ARIA Award winning Gamilaraay artist Thelma Plum will return to stages across Australia this July and August for her first national acoustic tour, revisiting songs from across her catalogue in a stripped back live setting.
by Paul Cashmere
Thelma Plum will head back on the road this winter with the announcement of her first national acoustic tour, the ‘I Don’t Play That Song Anymore’ run, taking in regional centres and theatre venues across Australia during July and August. The tour marks a change of pace for Plum, who has largely performed with full band arrangements in recent years, instead returning to the format that first introduced audiences to her music, a guitar, stories and songs presented in an intimate setting.
The new dates arrive after a significant period for Plum’s career. Her second album, I’m Sorry, Now Say It Back, added another chapter to an already notable Australian catalogue and reinforced her standing as one of the country’s most prominent contemporary singer-songwriters. The acoustic tour also arrives at a time when stripped back performances are becoming an increasingly common choice for established artists looking to reconnect with audiences through smaller scale presentations.
For fans, the significance extends beyond a standard touring cycle. Acoustic performances often reveal a different dimension to songs that audiences have come to know through studio production and larger live arrangements. In Plum’s case, the tour offers a return to the storytelling format that shaped her earliest work.
Plum said the concept reflects a return to her beginnings while also arriving during a new creative period.
“I actually can’t believe that this is the first time I’ve done an acoustic tour. When I started out playing shows it was just me and a guitar, but it’s been a long time since I’ve performed like that.”
She also revealed that new material is already in progress.
“It’s been a big year, I am working on a new record, and it feels like the perfect time to pack up the songbook and play some intimate shows with my friend Toby and let the songs and the stories behind them breathe. I hope to see you at one of the shows!”
The performances will feature a duo presentation and are expected to draw from across Plum’s career, including material from I’m Sorry, Now Say It Back. She also hinted that some songs absent from recent setlists could reappear.
Plum’s latest album became one of the most successful Australian releases of the past year, earning an ARIA Award for Best Pop Release while also receiving nominations for Album Of The Year and Best Solo Artist. Her single “Freckles” also collected Rolling Stone Australia’s Best Single award.
The broader context of Plum’s career illustrates how steadily her profile has expanded since emerging through Triple J Unearthed in 2012. Born Thelma Amelina Plumbe in Brisbane and raised with strong connections to Delungra in New South Wales, the Gamilaraay artist first gained national attention with tracks including “Father Said” before releasing the Rosie EP in 2013.
Her breakthrough album Better In Blak, released in 2019, became a defining work in Australian music and resonated strongly with audiences. The album reached No. 4 on the ARIA Albums Chart and generated multiple successful singles including “Better In Blak”, “Homecoming Queen” and “Clumsy Love”. The title track also reached a then career milestone in the Triple J Hottest 100, delivering the highest placing for an Indigenous artist at the time and later earning the Vanda and Young Song Of The Year award.
Industry observers have frequently pointed to Plum’s songwriting as central to her
impact. Her work has balanced personal narratives with broader cultural themes and has made her one of the more distinctive voices in Australian contemporary music over the past decade.
The decision to tour regional centres also reflects a continuing shift in Australian touring patterns, with artists increasingly looking beyond major capital city markets. Venues in Victoria, New South Wales, Western Australia, Queensland, Tasmania and the ACT are included on the itinerary.
With work underway on another record, the acoustic run may also provide audiences with an early indication of where Plum’s songwriting is heading next. While the immediate focus remains on revisiting songs from her catalogue, the tour could also become a bridge between one phase of her career and whatever follows.
Thelma Plum ‘I Don’t Play That Song Anymore’ Acoustic Tour
9 July, Bendigo, The Capital
10 July, Horsham, Horsham Town Hall
11 July, Geelong, Geelong Arts Centre
12 July, Warrnambool, Lighthouse Theatre
16 July, Canberra, The Playhouse
17 July, Richmond, The Regent Theatre
18 July, Avoca Beach, Avoca Beach Theatre
22 July, Kalgoorlie, Goldfields Arts Centre
24 July, Bunbury, Entertainment Centre
25 July, Albany, Entertainment Centre
5 August, Bellingen, Memorial Hall
6 August, Eltham, Eltham Hotel
7 August, Gold Coast, Sound Lounge
8 August, Eumundi, Imperial Hotel
13 August, Devonport, Paranaple Arts Centre
14 August, Hobart, Theatre Royal
Tickets on sale from 10am local time, Thursday 28 May via thelmaplum.com
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