La Dispute Announce ‘No One Was Driving The Car’ Australian Tour 2026
La Dispute returns to Australia in support of their latest album, No One Was Driving The Car.
Image Martin Lead
La Dispute dropped their fifth long-player, No One Was Driving the Car, to great acclaim last year, and now the five-piece are heading out way in support of the record.
Going back to their roots, six out of La Dispute’s seven shows are all ages/licensed all ages, with vocalist Jordan Dreyer explaining: “All of us were underage when we first started going to local shows at home in West Michigan, and still when attending them pushed us to start writing music together and playing our own.
“Without venues that were accessible to us, both as attendees and performers, the entire endeavour might’ve died on the vine, and we’d have lost out not only on an important creative outlet as young people, but a welcoming community too.
“Understanding that possibility, it’s been a priority always to keep our doors open to all comers where possible, so that anyone including (or especially, really) younger people – have the same opportunities afforded to us at a crucial age.”
La Dispute will be joined on tour by Meanjin/Brisbane’s ‘90s influenced alt-rockers Special Features.
The tour begins in Perth at the Astor Theatre on Friday 16 October, followed by dates at Frankston’s Singing Bird on Sunday 18 October, Melbourne’s 170 Russell on Monday 19 October, Adelaide’s The Gov on Wednesday 21 October, Sydney’s Liberty Hall on Friday 23 October and Newcastle’s King Street on Saturday 24 October, with the final show taking place at Brisbane’s The Tivoli on Sunday October 25.
Mastercard pre-sale runs from 9:00am AEDT on Wednesday 18 February until 9:00am AEDT on Friday 20 February (excluding Adelaide & Newcastle. Live Nation pre-sale runs from 9:00am AEDT on Thursday 19 February to 9:00am AEDT on Friday 20 February. General on-sale takes place at 10:00am AEDT on Friday 20 February. Full ticketing details available via livenation.com.au.
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Since bursting onto the scene in 2008 with their debut album Somewhere at the Bottom of the River Between Vega and Altair, La Dispute have forged a path through the post-hardcore scene like a hurricane.
The Michigan five-piece – made up of Jordan Dreyer on vocals, Brad Vander Lugt on drums, Chad Morgan-Sterenberg and Corey Stroffolino on guitar and Adam Vass on bass –self-produced No One Was Driving The Car in Grand Rapids and Detroit, the United Kingdom, Australia and the Philippines. “I think the change in environment was really helpful to breathing new life into the process each time we came back to it,” Dreyer says.
Heavily inspired by the 2017 psychological thriller First Reformed, the title of No One Was Driving The Car comes from a quote from a police officer vocalist Jordan Dreyer read in a news article about a lethal self-driving Tesla crash, an absurd event which raises questions about the amount of control we have in our own lives.
Dryer expands, “It felt apt as metaphor then (increasingly so since), not just for contemporary life generally, but for so many responses to it: how each of us thrust unwillingly and chaotically alive, to hurtle down some road toward death, look amidst uncertainty for faith someone or something outside ourselves helps steer the way.”
Catch La Dispute at The Gov on Wednesday 21 October. Ticketing information is available at livenation.com.au.
La Dispute No One Was Driving The Car Australian Tour Dates 2026
with guests SPECIAL FEATURES
Friday 16 October - Astor Theatre, Perth, WA (Lic All Ages, patrons under 18 can attend with a parent/guardian over 18)
Sunday 18 October - Singing Bird, Frankston, VIC (All Ages)
Monday 19 October - 170 Russell, Melbourne, VIC (18+)
Wednesday 21 October - The Gov, Adelaide, SA (All Ages)
Friday 23 October - Liberty Hall, Sydney, NSW (All Ages)
Saturday 24 October - King Street, Newcastle, NSW (All Ages)
Sunday October 25 - The Tivoli, Brisbane, QLD (All Ages)
