Image: Soul Asylum Amanda Sixx
Two iconic ’90s rock acts are joining forces for an Australian tour next year, with Soul Asylum and Ugly Kid Joe set to bring their high-energy live shows to Adelaide in March 2027.
The two alternative rock favourites will co-headline a run of shows across the country, marking the first time the bands have toured Australia together, and the first Australian performances from Soul Asylum since the mid-1990s.
The tour kicks off in Perth on Monday, March 15th, before travelling to Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney, wrapping up in Brisbane on Sunday, March 21st.
For fans who grew up with the era-defining sounds of ’90s alternative rock, it’s a chance to see two bands responsible for some of the decade’s biggest tracks sharing the same stage.
Soul Asylum emerged from Minneapolis in the early 1980s, initially drawing on punk and indie influences before finding a much wider audience with their breakthrough 1992 album Grave Dancers Union.
The double-platinum record produced their signature hit Runaway Train, which reached number five on the US Billboard Hot 100 and won the Grammy Award for Best Rock Song in 1994.
The band followed it with the platinum-certified Let Your Light Shine in 1995, the same year they last performed in Australia.
More than three decades later, frontman Dave Pirner and the band are still touring and making new music, with their most recent album, Slowly But Shirley, released in 2024.
Alongside Runaway Train, fans can expect staples including Somebody to Shove, Black Gold and Misery when the band finally returns to Australian stages.
Soul Asylum’s back catalogue has also found its way into pop culture, with the band appearing on soundtracks for Kevin Smith films including Clerks and Chasing Amy.
Then there’s Ugly Kid Joe, the California rockers known for blending hard rock, metal and plenty of humour.
The band broke through in the early ’90s with their debut EP As Ugly As They Wanna Be, which became the first EP to be certified multi-platinum by the RIAA.
Their 1992 debut album America’s Least Wanted cemented their place in the rock world, producing hits including Everything About You and their cover of Harry Chapin’s Cats in the Cradle.
After splitting in 1997, Ugly Kid Joe reunited in 2010 and have continued touring, releasing their fifth studio album Rad Wings of Destiny in 2022.
The band last toured Australia in 2017, while guitarist and producer Dave Fortman has teased that their upcoming sixth album will return to their heavier metal roots.
The co-headline tour promises plenty of nostalgia, but both bands are continuing to perform with the same live energy that made them favourites in the first place.
For Adelaide fans, it’s also a rare chance to see Soul Asylum back on Australian soil after more than 30 years, alongside one of the era’s most entertaining hard-rock outfits.
SOUL ASYLUM + UGLY KID JOE CO-HEADLINE AUSTRALIAN TOUR 2027
TOUR DATES:
MONDAY 15 MARCH 2027 – ASTOR THEATRE, PERTH
WEDNESDAY 17 MARCH 2027 – HINDLEY ST MUSIC HALL, ADELAIDE
THURSDAY 18 MARCH 2027 – FORUM, MELBOURNE
SATURDAY 20 MARCH 2027 – ROUNDHOUSE, SYDNEY
SUNDAY 21 MARCH 2027 – THE TIVOLI, BRISBANE
For more information, click here.
