Two of the most enduring and influential names in punk and power pop, Redd Kross and The Hard-Ons, have confirmed a significant update to their long-awaited joint Australian tour, announcing a Melbourne Saturday night venue upgrade alongside full national support details and documentary screenings that further underline the depth of history shared by both bands.
The Melbourne Saturday March 14 show has officially moved from The Tote to the larger Thornbury Theatre after overwhelming demand. The original Tote date sold out immediately upon announcement, prompting a second Melbourne show to be added.
That follow-up date, a Sunday matinee at The Tote, has also now sold out, leaving the upgraded Saturday night performance as the final opportunity for Melbourne fans to see the tour’s full-scale production. Tickets for the Thornbury Theatre show are back on sale now. The Sunday matinee remains at The Tote and is completely sold out.
The announcement arrives two months out from the tour, which brings together Los Angeles cult legends Redd Kross and Sydney icons The Hard-Ons, now fronted by Tim Rogers, for a rare shared run of shows across Queensland, New South Wales, the ACT and Victoria. It is a meeting of two bands whose parallel histories stretch back more than four decades, connected not only by sound but by a shared philosophy that has always pushed punk beyond its perceived limits.
Support acts have now been confirmed for the full run, with a rotating line-up that reads like a cross-section of Australia’s finest punk and power pop talent. Acts including Itchy & The Nits, Moler, Cammy Cautious & The Wrestlers, The Wellingtons and Leatherman will appear across the dates, reinforcing the sense that this tour is as much a celebration of a broader underground tradition as it is a headline event.
Redd Kross and The Hard-Ons first crossed paths as label mates on the US Big Time label in 1987, though their shared story arguably began earlier. Redd Kross emerged in Los Angeles in 1979, formed by brothers Jeff and Steven McDonald while still in their early teens, and quickly became notorious for challenging punk orthodoxy by embracing influences ranging from Kiss to The Partridge Family. The Hard-Ons followed in Sydney in the early 1980s, similarly disrupting expectations by blending high-speed punk with pop hooks, metal aggression and a distinctly Australian irreverence.
Both bands were early in identifying the connective tissue between the Ramones and arena rock excess, a combination that delivered volume, melody and humour in equal measure. That approach would go on to influence generations of artists internationally and at home, with Redd Kross leaving a mark on everyone from Nirvana and Sonic Youth to The Hoodoo Gurus and You Am I, while The Hard-Ons became a cornerstone of Australian alternative music, inspiring countless bands across punk, rock and beyond.
Tim Rogers’ involvement deepens the historical symmetry. A young You Am I once shared bills with Redd Kross during their 1994 Australian tour alongside the Hoodoo Gurus, long before Rogers would step into the Hard-Ons as frontman decades later. His presence on this tour is less a collaboration than a continuation of relationships forged across years of shared stages and scenes.
Both bands arrive in Australia on the back of milestone anniversaries. Redd Kross celebrated 45 years with a self-titled double album on In The Red Records, widely regarded as one of the strongest releases of their career, alongside the feature-length documentary Born Innocent: The Redd Kross Story and the memoir Now You’re One Of Us: The Incredible Story Of Redd Kross. The documentary, directed by Andrew Reich, offers an unfiltered look at the McDonald brothers’ journey, drawing on extensive archival footage and interviews that place the band firmly within the broader story of American underground rock.
Australian audiences will have the chance to see Born Innocent: The Redd Kross Story on the big screen during the tour, with Sydney and Melbourne screenings confirmed. Jeff and Steven McDonald will appear for Q&A sessions following each screening, and the band will perform at nearby venues on the same nights, creating a rare convergence of film and live performance.
The Hard-Ons have similarly documented their journey, with The Most Australian Band Ever! and its sequel Harder And Harder charting a career that spans schoolyard beginnings in Punchbowl to international festival stages. Their latest album I Like You A Lot Getting Older continues a late-career resurgence that has seen the band reach new audiences while retaining the intensity and independence that defined their early years.
Together, Redd Kross and The Hard-Ons represent a shared commitment to loud, melodic and unapologetically fun rock’n’roll. Their March 2026 Australian tour promises not nostalgia but a reaffirmation of why both bands continue to matter, and why their combined history still resonates as powerfully as ever.
Redd Kross & The Hard-Ons Australian Tour – March 2026
Wed March 4 – Sol Bar, Maroochydore
with Mitch, Please
Thu March 5 – Mo’s Desert Clubhouse, Gold Coast
with Fast Johnny And The Slowburners
Fri March 6 – Crowbar, Brisbane
with KNEE
Sat March 7 – Paddo RSL, Sydney
with Cammy Cautious And The Wrestlers and Starcrazy
Sun March 8 – Hamilton Station Hotel, Newcastle
with Itchy And The Nits and Hellebores
Tue March 10 – The Baso, Canberra
with Goon Girls
Thu March 12 – Barwon Club, Geelong
with The Wellingtons
Fri March 13 – Theatre Royal, Castlemaine
with Moler
Sat March 14 – Thornbury Theatre, Melbourne
with Leatherman
Venue Upgrade, Now Back On Sale
Sun March 15 – The Tote, Melbourne (Matinee)
with Screaming Target
Sold Out
Born Innocent: The Redd Kross Story Screenings
Saturday March 7 – Ritz Cinemas, Sydney
Saturday March 14 – Lido Cinemas, Melbourne
Stay updated with your free Noise11.com daily music news email alert. Subscribe to Noise11 Music News here
