Matt Corby Australia 2026: The Tragic Magic Tour

Matt Corby Australia 2026: The Tragic Magic Tour

Matt Corby is touring Australia in June 2026 in support of his fourth studio album, Tragic Magic. The seven-date run covers Adelaide, Perth, Gerringong, Melbourne, Newcastle, Sydney and Brisbane, with Gretta Ray joining as support. Tickets go on general sale Monday 13 April at 11am AEST via Frontier Touring.

It has been three years since Everything's Fine and the better part of a decade since Corby last did a proper national headline run through theatres. The Tragic Magic Tour fills that gap with a concise itinerary of mid-size rooms; no arenas, no stadium-adjacent sheds. For an artist whose voice fills any space it enters, this is a deliberate choice.

Tour Dates

All headline shows are presented by Frontier Touring with Gretta Ray as special guest. The Gerringong and Sydney dates are festival appearances and ticketed separately through their respective events.

Tickets and Presale

Frontier Members presale opens 11am AEST Friday 10 April. If you have a Frontier account, register for presale access through frontiertouring.com/mattcorby. General on-sale follows at 11am AEST Monday 13 April through the same page.

Ticket prices have not been publicly listed at time of writing. Based on Corby's previous touring history and the venue sizes involved, expect somewhere in the $70 to $100 range for standard GA or reserved seating, though this is speculation. Check the Frontier page for confirmed pricing when tickets go live.

For the Gerringong Winter Wine Festival and Sydney's Vivid LIVE at Tumbalong Park, tickets are available through those events' own channels. Visit mattcorbymusic.com for direct links.

Resale

If shows sell out, use authorised resale platforms. Tixel operates as an official resale partner for many Frontier shows. Avoid scalper sites charging inflated prices; the venues on this tour are mid-capacity rooms, and Frontier has a history of adding second shows if demand warrants it.

Tragic Magic: The Album

Tragic Magic drops 17 April 2026 via Island Records/Universal Music Australia. Originally slated for 6 March, the release was pushed back by six weeks. The album runs 13 tracks and was co-produced by Corby alongside Chris Collins (Royel Otis, Middle Kids) and Dann Hume (Genesis Owusu, Tones and I), with co-writing contributions from Nat Dunn and Meg Mac.

Five singles have been released ahead of the album: "Long and Short", "Burn It Down", "Big Ideas", "Know It All" and "War To Love". The full tracklist:

1. King of Denial
2. Is It Healthy
3. Big Ideas
4. Long and Short
5. Know It All
6. Stained
7. Burn It Down
8. Locked In
9. War To Love
10. Sad Eyes
11. Maggie
12. Winning Ticket
13. Maker

Corby plays drums, bass, piano, percussion and mellotron across the record. The album artwork is illustrated by Sydney artist Mariam David and designed by Pat Fox. Corby has described the album as shaped by fatherhood and domestic life; a shift in perspective from the flood-shadowed recording of Everything's Fine.

What to Expect Live

Setlist Predictions

Speculation based on past touring patterns; not confirmed.

Corby's November 2024 set at Live at the Gardens in Melbourne ran roughly 90 minutes and drew from all three previous albums: "Carry On", "Problems", "Monday", "Resolution", "No Ordinary Life", "Souls A'Fire" and the perennial closer "Brother" all featured. He also covered TLC's "No Scrubs", which has become a semi-regular inclusion.

For The Tragic Magic Tour, expect a setlist weighted toward new material. Five singles are already in circulation, and the album will have been out for six weeks by the time the tour starts. A reasonable guess: seven or eight Tragic Magic tracks, with career staples like "Brother", "Resolution" and "Monday" filling the back half of the set. "Burn It Down", with its Motown-influenced groove and Meg Mac co-write, feels built for a live highlight.

Corby is a multi-instrumentalist who shifts between guitar, keys and occasionally drums during his shows. The arrangements tend to expand live; studio tracks that sound intimate gain muscle from a full band. His falsetto remains the centrepiece of any performance.

Support: Gretta Ray

Gretta Ray opens the headline dates. The Melbourne-raised singer-songwriter won triple j's Unearthed High in 2016 and has since built a steady catalogue of indie-pop with genuine songwriting depth. She is a strong pairing for this tour; complementary rather than derivative.

Venue Guide

Thebarton Theatre, Adelaide

A 2,000-capacity art deco theatre in Torrensville, about 3km west of the CBD. The venue has fixed seating in the stalls and a balcony, with some shows configured for standing. Sound in the room is reliable; the high ceilings help. Street parking is available on surrounding roads, or catch the tram to Thebarton and walk five minutes.

Riverside Theatre, Perth

Part of the Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre complex on the Swan River foreshore. The theatre holds around 2,300 and is fully seated with good sightlines from most positions. Elizabeth Quay train station is a short walk away. The venue is accessible and well-serviced, if somewhat corporate in atmosphere.

Winter Wine Festival, Gerringong

An outdoor festival at Crooked River Estate on the South Coast of NSW, about two hours south of Sydney. This is a daytime event (gates at noon) and a different proposition from the headline theatre shows. Dress for June weather on the coast; layers are non-negotiable. Check the festival website for transport options, as Gerringong is not well-served by public transport.

The Forum, Melbourne

A 1,500-capacity Moorish Revival theatre on Flinders Street. One of the best-sounding rooms in Melbourne, with an ornate ceiling that doubles as a visual distraction between sets. The Forum runs both standing and seated configurations depending on the show. Flinders Street Station is across the road. The venue has a balcony with fixed seating and a GA floor; if you want a seat, arrive early or check the ticketing configuration.

Civic Theatre, Newcastle

A 1,500-seat heritage theatre on Hunter Street in Newcastle's CBD. Fully seated, excellent acoustics, and intimate enough that every seat feels connected to the stage. Newcastle Interchange is a ten-minute walk. The post-show options along Hunter Street and Darby Street are solid.

Tumbalong Park, Sydney (Vivid LIVE)

An outdoor amphitheatre in Darling Harbour, programmed as part of Vivid Sydney's live music strand. Capacity varies by event configuration. This is an outdoor winter show in Sydney; bring a jacket. The venue is accessible via Town Hall or Central stations, with a walk through Darling Quarter. Sound quality at outdoor shows is weather-dependent and generally less controlled than a theatre, but the Vivid LIVE programming tends to be well-produced.

Fortitude Music Hall, Brisbane

Fortitude Music Hall holds around 3,000 and is the largest purpose-built live music venue in Brisbane. The room has good sound across the floor and a wraparound balcony with seated and standing sections. Located on Brunswick Street in Fortitude Valley, it is a short walk from Fortitude Valley train station. The venue has multiple bars and the surrounding Valley precinct offers plenty of pre- and post-show options.

Practical Tips

Earplugs. Bring them. Corby's band plays louder than his recorded output might suggest. Musician's earplugs with flat attenuation (around $25 to $40) protect your hearing without dulling the sound. This applies to every show on the tour, including the outdoor dates.

Arrive early. For standing shows at The Forum and Fortitude Music Hall, getting to the venue when doors open gives you the best pick of positions. The sweet spot for sound is typically a third to halfway back from the stage, centred. The front row is exciting but you will be under the PA, not in front of it.

June weather. This tour runs through the first half of winter. Adelaide, Melbourne and Gerringong will be cold. Perth will be mild. Brisbane will be comfortable. Dress accordingly, especially for the outdoor shows at Gerringong and Tumbalong Park.

Transport. Most headline venues on this tour are well-connected to public transport. Check last-service times before you go; winter timetables sometimes run reduced services. Rideshare surge pricing after shows at The Forum and Fortitude Music Hall is predictable; budget for it or plan around it.

Find Someone to Go With

If you are heading to any of these shows and want to find someone who actually knows the difference between Telluric and Rainbow Valley, Muse connects people going to the same gigs based on shared music taste.