The Necks bring their 40th anniversary tour to Byron
The acclaimed Australian trio will create an entirely improvised performance at Byron Theatre as part of their biggest national tour to date.
Formed in 1987, The Necks have spent four decades captivating audiences with hypnotic, long-form instrumental music. Pianist Chris Abrahams, drummer Tony Buck and bassist Lloyd Swanton build each piece in real time, so no two performances are alike.
Their 10-date 2027 Australian tour celebrates the band’s 40th anniversary and coincides with the release of Surf, their 24th album. The trio will perform at Byron Theatre in January.
When: Thursday 28 January 2027
Where: Byron Theatre, Byron Bay
Tickets: On sale from 9am AEDT, Wednesday 4 November 2026. Check Byron Theatre’s website for booking details.
One of the world's greatest cult bands, The Necks, will celebrate four decades of their elusive musical alchemy in 2027 with their biggest Australian tour ever.
The 10-date national tour runs from January to March, taking in cities, regional towns and festivals, with more tour dates to be revealed in the coming weeks. The tour coincides with the release of Surf, the trio's 24th album, on double LP and double CD – pre-order now.
Building on their acclaimed double releases Unfold (2017) and Travel (2023), Surf sees The Necks offer four tracks of 21 minutes each, improvised in the studio with minimal overdubbing. Three pieces are built on propulsive grooves, while the fourth is more mysterious and intriguing. All four are set against the haunting sound of a vintage harmonium, and they contrast and complement each other and the rest of The Necks' substantial catalogue.
"When you think about it, almost everything we do runs counter to the logic of the music industry," says bassist Lloyd Swanton.
"We play instrumental music, we have no front person, our albums are often a single track an hour long, and we never play our records live. We walk on stage with nothing prepared, and the only rule is that one of us starts each piece, with no discussion about who that will be. And yet here we are, forty years on."
Since their first show at the Old Darlington School at the University of Sydney on 9 April 1987, Chris Abrahams (piano), Tony Buck (drums) and Lloyd Swanton (bass) have captivated audiences around the world with long-form pieces that slowly unravel, shift and metamorphose. Revered for their improvisational prowess and hypnotic live performances, they compose every piece in real time, so no two shows are ever alike.
With the same line-up for four decades, The Necks have built a critically acclaimed catalogue of live and studio albums as rich as it is distinctive. In the studio, their recordings are often intricately layered in the mix with texture of mysterious origins. The deceptive simplicity of their music reveals new charms with every listen.
Along the way, The Necks have collaborated with Brian Eno, Underworld and Swans, and received the 2019 Richard Gill Award for Distinguished Services to Australian Music. Four decades in, they still offer the rarest of chances: to hear music made once, then gone forever.
'The greatest trio on earth.' — The New York Times
'One of the most arresting and sophisticated bands on the planet.' — The Quietus
'The most beautiful music, at turns poetic then violent.' — Warren Ellis