After a 15-year absence, Fun Lovin’ Criminals are heading back to Australia in March 2026, bringing with them their seventh studio album, A Matter of Time. It’s a long-overdue return for a band whose blend of hip-hop rhythms, dusty rock grooves and film-soaked storytelling once felt inseparable from late-night radio and inner-city cool.
Formed in New York City in the early ’90s, Fun Lovin’ Criminals built their reputation on songs that sounded like snapshots of urban life, equal parts swagger and observation. Tracks like Scooby Snacks, King of New York and Love Unlimited leaned on pop culture references, wry humour and a laid-back sense of menace, earning the band a devoted following that has endured well beyond their commercial peak.
A Matter of Time, conceived by founding member Brian “Fast” Leiser alongside drummer Frank Benbini and mixed by Tim Latham, looks back to the core of what made the band distinctive in the first place. The record prioritises groove, narrative and feel over reinvention, framing new material as a continuation rather than a reboot.
The upcoming Australian tour will be the first chance in over a decade for local audiences to hear that new material live, set alongside the catalogue that defined the band’s early years. With more than 150 shows played globally in recent years, Fun Lovin’ Criminals arrive steady rather than nostalgic, presenting a body of work that still revolves around city stories, dry humour and the spaces between genres.
FUN LOVIN’ CRIMINALS 2026 Australian Tour Dates
Wednesday 11th March BRISBANE, Crowbar
Thursday 12th March SYDNEY, Manning Bar
Friday 13th March MELBOURNE, The Prince
Tickets on sale now from: https://abstract.net.au/event/fun-lovin-criminals/
