Willie Watson, one of Americana’s most distinct voices and a founding member of Old Crow Medicine Show, will return to Australia in March 2026 for a national tour presented by Love Police. The tour follows the release of his first full album of original material, the self-titled Willie Watson, released in September 2024 through Little Operation Records.
For more than two decades, Watson has been one of the most authentic modern interpreters of traditional American folk music. This time, though, he’s not just singing the old songs-he’s writing his own. Stripped of the cowboy hat and steeped in raw emotion, Willie Watson finds the upstate New Yorker exploring heartbreak, memory, sobriety, and renewal with honesty and clarity. The album reunites him with Punch Brothers members Paul Kowert and Gabe Witcher, along with Benmont Tench from Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.
Watson’s rural tenor, fragile and timeless, remains his signature. But this new collection, crafted with the same storytelling grace that drew comparisons to Woody Guthrie and Doc Watson, captures an artist ready to stand beside the folk canon he once only celebrated. “This record is me as I am now,” Watson said when the album was released. “It’s the first time I’ve written everything from the ground up, and I think that shows.”
Australian fans have been watching Watson’s journey since his early visits with Old Crow Medicine Show, who toured here in 2009. The band’s energetic mix of Appalachian string music and punk ethos helped ignite a global folk revival, inspiring acts like Mumford & Sons and The Lumineers. Watson’s voice powered many of their classic moments before he left the band in 2011 to pursue a solo career.
His solo debut, Folk Singer Vol. 1 (2014), produced by longtime collaborator David Rawlings, was a collection of traditional songs performed with striking authenticity. Folksinger Vol. 2 (2017) followed, featuring guest appearances by Gillian Welch and The Fairfield Four, further cementing his reputation as one of Americana’s most soulful interpreters. The Guardian praised his voice as “young but weathered, strong but eerie”, adding that “nobody makes the old songs sound fresher.”
Outside of music, Watson’s distinctive look and charisma landed him in Joel and Ethan Coen’s 2018 film The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, where he appeared as The Kid and performed “When A Cowboy Trades His Spurs For Wings”. The song, written by Welch and Rawlings, was nominated for an Academy Award.
Now based in Los Angeles, Watson’s creative fire shows no sign of cooling. The new album opens with Slim And The Devil, adapted from Sterling A. Brown’s poem “Slim Greer In Hell”, and moves through moments of reflection and release-Real Love, Sad Song, and One To Fall among them. Play It One More Time and Reap ‘Em In The Valley close the record with haunting introspection, showcasing Watson’s deep respect for tradition and his fearless push toward self-discovery.
Watson last toured Australia in 2016 with Josh Hedley, bringing his old-time authenticity to east coast stages. This 2026 tour marks his long-awaited return, supported on select dates by Melbourne’s own A.C. Saunders, a guitarist and songwriter known for his sharp lyrics and outlaw charm.
As Watson once said, “The beauty of folk music is that no one owns it. You just pass it along in your own voice.”
WILLIE WATSON AUSTRALIAN TOUR 2026
Presented by Love Police
Tickets on sale Friday, October 17 at 9am local time
MARCH 2026
4 – Brunswick Ballroom, Melbourne, VIC*
5 – Theatre Royal, Castlemaine, VIC*
8 – Meeniyan Town Hall, Meeniyan, VIC*
10 – Eltham Hotel, Eltham, NSW*
11 – Old Museum, Brisbane, QLD*
12 – Tanks Arts Centre, Cairns, QLD
15 – Factory Floor, Sydney, NSW*
*with A.C. Saunders
Also appearing at Port Fairy Folk Festival and Blue Mountains Music Festival
Tracklisting – Willie Watson (2024)
Slim And The Devil
Real Love
Already Gone
Sad Song
One To Fall
Harris And The Mare
Mole In The Ground
Play It One More Time
Reap ‘Em In The Valley
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