Australian music mainstay Ed Kuepper will celebrate five decades as a recording artist in 2026 with a national run of shows, bringing a career-spanning set to stages across the country. In Victoria he will play at the Avoca Theatre on 30 July, the National Theatre in St Kilda on 8 August and the Barwon Heads Hotel on 9 August.
Titled The Exploding Universe of Ed Kuepper Tour, the series places Kuepper front and centre as songwriter, vocalist and guitarist, backed by a five piece band featuring Mark Dawson on drums, Peter Oxley on bass, Alister Spence on keys and Eamon Dilworth handling brass arrangements. Together, the group will draw from a catalogue that stretches from early punk through to later solo work.
Kuepper first came to prominence as a co-founder of The Saints, one of the country’s most influential punk acts. He later led Laughing Clowns and The Aints!, before building a substantial solo career that includes more than a dozen albums.
Among those releases is Honey Steel’s Gold, which reached number 28 on the ARIA Albums Chart and remains a touchpoint in his body of work. Across the years, Kuepper has also collected two ARIA Awards, recognised for Best Independent Release in consecutive years during the early 1990s.
Select dates on the tour will feature support from Michael Beach, now based in Melbourne, who will perform material from his 2025 album Big Black Plume. His Sydney appearance will include additional collaborators Lloyd Swanton, Mick Turner and Joe Talia.
“To be able to conclude the tour run in Sydney with Joe Talia, Lloyd Swanton and Mick Turner makes me pinch myself. As a long-time Ed Kuepper fan, it’s a total honour to be opening these shows,” says Michael Beach.
The tour is set to run through July and August, offering audiences a broad look at one of Australia’s most enduring and influential music careers.
The Exploding Universe of Ed Kuepper Australian Tour 2026
- Thursday 30 July – Avoca Theatre, Avoca, VIC
- Friday 31 July – Canberra, The Street, ACT
- Saturday 1 August – Wombarra Bowlo, Wombarra, NSW
- Thursday 6 August – The Gov, Adelaide, SA
- Saturday 8 August – National Theatre, Melbourne, VIC
- Sunday 9 August – Barwon Heads Hotel, Barwon Heads, VIC
- Saturday 15 August – Freo Social, Fremantle, WA
- Thursday 20 August – The Princess, Brisbane, QLD
- Friday 21 August – The Jetty Theatre, Coffs Harbour, NSW
- Saturday 22 August – Regent Theatre, Murwillumbah, NSW
- Thursday 27 August – Enmore Theatre, Sydney, NSW
