I first saw Empire of the Sun at the Sydney Opera House in 2013. On the way out, I turned to my partner and said, “If you didn’t love that show, there’s something wrong with you.”
I’ve caught them every time I’ve had the opportunity since, and the sentiment remains. Empire of the Sun transport you to another world. Their shows are euphoric, theatrical, wildly creative and, above all, ridiculously good fun. So the news that they’re returning in 2027 with their biggest Australian and New Zealand tour yet is very welcome indeed.
Empire of the Sun will bring the Ask That God: Afterlife Tour to Australia and New Zealand across February and March 2027, playing six arena and outdoor shows across Auckland, Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth.
The new tour follows the hugely successful Ask That God Tour, which began in 2024 and has since sold more than 400,000 tickets worldwide. The forthcoming run is being billed as the final live instalment in the Ask That God journey, with a completely reimagined production promising even more of the colour, scale and theatricality that has always made an Empire of the Sun show such an extraordinary experience.
Luke Steele is certainly setting expectations high:
“Ask That God: Afterlife feels like a tour of unknowns and possibilities — new visions, new plateaus, fragile breakthroughs. I think things are going to happen on this tour that have never happened before. We can’t wait to take this music and this tour to new frontiers. Let’s break barriers together.”
The tour begins at Auckland’s Spark Arena on Friday 19 February before heading across the Tasman for shows at Brisbane’s Riverstage and Sydney’s Afterpay Arena. Melbourne gets what should be a spectacular night at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl, before the tour continues to Adelaide and wraps up with a homecoming show at Perth’s RAC Arena.
The latest chapter follows the release of 2024’s Ask That God, the band’s first album in eight years. Featuring singles including “Changes”, “Music on the Radio” and “Cherry Blossom”, the record added another chapter to a catalogue that already includes “Walking on a Dream”, “We Are the People”, “Alive”, “DNA” and “High and Low”.
And if the previous Empire of the Sun shows I’ve seen are anything to go by, this will be far more than simply another chance to hear those songs live. Few Australian acts have built such a distinctive universe around their music, and fewer still can bring it to life on stage with this much imagination.
Empire of the Sun – Ask That God: Afterlife Tour 2027
Friday 19 February – Spark Arena, Auckland
Sunday 21 February – Riverstage, Brisbane
Thursday 25 February – Afterpay Arena, Sydney
Saturday 27 February – Sidney Myer Music Bowl, Melbourne
Tuesday 2 March – Adelaide Entertainment Centre, Adelaide
Saturday 6 March – RAC Arena, Perth
Frontier Members presale: Wednesday 16 September, 1pm local time
General public on sale: Friday 18 September, 2pm local time
Tickets and further information are available HERE.
Header imge: Bruce Baker
