Dear Seattle are heading to Pulse Bar in Maroochydore this month. Photo: Supplied.
A growing run of national tours, sold out shows and new live music spaces is putting the Sunshine Coast back on the map in 2026.
Post Malone, Pete Murray, The Jungle Giants, JET, Dear Seattle and Guttermouth are just a few of the big names heading to the Coast in the next few months, following a sold out show from The Living End at Venue 114 last weekend.
Post Malone will headline country music extravaganza Strummingbird at Sunshine Coast Stadium in October, while Dear Seattle are bringing their alternative rock sound to Pulse Bar in Maroochydore, a 500 capacity live music venue just off Ocean Street.
Pulse Bar, in the former Eleven site, has not been afraid to mix things up, with the Sunshine Coast Queer Ball and daytime clubbing events also appearing on its calendar. Together, these venues are helping put the Coast back on the regional touring route after the region lost two of its biggest live music venues this year.
The smaller rooms are having their moment
The Coast shows a different picture to a few years ago, with national acts now playing at breweries, young bands launching records in Nambour, international artists playing in coffee shops, and touring bands playing at alternative spaces in Maroochydore, just down the road from the old Solbar site.
The bigger touring shows are only part of it, with smaller venues, all-ages shows and DIY launches also carrying more of the load. In Nambour, Black Box Theatre has become a regular home for original music, with teenage band Karma Police set to launch their debut EP there alongside ChAMBER LANe and Table Manners.
Across town, The Presynct has been pumping out some impressive lineups, with Katie Noonan, The Tea Party frontman Jeff Martin and Screamfeeder among the names to come through the Nambour room. Then there are shows appearing in places that have never been traditional live music venues, including Japanese band Wapperin, which is playing at Small Change Espresso tonight (August 9).
Blackflag has been bringing national and international touring acts to its Coolum compound for the past two years, with The Rions and Enter Shikari among recent visitors, and The Jungle Giants and JET still to come. Its Mooloolaba venue continues to back a steady run of local and emerging artists, while Peregian Beach Hotel supports original live music through the northern end of the region.
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