Barnesy leads Red Hot Summer’s 2027 rock reunion

Jimmy Barnes will headline the 2027 Red Hot Summer Tour, joining Jon Stevens and Baby Animals on a bill that brings some familiar Australian rock voices back to outdoor stages.

The eight-date run begins in South Australia on January 9 and finishes in Wodonga on March 6, with stops in regional centres, the Gold Coast and Victoria’s Yarra Valley.

Birds of Tokyo, Eskimo Joe, Chocolate Starfish and Sarah McLeod complete the line-up, giving audiences a mix of pub-rock favourites and more recent festival mainstays.

For readers who saw these performers in crowded pubs or wore out their albums on cassette, there is plenty of recognition on the bill. Stevens will perform his Noiseworks & INXS Collection, drawing on songs including Take Me Back, Touch, Never Tear Us Apart and Don’t Change.

The 2027 Red Hot Summer Tour kicks off at Mannum Golf Club in South Australia on January 9 for Sounds By The River, followed by Warrnambool Racecourse in Victoria on January 16 and Speers Point Park, Lake Macquarie, NSW, on January 30.

February brings shows at Broadwater Parklands, Southport, Queensland, on February 6; Westport Park, Port Macquarie, NSW, on February 13; Rochford Wines in Victoria’s Yarra Valley on February 20; and Country Club Lawns, Launceston, Tasmania, on February 27. The tour wraps up at Gateway Lakes in Wodonga, Victoria, on March 6.

Familiar voices return

Barnes arrives with more than four decades of solo performances behind him, alongside his years fronting Cold Chisel. His latest studio album, Defiant, reached No.1 in June 2025, and recent shows have marked the 40th anniversary of For the Working Class Man.

Baby Animals bring their own substantial connection to Australian audiences. Their 1991 debut spent six weeks at number one, with Early Warning, Rush You and Painless helping establish Suze DeMarchi as one of the country’s most recognisable rock singers.

Eskimo Joe and Birds of Tokyo broaden the bill for those whose music collections kept growing beyond the 1980s and ’90s. Birds of Tokyo’s catalogue includes Lanterns and Plans, while Eskimo Joe enter their 29th year together.

Chocolate Starfish, known for Mountain and their cover of You’re So Vain, also return. The Superjesus singer Sarah McLeod will appear with drummer Mick Skelton, with whom she has formed a rock duo.

When tickets go on sale

Telstra Plus members can access the first presale from 11am Wednesday October 7 until 11am Thursday October 8, local time. The announcement also advertises a $20 discount on eligible early-bird general admission tickets; members should check the offer conditions at telstra.com/tickets. The Red Hot Summer Tour/Face To Face presale runs from noon Thursday October 8 until 11am Friday October 9, local time.

General public tickets go on sale at noon Friday October 9, local time, through redhotsummertour.com.au.

Ticket prices and venue-specific seating, accessibility and entry arrangements were not included in the announcement. Check those details before booking, particularly if you need a seated option for the outdoor shows.