The Brian Jonestown Massacre have announced their intentions to tour Australia in March 2026 – just under three years after their last attempt to do so ended in disaster. They will play theatres in most capital cities, with Swedish band Les Big Byrd also announced as main support for all shows – making their Australian debut in the process. The full list of tour dates can be found below.
BJM – fronted by sole original member Anton Newcombe – returned to the stage in January 2025, marking their first time playing live since a now-infamous show at the Forum Theatre in Melbourne circa November 21st, 2023. The show was cut short after bandleader Anton Newcombe and guitarist Ryan Van Kriedt ended up in a fistfight.
Fan footage from the gig shows Newcombe and Van Kriedt arguing following ‘Forgotten Graves’ – the sixth song of the evening. Van Kriedt ultimately walked off, but not before giving Newcombe the finger as he went past. The frontman, in turn, pie-faced the guitarist and the two chased each other across the stage. They tackled one another into touring guitarist/percussionist Shea Roberts, who fell backwards into Emil Nikolaisen’s keyboard and knocked it over. The curtain then came up.
The Brian Jonestown Massacre – ‘When Jokers Attack’
The day after the show, the band cancelled the remaining dates of their tour – which had already been struggling prior to the incident. This included the band’s percussionist Joel Gion walking off stage during their Hobart show, “half the band” reportedly walked off during the Perth show and both Newcombe and Van Kriedt leaving the stage at different points of their Canberra show.
The band’s disastrous 2023 tour followed a controversy-ridden 2018 visit. During a show at Sydney’s Metro Theatre, Newcombe made some unsavoury comments regarding rape during an unprompted tirade against Black Rebel Motorcycle Club and an audience member. Newcombe later responded on Twitter, writing: “Fuck you all and your fascist PC trap and trial by internet.”
The Brian Jonestown Massacre have not released any new material since 2023’s The Future Is Your Past. Gion, however, has since published a memoir entitled In The Jingle Jangle Jungle: Keeping Time With The Brian Jonestown Massacre, which documents his original run with the group from 1994 to 1999. He later rejoined in 2004, and has remained in the group on and off since then.
The Brian Jonestown Massacre 2026 Tour
- Thursday, March 19th – Enmore Theatre, Sydney NSW
- Friday, March 20th – King Street Bandroom, Newcastle NSW
- Saturday, March 21st – The Tivoli, Brisbane QLD
- Sunday, March 22nd – The Gov, Adelaide SA
- Thursday, March 26th – Odeon Theatre, Hobart TAS
- Friday, March 27th – Northcote Theatre, Melbourne VIC
- Sunday, March 29th – Theatre Royal, Castlemaine VIC
- Tuesday, March 31st – Magnet House, Perth WA
A pre-sale for the tour is currently live. General sale will follow on Thursday, September 4th at 11am AEST/9am AWST/10:30am ACST. Both can be accessed via tour promoter David Roy Williams.
Further Reading
The Brian Jonestown Massacre’s Anton Newcombe Says He May Not Return To Australia
The Brian Jonestown Massacre’s Anton Newcombe Slams “Satanic Corporation” Apple Music
The Brian Jonestown Massacre Talk The Inevitable Death Of EDM, Kanye And Upcoming Aus Tour
