Live Music Back At Uni As New Touring Project Launches

When bands such as Ball Park Music, The Cat Empire, Grinspoon, TISM, and many others emerged from university campuses, and triple j Unearthed High has provided a launching pad for the likes of G Flip, Genesis Owusu and stacks more, it’s fair to say that supporting creatives while they’re in the heart of their studies is a great idea.

That’s what the Queensland University of Technology (QUT)’s student-led Vermilion Records has done, today introducing The Campus Revival Tour.

Travelling across Australia, the four-part university touring project is bringing live music back to campuses while supporting emerging Australian artists through paid touring opportunities.

The project will run from this year into 2028, offering more than 60 emerging artists and headline acts professional performance opportunities across the East Coast. The Campus Revival Tour aims to reconnect university students (and the broader public) with live music, forging stronger ties between education and industry.

Rising indie pop favourite Serendipiti headlines the 2026 edition of The Campus Revival Tour, stopping at Sydney’s Manning Bar (USYD) on Thursday, 20 August, Uni Bar Wollongong on Friday, 21 August, and QUT’s Botanic Bar on Thursday, 27 August. The shows are free to attend, but registration is essential. You can register your attendance below.

Serendipiti is touring in support of her debut EP, idealist, which she released in May. During the shows, she’ll launch the deluxe edition of her EP, idealist (realist).

She’ll be joined by special guests Jacinta Drumond, Lemonise, The Ra Ta Tas and Moon Boots in Sydney and Brisbane, respectively, while the Wollongong date begins with The Jam – UOW Student Music Comp.

Associate Professor Kristina Kelman, Study Area Coordinator for Music at QUT, Founder and Head of Vermilion Records, and Campus Revival Tour Project Lead, said, “This tour sits at the intersection of everything we do at Vermilion - training students for the industry, giving emerging artists paid touring work, and confronting the decline in live music participation among young Australians.

“Universities have produced some of this country’s finest artists, but that pipeline doesn’t sustain itself. If we want a live music industry in ten years, we have to invest in where it starts - on campus, with real gigs, real audiences, and real stakes for everyone involved.”