Ben Lee Celebrates 20th Anniversary of ‘Awake Is the New Sleep’ with Australian Tour
The Aussie larrikin is also re-releasing a new version of ‘Catch My Disease’ with good buddies Phantom Planet.
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Australian indie great Ben Lee is hitting the road later this year to commemorate the 20th anniversary of his fifth studio album, Awake Is the New Sleep.
Debuting at #5 on the ARIA Album Chart (Lee’s highest chart position to date), the record spawned singles ‘Gamble Everything for Love’ and ‘Catch My Disease’ and won Lee three ARIA Awards.
“I’m not really a nostalgic person, I prefer to keep pushing forward with new projects and ideas, but this feels weirdly right to me,” Lee said in a lengthy statement about the upcoming tour. “I’ve done so much touring in the last couple of years, averaging about 100 shows a year, and it's become abundantly clear to me that this album Awake was a really vital part of so many people’s lives and emotional journeys. I’ve chatted to so many people about the wide-eyed exploration and optimism of the record, and how it still seems to find people at the exact right time that they need that kind of energy.”
He added, “For me, it’s an album of endings and beginnings. I made it when I’d just left a major romantic relationship, had no record deal for the first time in my career, and was getting into spirituality, philosophy and the occult (but wasn't in over my head just yet - that would come soon enough lol).
“It’s an album that seemed to change a lot of lives, including mine. I’m looking forward to facing that head-on and exploring what these songs mean to me and the audience today, 20 years on. They still feel potent.”
Backed by a full band, Lee will perform Awake Is the New Sleep in its entirety on the 11-date tour while also sharing stories on how the songs came to be. He has also assured fans there will be “no backing tracks, no click tracks, no video screens. Just a great band on a stage covered in flowers, singing songs about love and lust and adventure and interconnectivity. It’s gonna be a vibe.”
Lee’s Awake Is the New Sleep 20th anniversary album tour kicks off at Canberra’s UC Refectory on Thursday, September 25 and continues with dates in Newcastle, Sydney, Byron Bay, Brisbane and the Gold Coast. The ‘Catch My Disease’ hitmaker crosses the border into Victoria for shows at Castlemaine, Torquay, Melbourne and Adelaide, before bringing the tour to a close at Fremantle’s Art Centre on Saturday, October 18.
Frontier members can access pre-sale tickets on Tuesday, May 20 at 1:30am local time. General on-sale commences Thursday, May 22 at 1:30pm local time. For full ticketing information, visit frontiertouring.com.
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Along with the tour announcement, Lee has released a 20th anniversary reworking of his massive hit, ‘Catch My Disease’, with help from Phantom Planet (listen above).
“A little while back, Alex the singer from PP and I were collaborating with Ninajirachi on her most recent single ‘All I Am’, I asked if he would be up for reworking ‘Catch’ with me,” Lee explained. “He said, ‘Yes, as long as we can go shoegaze with it’. I said ‘of course’.”
‘Catch My Disease 2025’ features new lyrics referencing Lee’s infamous Ulladulla show (where he left the venue while the band were still performing) and shouts out some of his favourite Aussie artists, including Mallrat and Miss Kanian. The track also features backing vocals from Lee’s musical pals Lara Meyerratken, Sadie Dupuis, Alex Lahey, Khatumu and Tim Blunt from FVNERAL.
Catch Ben Lee at The Gov on Friday, October 17. For ticketing information, visit frontiertouring.com.
Ben Lee Awake Is the New Sleep Australian Tour Dates 2025
Thursday, September 25 – UC Refectory, Canberra, ACT
Friday, September 16 – King Street Bandroom, Newcastle, NSW
Saturday, September 17 – Liberty Hall, Sydney, NSW
Thursday, October 2 – The Beach Hotel, Byron Bay, NSW
Friday, October 3 – The Princess Theatre, Brisbane, QLD
Saturday, October 4 – Miami Marketta, Gold Coast, QLD
Thursday, October 9 – Theatre Royal, Castlemaine, VIC
Friday, October 10 – Torquay Hotel, Torquay, VIC
Saturday, October 11 – Northcote Theatre, Melbourne, VIC
Friday, October 17 – The Gov, Adelaide, SA
Saturday, October 18 – Fremantle Arts Centre, Fremantle, WA
