There are bands that tour. And then there are bands that arrive like weather systems — dark, slow-moving, impossible to ignore. For more than four decades, The Sisters of Mercy have occupied that strange, untouchable space somewhere between post-punk institution and gothic myth; a band whose influence has long outlived their release schedule, and whose shadow still stretches across modern alternative music like cigarette smoke across a nightclub ceiling at 3am.
Now, against all odds and with all the usual mystery intact, Andrew Eldritch and company are returning to Australia.
For those who came of age with First and Last and Always rattling through battered headphones, or discovered Floodland in the back half of a long, lonely adolescence, this isn’t just another legacy tour. It’s a confrontation with a sound and aesthetic that never really died — only retreated underground while the rest of the world caught up.
And live? The Sisters remain gloriously themselves: thunderous drum machine pulse, walls of merciless guitar, Eldritch half-crooning, half-summoning from beneath layers of smoke and red light. There are cleaner bands. There are more predictable bands. But there are very few that still feel this genuinely dangerous.
Their impending Australian tour sees the band return with a line up that has been widely regarded as one of their strongest in years and is rounded out by Ben Christo, Kai, ‘Ravey’ Dave Creffield and, as ever, Doktor Avalanche. All of whom are set on delivering a live experience that remains as distinctive and uncompromising as ever.
The tour dates are:
Tuesday, October 25: Powerstation, Auckland
Wednesday, October 26: Hunter Lounge, Wellington
Wednesday, November 25: Astor Theatre, Perth
Friday, November 27: Metro Theatre, Sydney
Sunday, November 29: Odeon Theatre, Hobart
Wednesday, December 2: Forum, Melbourne
Thursday, December 3: The Tivoli, Brisbane
Tickets are as available here follows:
Spotify Pre-Sale starts Tuesday, May 26 @ 10am AEST
Pre-Sale starts Wednesday, May 27 @ 10am AEST
General Tickets On Sale From Thursday, May 28 @ 10am AEST
