When Illy took his Good Life album on the road earlier this year for a long-awaited capital city tour, it was more than a victory lap — it was a resurrection.
“There was so long between drinks,” he says. “It took a long time to get the album done, longer than I would’ve liked. There were stop-starts, some holdups, and by the time it came out, I didn’t even know how it was going to go. Then it hit number one, and being able to play these songs live again in my hometown — yeah, it was really, really great.”
Now, the Melbourne rapper is getting ready to do it all over again. Only this time, he’s hitting the road for a stacked regional run. Dubbed the ‘Good-er Life’ tour, the new dates take Illy through more than 30 towns across the country, from coastal pubs and dusty theatres to places even he had to double-check on the map.
He’s not doing it for nostalgia or to tick a box. For Illy, this run is about getting back to where everything started.
“I’ve never neglected regional touring,” he says. “I love any excuse to be on the road with my crew. We don’t hang out a whole lot when we’re not on tour, so being out there together — doing what we love, with people we love — it’s always a great time.”
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While the rooms might be smaller than those in the capital cities, he says the vibe is anything but muted. “Sometimes the venues aren’t even dedicated live music spaces,” he laughs, “but regional crowds make up for that in the energy. The intensity is next level. Everyone’s up close, sweaty, going hard. Whatever it lacks in grandiosity, it makes up for in connection.”
That connection extends far beyond the stage. Illy makes a point of interacting with fans after the shows, and says some of those conversations have stayed with him long after the lights go down.
“There’s a song on the album about my dad, and on the last tour, a few people came up and shared how it had connected with their own experiences and people they’d lost,” he recalls. “You can’t take those moments for granted. They’re not easy things to talk about. For someone to come up and be that vulnerable with you, it takes courage. You’ve got to respect that.”
That sense of responsibility — to the crowd, to the music, to the moment — runs through everything Illy does. His reputation as a powerful live performer isn’t just built on big tracks or flashy production — it’s built on care and craft. “Back in the day, my sets were just 100 miles an hour from the first second to the last,” he says. “Now, I’ve learned how to control the room. To shift gears, let people breathe, then build it back up. That all come down to experience.”
It’s also about keeping things real. “I hate watching shows where the banter is so orchestrated it feels like a skit,” he says. “So these last couple of tours, I’ve really worked on just talking to the crowd, reading the room, making it feel natural.”
While fans will see a setlist similar to the one from the capital city tour — after all, this run is about giving regional fans the Good Life experience — Illy promises it’ll feel fresh. “If you saw the last regional tour and come to this one, 80% of the set is different. There’ll still be ‘Tightrope’ and ‘Papercuts’, but this tour’s about the new album. That’s what I want people to hear.”
The deluxe edition of Good Life, released exclusively on the capital city tour, gave the project extra depth. Acoustic versions of tracks like “Good Life” and “Kids” offered a new lens, while “Free Hand” added a touch of the classic Illy swagger fans have come to love.
“‘Good Life’ in acoustic form gives it a completely different feel,” he says. “It’s already a bit outside what people expect from me, and that version pushes it further. Same with ‘Kids’, it just works stripped back. And ‘Free Hand’ was always supposed to be on the album, but it felt like it stuck out too much as a straight-up rap song. After the album dropped, I really missed it in the mix.”
Even older singles like “Hopeless” almost didn’t make it to the finish line. “That one and ‘Like You’ were meant to be on the album from the start,” he explains. “But we had false starts with the release. Once it was clear we weren’t going to keep to the schedule, I just had to draw a line and say, ‘Right, whatever comes next is the album.’ It sucked cutting those tracks, but when the deluxe edition came around, I knew ‘Hopeless’ still fit.”
Despite the delays and detours, Illy says the extra time gave the record a kind of perspective he wouldn’t trade. “If I had my time again, maybe the album would’ve come out a year earlier and included everything. But I’m not losing sleep over it. The tour’s been great, the response has been amazing, and I never want to go through that rollout again.”
The long road to Good Life hasn’t dulled his creative spark. If anything, it’s sharpened it. He’s long straddled the line between hip-hop and pop, a move some artists resist — but for Illy, it’s vital.
“There are people still doing the exact same thing they were 15, 20 years ago, and that works for them. But it wouldn’t for me,” he says. “I’ve always pushed myself to try different lanes. Whether it works or not, I’m giving it a shot. That’s what keeps me enthusiastic.”
That same drive shows up in the people he surrounds himself with. The current lineup of his touring party is the tightest it’s ever been, he says; not just musically, but in spirit.
“We’re better now. More experienced, but we still give a fuck. That’s the key. We’re not half-assing it,” he says. “Liam (Rignanese), our drummer, he was brand new last tour. He was 20, turning 21. He copped all the shit — we call it bullying, but it’s love. Now on this run, he’s the one giving it to the new kids. It’s the circle of life, man.”
Ask him what people get wrong about life on the road, and he doesn’t hesitate. “It’s not glamorous,” he deadpans. “You’re not five-starring it everywhere. There’s a lot of bakeries. A lot of three-star joints. Someone’s always got the middle seat. But you make the most of it.”
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These days, he’s also making smarter choices for longevity’s sake. “I drink way less. Used to be a party every night, but it’s not sustainable. And I quit smoking — which has made a huge difference to my voice.”
Still, there’s room for a few familiar rituals. Asked what he’d taste test in every town, he laughs. “I mean, the obvious answer is pies. Or something at a pub… maybe a parma, but that’s controversial. Opens up a whole conversation I don’t want to have again.”
In the end, it’s simple. Illy isn’t chasing headlines or trying to prove anything. He’s chasing connection. Whether it’s a packed capital theatre or a humid pub in Far North Queensland, the goal remains the same.
“If the crowd’s up for it, that’s all I care about,” he says. “If I talk to people after the show and they tell me they had a good time, I really don’t give a fuck about anything else. That’s what it’s about.”
Illy’s regional tour kicks off in Canberra on Friday, August 1st. Ticket information for the tour can be found here.
