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Aussie rock stars Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds will soon be seen on a New Zealand stage for the first time in eight years – but you won’t find them in Auckland.
The post-punk band, formed in Melbourne in the early 1980s, are instead taking their Wild God Tournearly 500km south of Tāmaki Makaurau this coming summer.
The band will exclusively play two shows at Wellington’s TSB Arena on February 5 and 6 in association with the Aotearoa New Zealand Festival of the Arts.
The 6000-person venue will cater for fans while ensuring a level of intimacy as they perform a setlist of their greatest hits and songs from their new album, Wild God.
But before they cross the ditch for the New Zealand dates, the group will host eight shows through January in various Australian cities.
“I can’t wait to get to Australia and New Zealand with The Bad Seeds and to bring you our epic Wild God show,” Cave said about the announcement.
Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds will play two shows in Wellington next February. Photo / Megan Cullen
“It’s been a long time coming, and I’ve missed both Australia and New Zealand very much. It will be a wild and mighty joy.”
Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds last performed on Kiwi shores in January 2017, celebrating their Skeleton Tree album by playing a one-off show at Spark Arena (then Vector Arena).
Released in 2024, Wild God is their 18th studio album to date.
It became an immediate hit upon its release, topping album charts in Belgium, the Netherlands and Switzerland while making it into the Top 10 throughout the rest of Europe.
Wild God received a Grammy Award nomination for Best Alternative Music Album at this year’s ceremony, while introductory track Song of the Lake landed a second for Best Alternative Music Performance.
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds: Wild God Tour
Where: TSB Arena, Wellington
When: February 5 & 6, 2026
Tickets: Sales start at 10am on Friday, August 29, via nickcave.com
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