Rufus Du Sol, P!NK, Matt Corby, The Kid Laroi: The biggest gigs coming to Australia in 2024
Stadium-slaying EDM band Rufus Du Sol joins a star-studded list selling out shows in 2024, including P!NK, Suzie Quatro, Matt Corby and Missy Higgins. Here’s where to see them.
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Australian electronic music heroes Rufus Du Sol’s first ever festival appearance to about 500 people more than a decade ago was on a stage built to look like a pirate ship.
The Grammy-winning, stadium-slaying trio are now coming home this month to perform in front of more than 100,000 fans as the headliners for a clutch of New Year’s festivals.
In this summer season, more Australian artists find themselves ousting international acts at the top of the bill of our big summer gigs.
The made-in-Sydney, Los Angeles-based group featuring Tyrone Lindqvist, James Hunt and Jon George join fellow electronic music king Flume and singer songwriter superstars Missy Higgins and Matt Corby as 2023/2024 festival headliners.
Being on the top of the bill is a big deal in a pop artist’s career which underscores their popularity with festival fandom and power to move tickets.
For the Rufus lads, the measure of their big gig success isn’t so much the “sold out” sign as it is the volume of the crowd singalong and how many fans are enjoying he view of the stage perched on the shoulders of a partner or mate.
“Some of our songs have taken on a life of their own at festivals, like when we play Innerbloom, that has this anthemic element to it that always gets a bit of a singalong,” Hunt said.
“And treat you better, you always see people stacked on shoulders, sometimes even triple-stacked. Seeing that really makes the show for you.”
Fresh to headlining status in Australia next year is American genre-hopping R&B and hip hop star Steve Lacy who had just graduated high school when his former band The Internet first performed at the national Laneway Festival in 2018.
Lacy is wildly popular with Generation Z who are finally getting to enjoy the rite of passage experience of festivals after waiting three years during the pandemic shutdown of live music events.
His fans are so passionate about his shows there was a stampede to secure front row spots at his outdoor concert in Melbourne last year.
Lacy has also been on the receiving end on a dangerous by-product of that passion, as artists have become targets for missiles from mobile phones to bottles.
“I love when young people are there and I love their rowdiness and I hope they never throw anything. And if they do, I might try to be understanding or I might get mad again, I don’t know,” he said.
“But yeah, concert etiquette is new for these new kids. They take in music totally different.”
That new festival goer coexists with their Generation X parents who came of age in the Big Day Out era and the Millennials who witnessed the growth of specialised dance and hard rock events.
But the bigger challenge for this year’s summer calendar, as already experienced by recent events in Sydney and Melbourne, is extreme weather.
Australian Festival Association managing director Mitch Wilson said promoters had been hit by increased insurance premiums of up to 300 per cent for weather-related cancellation policies.
“I don’t think we will see the end of outdoor festivals anytime soon. We do need to have an honest and open conversation about the time of year and where festivals are being held and what is sustainable as the impacts of climate change increase,” Wilson said.
“The AFA is calling on state and federal governments to partner with industry on a climate-resilience research project … and set out a plan for how we adapt. Our continent is on the front line of this challenge, we urgently need to start this work.”
Wilson said the festival sector continues its recovery after the three-year stop-start pandemic shutdown of gigs, the cost of living crisis is affecting fan ticket buying behaviour.
“Ticket sales aren’t consistent. Some festivals are selling out with larger numbers than before the pandemic, and a number aren’t reaching pre-pandemic ticket sales. The audience has changed,” they said.
“We have a huge number of young people who weren’t able to go to festivals for three years and want different offerings, so it will take a season or two for festivals to refine for these new audience needs.”
BIG ACTS COMING TO AUSTRALIA IN 2024
P!NK
The pop superstar will play the biggest stadium tour in Australia next year with 17 huge outdoor Summer Carnival gigs in capital cities and regional hubs including Newcastle, Gold Coast and Townsville. Her first Sydney concert at Allianz Stadium is on February 9, she opens her Brisbane run at Suncorp Stadium on February 16, kicks off her Melbourne shows at Marvel Stadium on February 23 and performs at Adelaide Oval on February 27. For all dates and available tickets, livenation.com.au
RUFUS DU SOL
The Grammy winning heroes who have become one of the biggest outdoor live sensations over the past five years will see in the new year back home kicking off with their third headlining set at the Beyond The Valley festival in Victoria on December 29. They will also be the star attraction at Field Day in the Domain, Sydney on January 1 and headline the Wildlands festival which is held at the Brisbane Showgrounds on December 31 and Adelaide’s Ellis Park on January 7.
MISSY HIGGINS
The queen of the big gig thanks to her enviable canon of fan favourite songs and joyous stage presence, Higgins has a couple of destination festival performances coming up in 2024 before she heads out on a massive national tour. She will be at the Riverboats Music festival in Echuca from February 16 to 18 and will be joined by The Cat Empire, Birds of Tokyo and more for the Summersalt show in Hervey Bay on March 9.
STEVE LACY
From teen wunderkind to festival headliner, Steve Lacy shares top billing on the 2024 Laneway Festival with Stormzy and Dominic Fike alongside locals including Teenage Dads and Confidence Man. Laneway opens at Brisbane Showgrounds on February 3, then heads to Sydney Showgrounds on February 4, Bonython Park in Adelaide on February 9 and then The Park, Flemington (Melbourne), on February 10.
MATT CORBY
The third leg of the unique Summersalt festival which stages outdoor events in unexpected beachside locations is a stacked line-up featuring Corby, British troubadour James Bay, Ziggy Alberts, Thelma Plum, Kita Alexander and Mia Wray. These shows kick off on March 9 at Speers Point Park (Lake Macquarie), Stuart Park (Wollongong) on March 10, M.O. Moran Reserve (Melbourne) on March 16, Victoria Park (Ballarat) on March 17. Sandstone Point Hotel (Bribie Island) on March 23 and Seppeltsfield Wines (Adelaide) on March 24.
SUZI QUATRO
After that hiccup of prematurely retiring from touring in 2015, the ageless Suzi Q is heading back to Australia to headline the third leg of the Red Hot Summer Tour with Cheap Trick, Jon Stevens, Baby Animals and more. This run kicks off at Westport Park, Port Macquarie on February 24, Broadwater Parklands, Southport on February 25, Berry Showground on March 2, Bella Vista Farm on March 3, Queens Park, Toowoomba on March 9, Sandstone Point Hotel, Bribie Island on March 10, Victoria Park, Ballarat on March 16, Rochford Wines, Yarra Valley on March 17 and Seppeltsfield Wines, SA on March 23.
FLUME
Renowned for bringing special guest vocalists and performers to his epic light and lasers live shows, the Grammy-winning electronic superstar will be soundtracking New Year’s celebrations with headlining sets kicking off with Lost Paradise in Glenworth Valley on December 30, followed by Heaps Good at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl in Melbourne on December 31 and Heaps Good at the Adelaide Showgrounds on January 6.
SUMMER WALKER
For her first tour of Australia, the R&B queen is lining up with Bryson Tiller, PartyNextDoor, Tinashe and more for the Souled Out festival. The new wave R&B festival kick off at Parramatta Park, NSW on March 22 and heads to Doug Jennings Park, Gol Coast on March 23 and Caribbean Park, Melbourne on March 29.
THE KID LAROI
The 20-year-old pop and hip hop star makes the giant leap to outdoor stadiums for his The First Time tour next year. The tour opens at AAMI Park, Melbourne on February 2 and lands at Coopers Stadium, Adelaide on February 13, Commbank Stadium, Sydney on February 16 and Cbus Super Stadium, Gold Coast on February 18.
THE CHEMICAL BROTHERS
The British godfathers of electronic music will be bringing their Block Rockin’ Beats back to Australia for some mind-blowing shows with The Presets and Anna Lunoe joining the party. They perform at Riverstage, Brisbane on February 27, Sydney Showground on February 29 and Mt Duneed Estate in Geelong on March 2 for A Day On The Green.
LAINEY WILSON
The Yellowstone actress and country music superstar is going to own the Australian charts next year once she gets here for her headlining set on the annual CMC Rocks at Willowbank Raceway in Queensland from March 15 to 17. She is also selling out her headlining side shows as Australian music fans enjoy their country era.
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