Stereolab have announced their return to Australia, confirming headline shows in Fremantle, Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane in support of their latest album Instant Holograms on Metal Film. The dates mark their first Brisbane appearance since 2009 and their largest Melbourne headline show to date at The Forum.
Released in 2025, Instant Holograms on Metal Film represented a considered continuation rather than a reset. Built from layered analogue textures, motorik rhythms and the interplay between Tim Gane and Lætitia Sadier’s songwriting, the album extended the band’s longstanding interest in repetition, melody and subtle progression. Its reception reinforced Stereolab’s position as a group whose work resists confinement to any single era.
Live performances following the release have reflected that continuity. Appearances at venues including London’s Royal Festival Hall and Brooklyn Steel in New York signalled a renewed audience engagement, with setlists drawing fluidly between newer material and earlier compositions such as ‘Motoroller Scalatron’, underscoring the consistency of the band’s aesthetic language.
Formed in London in 1990, Stereolab developed a sound shaped by vintage synthesisers, French and English vocal delivery and influences spanning krautrock, lounge, pop and experimental electronic music. Their recordings have long balanced structural precision with a sense of openness, supported by lyrics that engage philosophical and political themes.
Australia holds particular resonance in the band’s history. Australian musician Mary Hansen, who performed with Stereolab from 1992 until 2002, played a central role in defining their vocal identity during a formative period. The country has also informed their creative process more directly, with elements of Instant Holograms on Metal Film drawing inspiration from materials encountered during a previous Australian tour.
“I somehow picked up a copy of this old audio magazine when on a tour of Australia a few years back. It’s got a nice cover and it was just laying around the studio when I was writing the demos and every time I finished one I just opened the magazine to a random page and picked a name from it, which I used as a rough title. Some of those titles later got changed but the LP name is straight out of that mag.” – Tim Ganes (Stereolab founder / guitarist)
The upcoming shows will present both recent material and selections from across their catalogue, reflecting a project that continues to move forward while remaining anchored in its core approach.
Tickets on-sale 11am Friday 27th Feb HERE.
