Few bands can claim to have altered the course of rock music as profoundly as Mudhoney. Long before grunge became a global phenomenon, the Seattle quartet were laying its foundations with a combustible blend of punk, garage rock and heavy riffs that would help define an entire era. This October, the pioneers return to Australia for a run of intimate club shows before heading to New Zealand for their first performances there in more than a decade.
The tour also sees Mudhoney headline Brisbane community radio station 4ZZZ’s annual Zed 51 Festival, while Australian audiences will be joined at most dates by Californian garage rock trio Primitive Ring. Featuring musicians whose résumés include Ty Segall Band, Iggy Pop, Fuzz, GØGGS and Mikal Cronin, Primitive Ring provide a fitting companion to one of alternative rock’s most influential acts.
Since forming from the ashes of Green River in 1988, Mudhoney have remained one of the defining bands of the Seattle underground. Their landmark debut single ‘Touch Me I’m Sick’ and the seminal Superfuzz Bigmuff EP helped establish the raw aesthetic that would become synonymous with grunge, while later tracks such as ‘Suck You Dry’ cemented their reputation as one of the movement’s essential voices.
Although contemporaries Nirvana, Pearl Jam and Soundgarden would ultimately achieve greater commercial success, Mudhoney’s influence has long extended beyond record sales. Their uncompromising approach, coupled with a decades-long relationship with legendary independent label Sub Pop, has inspired generations of alternative and punk musicians while ensuring the band have remained true to their original ethos.
Remarkably, more than three decades after their formation, Mudhoney continue to evolve. Their eleventh studio album, Plastic Eternity, released in 2023, demonstrated that the band’s appetite for ragged riffs, sharp songwriting and wry social observation remains undiminished.
Backseat Mafia last caught Mudhoney at Sydney’s Factory Theatre during their 2023 Australian tour, where the quartet delivered a characteristically sweat-soaked and uncompromising performance that reaffirmed why they remain one of rock’s great live bands. Their return to intimate venues this October offers another opportunity to witness a group whose influence can still be heard across alternative music today.
MUDHONEY AUSTRALIAN & NEW ZEALAND TOUR 2026
Friday 16 October
The Thornbury Theatre, Melbourne VIC
Saturday 17 October
Torquay Hotel, Torquay VIC
Sunday 18 October
Theatre Royal, Castlemaine VIC
Tuesday 20 October
Volta, Ballarat VIC
Wednesday 21 October
Felons Barrel Room, Manly NSW
Thursday 22 October
Factory Theatre, Sydney NSW
Friday 23 October
King Street, Newcastle NSW
Saturday 24 October
Zed 51 Festival, Brisbane QLD
Sunday 25 October
The Northern, Byron Bay NSW
Wednesday 28 October
Blue Smoke, Christchurch NZ
Thursday 29 October
Meow, Wellington NZ
Friday 30 October
Totara St, Tauranga NZ
Saturday 31 October
Harbour Hotel, Raglan NZ
Sunday 1 November
Double Whammy, Auckland NZ
Tickets on sale Tuesday 30 June at 9:00am (local time). Go HERE for tickets.
