Aussie punk icons The Living End to take over Sydney Opera House

• Want to see The Living End at Sydney Opera House? The punk icons are set to play one show on December 12.
• The iconic Aussie punk band is touring off the back of their first album in eight years.
• December is shaping up to be a big month for live music in Sydney.
• READ MORE: Ed Sheeran has announced a new tour for Australia.

Here’s a name many of you mightn’t have heard for awhile. While Australia’s rock scene has seen incredible shifts over the past few decades, it’s hard for any local to forget the earth-shattering impact that smashed through Melbourne streets in the 90s and went on to put the local music industry in a chokehold. Also known as, The Living End.

“We don’t need no one to tell us what to do,” became the calling card for an entire generation of Australian music fans thanks to the iconic punk rockers, who haven’t been touring as much this past decade. That all changes in December, with The Living End making a triumphant return to Sydney Opera House as part of the band’s new I Only Trust Rock n Roll 2025 tour

The Living End will play one show at the Sydney Opera House Forecourt as part of the institution’s outdoorsy summer series, which last year saw big names play the pop-up stage including Thom Yorke, PJ Harvey and Crowded House.

Named after their first album in eight years, I Only Trust Rock n Roll should add a little mystery back to the band. They’ve been quiet for almost a decade now, but these songs have reinvigorated the band and ignited a brand new national tour. The Living End is known widely for their raucous live shows, so fans are understandably curious to hear the new sound.

This should side up well with a set list that’ll undoubtedly include some of The Living End’s gritty punk-rock anthems including “West End Riot”, “Prisoner of Society” and “All Town Down”. In fact, there are so many hits to get through that Sydney Opera House has locked in the band for a rare double-set.

Although there’s only one show (on December 12, 2025), The Living End will be performing two sets. The first will rip through select tracks for their latest album peppered in with some of their biggest hits. The second? The band will then switch into full nostalgia mode and perform their iconic self-titled debut album from front to back.

December is already shaping up to a big month for Sydney’s live music circuit. Although Usher sadly cancelled his tour down under, for reasons unknown, we’ve got big, big names coming for a visit, including Lady Gaga, AC/DC, Justice and Lewis Capaldi. Mega pop stars, rock legends and electronica icons? Throw Aussie’s answer to The Clash in there and you’ve got one very wild month for people who “listen to everything.”

The Living End

Where: Sydney Opera House
When: Friday, December 12, 2025
Price: $112.20

sydneyoperahouse.com