Aotearoa indie stalwarts The Bats are bringing more shows to Australia this winter, adding a run of east coast dates after strong early demand for their return tour.
The Dunedin band will now play Melbourne, Castlemaine, Coledale and Canberra alongside their previously announced Sydney headline, which has already been upgraded to a larger venue. The run also includes an appearance at RISING’s Day Tripper festival in Melbourne.
The expanded tour follows a packed-out run of shows across New Zealand and arrives in support of Corner Coming Up, the band’s latest album released last year. Their eleventh full-length, the record debuted at No. 1 on the IMNZ chart and No. 2 on the Aotearoa Music Charts, reaffirming The Bats’ staying power more than four decades into their career.
Recorded with Tex Houston at Chicks Studio in Port Chalmers, Corner Coming Up leans into the band’s signature mix of chiming guitars, warm harmonies and understated melodic hooks, a sound that has remained remarkably intact since their earliest recordings.
Formed in Dunedin in the early 1980s and closely tied to the influential Flying Nun Records scene, The Bats have long stood as one of New Zealand’s most enduring indie acts. Alongside contemporaries like The Clean and The Chills, they helped shape the jangly, melodic aesthetic that would come to define the region’s alternative music identity.
Part of what sets the band apart is its longevity. The lineup — Robert Scott, Kaye Woodward, Paul Kean and Malcolm Grant — has remained unchanged since their first show on New Year’s Eve in 1982, a rarity in any corner of the music world. That consistency has translated into a deep, intuitive chemistry on record and on stage, with a catalogue spanning cult favourites like “Daddy’s Highway”, “Fear of God”, “Silverbeet” and “Free All the Monsters”.
For Australian audiences, the upcoming shows offer a chance to hear Corner Coming Up in a live setting for the first time, alongside selections from across the band’s extensive back catalogue.
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The Bats 2026 Australian Tour Dates
Tickets for all shows are on sale now.
Saturday, June 6th
RISING: Day Tripper @ Max Watts, Melbourne
Sunday, June 7th
Coledale RSL, South Coast
Monday, June 8th
Factory Theatre, Sydney
Tuesday, June 9th
Polish Club, Canberra
Thursday, June 11th
Northcote Social Club, Melbourne
Friday, June 12th
Theatre Royal, Castlemaine
