News: Rise Against add hardcore firebrands Haywire to Australian tour with Dropkick Murphys

Rise Against are turning up the heat on their upcoming Australian tour, adding hardcore punk outfit Haywire to an already formidable bill featuring Dropkick Murphys. The three bands will hit Australia this November and December, with a Sydney Opera House Forecourt show on 1 December among the highlights.

And if there’s one band capable of making this lineup even more explosive, it’s Haywire.

Formed in December 2023, the Boston hardcore outfit have built a reputation through sheer hard graft, playing around 400 shows in less than three years. Their 2025 schedule alone includes a staggering 96 performances in just 101 days. Forget taking it easy. Haywire are a band who barely seem to stop moving.

From self-booked DIY tours to European arenas supporting Dropkick Murphys, Haywire have made a habit of winning over audiences wherever they land. They’ve also put that relentless energy to good use back home, establishing For The Children and Back To School Jam, community initiatives that have collected thousands of toys and backpacks filled with school supplies for children in need.

Now signed to Roadrunner Records, the band are preparing to release their second album, I Don’t Wanna Say Goodbye. With their reputation growing at breakneck speed, their addition to the Australian tour brings another serious dose of hardcore to the bill.

For more than 25 years, Chicago’s Rise Against have remained one of punk rock’s most politically outspoken and enduring bands. While trends come and go, their combination of melodic hardcore, sharp social commentary and massive choruses has kept them firmly in the conversation.

Their latest album, Ricochet, continues that tradition, tackling an increasingly fractured world with the urgency and fire that have defined the band’s career. It’s another reminder that Rise Against have little interest in softening their message.

Then there’s Dropkick Murphys, Boston’s Celtic punk heavyweights who have spent three decades turning working-class solidarity into full-throated rock anthems. Since forming in 1996, they’ve built a catalogue made for packed arenas, crowded pubs and thousands of voices singing in unison.

Their latest album, For The People, takes aim at division, fearmongering and political opportunism while making a case for community, compassion and standing together. It’s a message that sits comfortably alongside Rise Against’s long-standing commitment to social commentary, giving this tour a shared purpose beyond the music.

The tour kicks off at Melbourne’s John Cain Arena on 26 November before heading to Brisbane’s Riverstage on 29 November, Sydney Opera House Forecourt on 1 December and Perth’s Red Hill Auditorium on 4 December.

All three bands will also join The Living End and Jebediah at Meltdown in Gosford on 28 November, making it one of the biggest punk gatherings on the Australian calendar.

Three bands, three different approaches to punk and one common thread: music that refuses to sit quietly on the sidelines. With Haywire now on board, this tour has just become a whole lot louder.