Massive Attack Announce First Australian Shows in 16 Years

Massive Attack will return to Australia for their first headline shows since 2010, with three arena dates confirmed for August in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne.

The Bristol collective — led by Robert “3D” Del Naja and Grant “Daddy G” Marshall — will play Brisbane Entertainment Centre on Aug. 6, Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney on Aug. 9 and Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne on Aug. 11.

The shows are presented by Frontier Touring and mark the band’s first Australian dates in 16 years. Frontier Members presale opens Thursday, June 4 at 2 p.m. local time, with general on sale from Friday, June 5 at 3 p.m. local time via frontiertouring.com/massiveattack.

The announcement arrives alongside a newly released collaboration with Tom Waits, “Boots on the Ground,” the first new Massive Attack material in some time and a clear signal that the group remains artistically active more than three decades after forming as part of Bristol’s Wild Bunch sound system collective.

Few bands carry Massive Attack’s weight of influence. Their 1991 debut Blue Lines — frequently cited as the record that invented trip-hop — peaked at No. 13 on the UK Albums Chart and has since been named one of Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.

Their third album Mezzanine (1998) topped the UK Albums Chart and produced “Teardrop,” which later became globally recognisable as the theme for the American television drama House, and “Angel,” both now considered landmark recordings of the era. Mezzanine peaked at No. 60 on the Billboard 200 — their strongest U.S. chart showing — and has sold more than 3.5 million copies worldwide.

Their fourth album 100th Window (2003) also topped the UK Albums Chart, giving the collective two U.K. No. 1 albums. Heligoland, their fifth and most recent studio album, followed in 2010 — the same year as their last Australian visit — and debuted at No. 2 on the U.K. Albums Chart.

Massive Attack’s live shows have long been considered some of the most visually and sonically immersive experiences in music, incorporating large-scale political messaging, bespoke audio-visual systems and collaborations with artists including Adam Curtis, United Visual Artists and Robert Del Naja’s own visual art practice.

Massive Attack — Australia 2026

Aug. 6 — Brisbane, QLD — Brisbane Entertainment Centre

Aug. 9 — Sydney, NSW — Qudos Bank Arena

Aug. 11 — Melbourne, VIC — Rod Laver Arena