TISM Play Secret Melbourne Gig Ahead Of Sydney Opera House Shows

TISM played their first live show since 2024 by way of a secret gig in Melbourne overnight.

They say the only things certain in life are death and taxes, but for TISM fans, that certainty is expanded to secret gigs ahead of planned live shows.

Only days away from the band taking to the Sydney Opera House for a pair of massive headline shows, Melbourne rock stalwarts TISM have surprised fans with a secret hometown performance at the Brunswick venue, Howler.

The show – which, unlike previous ‘secret’ gigs received very little attention in fan groups and didn’t feature the band adopting a mysterious moniker – saw TISM joining the bill on Sunday, March 29th for their first gig since 2024, appearing between Drunk Mums and Full Flower Moon Band to offer a warm-up set ahead of their Sydney dates.

These Sydney shows see TISM performing their breakthrough 1995 album Machiavelli And The Four Seasons full, and as such, the Melbourne date provided a taster of what fans can expect next month.

As such, the 23-song setlist featured the Machiavelli And The Four Seasons album played in full (along with secret track The Last Soviet Star, which is often referred to as Russia), in addition to a selection of other cuts from their discography.

While many of the Machiavelli tracks had not been performed since the mid-’90s, the set also saw the band performing Strictly Loungeroom, which had featured as a B-side to their Greg! The Stop Sign!! single.

TISM are currently scheduled to perform at the Sydney Opera House on Friday, April 10th and Sunday, April 12th, with only a handful of tickets remaining for the former date.

The band will return to Melbourne in early May, heading to PICA in Port Melbourne on May 2nd for their Wankers Of The World, Unite! event.

For the one-off gig, TISM will be joined by Frankston’s very own The Belair Lip Bombs, Melbourne synth punks Dr Sure’s Unusual Practice, and young Aussie rockers Large Mirage.

In addition to announcing the support acts for the show last week, TISM have revealed that the international theatrical debut of their 2024 Death To Art show at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl will have a one-off premiere screening at PICA. Tickets to the show are available on the David Roy Williams website.