There’s a sense of forward motion baked into everything Balu Brigada touch, and this May and June that momentum rolls back into Australia. The Auckland-born brothers Henry and Pierre Beasley are returning with their live show in tow, carrying the weight and wonder of their acclaimed debut album Portal into rooms across Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth.
Portal feels like a record shaped by transit. Built slowly over three years and across cities including New York, Berlin and Auckland, it absorbs its surroundings without ever losing its centre. There’s grit in the grungy New York sessions, a cool-eyed introspection threaded through the European stretches, and a calm emotional gravity that traces back to home. What emerges is a collection that balances indie-rock urgency with alt-pop precision, designed to hit hard but linger longer.
The singles tell that story in sharp focus. ‘So Cold’, ‘Backseat’ and the existential ache of ‘What Do We Ever Really Know?’ map a band stretching outward while looking inward, pairing festival-sized hooks with quietly searching lyricism. ‘So Cold’ in particular has become a calling card, racking up over 65 million streams, topping Billboard’s Alternative Airplay chart, landing on Jimmy Kimmel LIVE! and soundtracking EA Sports’ FC 25. It’s the kind of breakout that feels sudden on paper but earned in reality.
Live, that ambition translates into something more immediate. Having spent much of 2024 opening for Twenty One Pilots on their global Clancy World Tour, Balu Brigada arrive on these shores road-tested and dialled in, ready to turn Portalfrom a personal statement into a shared experience.
Balu Brigada Portal Australian tour dates
Presented by Handsome Tours & Laneway Presents
Presale: Wed 4 Feb 10am – Thurs 5 Feb 9am local
GP onsale: Thurs 5 Feb 10am local
Thurs 28 May – The Triffid, Brisbane
Sat 30 May – Lion Arts Factory, Adelaide
Sun 31 May – Freo Social, Perth
Thurs 4 June – 170 Russell, Melbourne
Fri 5 June – Metro Theatre, Sydney
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