Happy Mondays Announces 2026 Australian and New Zealand Tour
The Madchester act are celebrating the 35th anniversary of their seminal album, Pills 'n' Thrills and Bellyaches.
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Manchester legends the Happy Mondays are celebrating the 35th anniversary of their third studio album, Pills 'n' Thrills and Bellyaches, with an extensive Australian and New Zealand tour.
Emerging from the UK’s early ‘90s rave scene, the Happy Mondays led a cultural revolution, with their seminal album Pills 'n' Thrills and Bellyaches catapulting them into the mainstream. The album spent over six months on the UK Albums Chart and has been universally hailed as one of the defining records of that era.
Fronted by the inimitable Shaun Ryder alongside Bez ( freaky dancing and percussion), Mark Day (guitar), Gary Whelan (drums), Mikey Shine (bass) Dan Broad (musical director/guitar/keys) and Firouzeh Berry (backing vocals), the Happy Mondays will perform highlights from the classic album; including anthems like ‘Step On’, ‘Kinky Afro’ and ‘Loose Fit’, alongside fan favourites such as ‘24 Hour Party People’, ‘Hallelujah’, ‘Judge Fudge’ and ‘W.F.L.’.
The Australian leg of Happy Mondays’ tour commences in Perth at the Astor Theatre on Wednesday 2 September. Shows follow at Melbourne’s Forum on Friday 4 September, Sydney’s Enmore Theatre on Saturday 5 September, Adelaide’s The Gov on Sunday 6 September and Brisbane’s Fortitude Music Hall on Wednesday 9 September.
The final two concerts take place in New Zealand at Auckland’s Powerstation on Friday 11 September and Wellington’s Meow Nui on Saturday 12 September.
Early bird presale kicks off on Wednesday 28 January at 9:00am AEDT. Sign up here. General Public on-sale takes place on Friday 30 January at 9:00am AEDT via destroyalllines.com.
First coming together in 1980, it wasn’t until the latter half of the decade that Happy Mondays found success with their sophomore album Bummed and the EP Madchester Rave On. The release of Pills 'n' Thrills and Bellyaches in 1990 saw the Mondays crossover into the mainstream, becoming one of the UK’s biggest acts at that time.
Over the past 35 years, the band have broken up and reformed several times, releasing one last album, 2007’s Uncle Dysfunktional.
Their upcoming tour of Australia and New Zealand is a must for those who love ‘90s era British music and is sure to be a wonderful celebration of the band’s epic career.
Catch Happy Mondays performing at The Gov on Sunday 6 September. Ticketing information available at destroyalllines.com.
Happy Mondays 2026 Australian And New Zealand Tour Dates
Wednesday 2 September – Perth, Astor Theatre, WA
Friday 4 September – Melbourne, Forum, VIC
Saturday 5 September – Sydney, Enmore Theatre, NSW
Sunday 6 September – Adelaide, The Gov, SA
Wednesday 9 September – Brisbane, Fortitude Music Hall, QLD
Friday 11 September – Auckland, Powerstation, NZ
Saturday 12 September – Wellington, Meow Nui, NZ
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