James and David Reyne will lead the band’s first run of performances in 40 years, with Boom Crash Opera joining the Sydney bill.

Australian Crawl will bring their long-awaited return to the Sydney Opera House Forecourt for a special open-air concert this November.

The Australian rock favourites will perform On the Steps on Saturday, November 28, with fellow local hitmakers Boom Crash Opera joining them for the harbour-side show.

The performance forms part of Australian Crawl’s first return to the stage in 40 years. The band will also co-headline the next Red Hot Summer Tour series, which begins in Toowoomba on October 17 and travels around the country through November.

James and David Reyne will come together to celebrate the music of Australian Crawl, joined by drummer John Watson, who played with the group from 1983 to 1986, as well as Brett Kingman, Josh Owen, Andrew McIvor, Sean Johnson, Melinda Jackson and Nicole Kurta.

Australian Crawl’s original run lasted less than a decade, from 1978 until 1986, but produced a catalogue that became part of the Australian rock canon. Songs including “The Boys Light Up”, “Reckless” and “Errol” remain fixtures of local radio and Australian popular culture.

The Opera House Forecourt date arrives amid strong demand for the band’s return. Red Hot Summer Tour appearances at Sandstone Point, Berry, Manly, the Hunter Valley, Coolangatta, Mornington and the Swan Valley have already sold out, while additional shows have been announced for Brisbane’s Riverstage and Melbourne’s Sidney Myer Music Bowl.

Boom Crash Opera will bring another deep catalogue of Australian hits to the Sydney bill. Nearly four decades into their career, the band have scored 13 Top 50 singles and five Top 50 albums, with songs such as “Great Wall”, “Onion Skin”, “Dancing in the Storm” and “The Best Thing”.

As founding member Peter Farnan once put it, “We sounded like our name.”

The Sydney show will place both bands against one of the country’s most recognisable backdrops, on the open-air forecourt overlooking Sydney Harbour.

A Face To Face Touring and Live Nation pre-sale begins at 10am local time on Friday, September 18, and closes at 10am on Saturday, September 19. General tickets go on sale at 9am local time on Monday, September 21, through the Sydney Opera House.

Australian Crawl with Boom Crash Opera

Saturday, November 28, 2026
On the Steps, Sydney Opera House Forecourt, Sydney, NSW