Melbourne Ska OrchestraIt’s an exciting time for fans of Melbourne Ska Orchestra, with the revered outfit announcing an expansive Australian tour today.
Touring in support of their 2025 full-length, The Ballad of Monte Loco, the ARIA Award-winning collective will bring a fresh show across the country from August to October – along with gearing up for the deluxe version of The Ballad of Monte Loco, aptly titled Monte Loco Rides Again.
The tour commences on Friday, 7 August, at Adelaide’s The Gov. The party continues through Fremantle, Geelong, Mt Evelyn, Hobart, Forth, Sunshine Coast, Brunswick Heads, Brisbane, Melbourne, Castlemaine, San Remo, Sydney, and the Tanks Arts Centre in Cairns on Saturday, 24 October.
Tickets to the tour are available now via the Melbourne Ska Orchestra website.
Spearheaded by the ever-charismatic Nicky Bomba (John Butler Trio, Bomba, Busyamento), Melbourne Ska Orchestra formed in the early 2000s and have continuously released creative masterpieces.
Discussing the tour, Bomba said, “This whole era is the Ballad of Monte Loco. Think Ennio Morricone meets a Tijuana dance floor, with a little Melbourne dust kicked up in the process. It’s cinematic, it’s got swagger, it’s got heat.
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“We’re bringing the full show: the costumes, the horns blazing, the rhythm section rattling the walls. Fans can expect to sweat, dance, and leave with a massive grin on their face. That’s the guarantee.”
Bomba added, “Just come dance. Seriously. Life’s heavy right now for a lot of people, and we want MSO shows to be the place where you leave all of that at the door for two hours. We put everything into these shows, every night, every city. See you on the floor.”
Joining Melbourne Ska Orchestra on the tour is Mexico’s Out of Control Army for their first-ever Australian performances. Also spotlighting ska, the latter blends Latin fire and punk vibes to their sound.
Reminiscing on their 2024 show with Out of Control Army, Bomba shared, “Out of Control Army are legends of the Mexican ska scene, and they brought their whole community to that show.
“There was so much love in the room. We knew straight away we had to get them to Melbourne, let our crowd experience what we experienced. It’s a real cultural exchange, a genuine connection between the dedicated ska scene in Mexico and the music-loving multicultural melting pot that is Melbourne.”
MELBOURNE SKA ORCHESTRA
MONTE LOCO RIDES AGAIN 2026 TOUR DATES:
FRIDAY 7 AUGUST | THE GOV, ADELAIDE SA | 18+
SATURDAY 8 AUGUST | PORT BEACH BREWERY, FREMANTLE WA | 18+
FRIDAY 21 AUGUST | EUREKA HOTEL, GEELONG VIC | 18+
FRIDAY 4 SEPTEMBER | YORK ON LILYDALE, MT EVELYN VIC | 18+
FRIDAY 11 SEPTEMBER | ALTAR, HOBART TAS | 18+
SATURDAY 12 SEPTEMBER | FORTH PUB, FORTH TAS | 18+
THURSDAY 17 SEPTEMBER | KINGS BEACH TAVERN, SUNSHINE COAST QLD | 18+
FRIDAY 18 SEPTEMBER | HOTEL BRUNSWICK, BRUNSWICK HEADS NSW | 18+
SATURDAY 19 SEPTEMBER | CROWBAR, BRISBANE QLD | 18+
FRIDAY 2 OCTOBER | NORTHCOTE THEATRE, MELBOURNE VIC | 18+
FRIDAY 9 OCTOBER | THEATRE ROYAL, CASTLEMAINE VIC | 18+
SATURDAY 10 OCTOBER | WESTERNPORT HOTEL, SAN REMO VIC | 18+
FRIDAY 16 OCTOBER | CROWBAR, SYDNEY NSW | 18+
SATURDAY 24 OCTOBER | TANKS ARTS CENTRE, CAIRNS QLD | 18+
