The LumineersAmerican folk-rockers, The Lumineers, took the stage last night at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre for The Automatic World Tour, touring their Automatic album, which was released in February of 2025. The show formed part of the Australian and New Zealand leg, bringing a fervent crowd a collection of classics from the New Jersey natives’ five albums.
Not afraid to take their music on the road, The Automatic World Tour is the group's fifth world tour, following their last visit to Australia in 2022 for the Brightside World Tour.
Wesley Schultz and Jeremiah Fraites were joined on stage by a number of musicians, expanding the scale of the show and allowing every instrument and backing vocal to round out the artfully executed storytelling for which The Lumineers are known.
Schultz wore an understated outfit of black wide-length pants and a black jacket, with his long locks plaited into pigtails under a trucker cap. Fraits donned his signature simple black pants and a white tee, paired with black suspenders and a black fedora.
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Schultz engaged the audience from the outset, offering introductions to songs and funny anecdotes along the way. It was evident that the audience was deep in The Lumineers' lore, as even thinly veiled hints for the next song were clocked and met with cheers.
Ho Hey was played at the halfway point of the show to the delight of the audience, with Lumineers (Schultz and Fraites) and six accompanying musicians bringing the stage to the end of the walkway so they were surrounded by the audience. This experimentation with the depth of the stage was constant throughout the show, with the focal point always shifting and huge instruments wheeled and pushed by enthusiastic bandmates.
Undeniably, the group's most well-known song, Schultz lets the audience carry the first verse with a near-full stadium up to the task.
When the song ended, Schultz mused, “People always come up to me and tell me that our music was their wedding song, and I always ask what song it was. Usually, without fail, they say, ‘It was Ho Hey.’ I’m really honoured to be a part of someone’s life and be the backdrop for such a big moment. What I don’t tell them is that that song is about a break-up. That’s ok, it’s probably good luck or something like that.”
Dead Sea was a favourite moment from the show, with the beautiful ballads and earworm chorus staying with us long after the show ended. Schultz introduced the track by saying, “If you need a romantic song, I want to put forward this next one, it’s called Dead Sea.” This was met with cheers that rivalled even Ho Hey.
A slower moment in the lively show came when Schultz and Fraites cleared the stage of their bandmates and performed Donna together, with Fraites playing piano and Schultz perched on the edge.
The song delicately explores addiction, and all eyes were on the two with the digital screen showing Fraites' hands on the piano. As the song went on, Schultz walked slowly down the catwalk to the edge of the stage, cutting a silhouette against the white light as he eventually ended on his knees, his voice cracking and pleading as he sang, “You sang it like hallelujah.”
The Head and the Heart were the perfect support for The Lumineers, and they have been long-term friends and collaborators. Earlier this month, Schultz sat down with The Music for an interview to discuss their upcoming Australian shows, expressing that The Head and the Heart were the ideal choice for the show of this scale.
“It was kind of a reunion of sorts, and we were thrilled that they were down with the idea of doing this tour, because it's a really big deal to go to Australia,” Schultz said. “There's a lot more [to it] compared to any other country out there.
It was a treat to see Schultz welcome The Head and the Heart back to the stage to perform Gale Song, with them taking on backing vocals and tambourine. I was reminded by how few shows you see with more than five artists on stage, and what a visual delight it was to be nine people on stage for Gale Song. It felt representative of a genre that feels cosy and inclusive of stalwart artists and newcomers alike, coming together to bring a highly emotive experience to the audience.
Schultz also told The Music that he was still processing the sudden and unexpected death of his younger brother, and that performing on stage felt like a type of therapy at times. That knowledge, and watching Schultz shoulder the complex yet relatable content of their music, reframed their show and made it feel more impactful.
The Automatic World Tour continues on Thursday in Newcastle, followed by Sydney, Adelaide and Perth.
