Kool & The Gang and Sister Sledge ft. Sledgendary are joining forces for an Australian tour later this year.
Presented by Finely Tuned, the joint tour will visit five cities across November and December, beginning at Brisbane/Meanjin’s Fortitude Music Hall on Thursday, November 26th.
The two groups will then perform at Sydney/Eora’s Tumbalong Park on Friday, November 27th as part of Finely Tuned’s FORMA Open-Air program, followed by shows in Melbourne/Naarm, Adelaide/Tarntanya, and Perth/Boorloo.
Formed in Jersey City, New Jersey, during the 1960s, Kool & The Gang originally featured brothers Robert “Kool” Bell and Ronald Bell and released their debut album in 1969.
The American R&B and funk group’s extensive catalogue includes “Jungle Boogie”, “Ladies’ Night” and the Billboard Hot 100 number-one single “Celebration”, which has also been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.
Blending jazz, funk and pop, Kool & The Gang’s music has continued to resonate across generations. Their work soundtracked the opening of Pulp Fiction, while samples of the group’s music have appeared in songs by Madonna, Erykah Badu, Jhené Aiko, Snoop Dogg, 2Pac, Nas, The Prodigy, Aaliyah, A Tribe Called Quest, Wu-Tang Clan and many more.
Described as “the most sampled R&B act of all time”, Kool & The Gang are also two-time Grammy Award winners and seven-time American Music Award winners. They were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2018 and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2024.
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Joining them on the double bill will be Sister Sledge ft. Sledgendary, led by founding member Debbie Sledge.
She will be joined by the next generation of the Sledge family, Camille, David and Thaddeus Sledge, alongside Tanya Ti-et.
The group will bring a live set featuring multi-platinum hits including “He’s the Greatest Dancer”, “Thinking of You”, “Lost in Music” and Grammy Hall of Fame inductee “We Are Family”.
Originally formed in Philadelphia in 1965, Sister Sledge rose to prominence during the height of the 1970s disco era and released genre-defining records including Together and We Are Family.
The tour arrives as Finely Tuned celebrates two decades of delivering live music experiences, and represents the agency’s biggest tour to date.
Following the Brisbane and Sydney dates, Kool & The Gang and Sister Sledge ft. Sledgendary will perform at Melbourne/Naarm’s Festival Hall on Saturday, November 28th and Adelaide/Tarntanya’s Hindley Street Music Hall on Monday, November 30th.
The tour will wrap up at Perth/Boorloo’s Ice Cream Factory on Wednesday, December 2nd.
Pre-sale tickets will be available by signing up via the Finely Tuned website from Thursday, July 30th, before the general public sale begins Friday, July 31st.
Kool & The Gang and Sister Sledge ft. Sledgendary Australian Tour
Thursday, November 26th
Fortitude Music Hall, Brisbane/Meanjin
Friday, November 27th
Tumbalong Park, Sydney/Eora
(Part of FORMA)
Saturday, November 28th
Festival Hall, Melbourne/Naarm
Monday, November 30th
Hindley Street Music Hall, Adelaide/Tarntanya
Wednesday, December 2nd
Ice Cream Factory, Perth/Boorloo
