Created In Partnership With The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra
Australia has a special relationship with Ben Folds. The founder of the alternative rock band Ben Folds Five found an early audience down under when the ABC’s Rage and Triple J programs backed the distinctly American band.
Known for their pointed, cynical lyricism and piano-laden pop rock, Ben Folds Five became one of the defining alternative acts of the late ’90s, with hits including “Brick” and “Army” cementing Folds’ place in the Australian music landscape. So, how did an unassuming singer from North Carolina charm audiences down under for three decades?
Australian Roots
As the 21st century ticked over, Folds’ band, Ben Folds Five, broke up, and the North Carolinan embarked on a solo career. He followed his then-Australian wife, the musician Frally Hynes, to her hometown of Adelaide, Australia. It was in the South Australian capital where Folds recorded his first solo album, aptly titled ‘Rockin’ The Suburbs’.
While the family eventually moved to Nashville to raise their children in 2007, the pull to Australia didn’t end there. In March 2020, Folds was in Sydney when COVID lockdowns forced him to temporarily live in Australia until restrictions were lifted.
Clearly, the love between Australia and Folds is mutual, as the musician has played several seasons with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra and is set to reunite once again for two performances as part of a national orchestra tour.
Down Under Once Again
Folds will revisit his beloved catalogue with the MSO and Principal Guest Conductor Benjamin Northey at Hamer Hall on Friday 29 and Saturday 30 January 2027, marking his first performance with the Orchestra in six years.
“Sharing the stage with an orchestra as my band is an honour I don’t take lightly. I consider them among the finest musicians in the world and together we offer audiences a musical experience like no other,” Folds said of the tour. “As a student of the orchestra, I sincerely believe they are a shining example of what we can accomplish in society when we all work in concert and harmony for a greater good.”
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So, how did a piano-obsessed student from North Carolina craft a 35-year rock legacy and eventually headline orchestra halls around the world?
When Ben Folds Five emerged in the mid-’90s, the piano was hardly the obvious weapon for an alternative-rock band.
Ben Folds Five – which was also made up of Robert Sledge and Darren Jessee – stood out amongst other bands of the era, including Soundgarden, Foo Fighters and Pearl Jam. Folds used the piano as a tool for both upbeat satirical observations on modern American society and heartbreaking ballads such as “Brick”, cementing their status as chameleons of alternative rock.
By the time Whatever and Ever Amen arrived in 1997, that sound was fully formed. The album established something that would become central to his career: the tension between earnest, heartwarming stories of the everyday and the biting (and funny) takedowns of corporate America.
When Ben Folds Five broke up in 2000, Folds carried that sensibility into his solo career, and his subsequent albums kept the piano at its centre. It’s this legacy of blending Billy Joel and Elton John pop-piano sensibilities with ’90s and 2000s alt rock lyricism and arrangements that has kept Folds’ storied career going.
Now, Folds is returning to the piano down under once more, bringing three decades of experience to the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra. It’s a fitting next chapter for an artist who has spent his career blurring the lines between rock, pop and classical music, and whose unlikely relationship with Australia has endured right alongside him.
At Hamer Hall, those songs will take on a new life, reminding us why Ben Folds has remained such a singular presence in music for more than 30 years.
Buy your tickets here.
