was followed by ‘Talking Sly’, which became their first major breakthrough. The accompanying Spinosity EP reached the ARIA Top 30 and established the group as one of Australia’s most exciting emerging live acts.
The band’s debut album, This Is The Sharp, was released in September 1993 and peaked at No. 13 on the ARIA Albums Chart. Produced by Nick Mainsbridge and Peter Farnan alongside the band, the album generated a series of successful singles including ‘Train Of Thought’, ‘Scratch My Back’ and ‘Yeah I Want You’. The Sharp also earned ARIA Award nominations for Breakthrough Artist and Best Video during this period.
Their second album, Sonic Tripod, followed in 1994 and matched the chart success of its predecessor, again reaching No. 13 nationally. The record produced the band’s highest-charting single, ‘Alone Like Me’, which reached the ARIA Top 20. International touring followed, taking the group to the United States, United Kingdom, Sweden and Germany.
The Sharp’s reputation was built as much on their live performances as their recordings. Catlin’s double bass theatrics and the band’s high-energy stage presentation became defining elements of their identity throughout the 1990s. Despite their success, the group disbanded in 1995, citing burnout after several intense years of recording and touring.
Subsequent reunions in 2000 and 2010 demonstrated the enduring affection audiences held for the band, but the most substantial return came in 2024 when The Sharp reunited without founding member Allan Catlin. Joining Rooke and Collins was double bassist Scott Owen of The Living End alongside vocalist Louie Lee Feltrin.
The reformed line-up initially focused on celebrating the band’s catalogue through performances of This Is The Sharp in its entirety. In April 2025, however, they moved beyond nostalgia with the release of the independent EP 4, the first collection of newly recorded Sharp material since the mid-1990s.
The upcoming Live & Loud album will therefore serve two purposes. It documents the band’s contemporary line-up while also reinforcing the role live performance has played throughout their career. For a group whose reputation was forged in clubs, pubs and theatres rather than through studio experimentation alone, a live recording represents a logical addition to their catalogue.
With a new album scheduled for release in November and a national run of shows ahead, The Sharp’s latest chapter continues to build on a legacy that has remained influential in Australian guitar music for more than 30 years.
The Sharp Live & Loud Tour
Saturday 12 September, Melbourne, St Kilda Bowls Club (2:30pm All Ages Show)
Saturday 12 September, Melbourne, St Kilda Bowls Club (7:30pm 18+ Show)
Friday 13 November, Thebarton, Wheatsheaf Hotel
Sunday 15 November, Goolwa, Murray Delta Juke Joint
Friday 4 December, Rozelle, Bridge Hotel
Saturday 5 December, Newcastle, King Street Warehouse
Ticketing information: Tickets are on sale now. Support acts for all dates will be announced closer to the tour.
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