The Meanies, with frontman Link Meanie second from left. Photo: Jo Forster.

Australian pop-punk favourites The Meanies are heading to South East Queensland with Dad Fight armed with a new split seven-inch and more than three decades of stories.

The rare national run includes shows with Spiderbait in Adelaide and Canberra, before the Melbourne punk legends join forces with Queensland punk band Dad Fight for three South East Queensland dates.

The tour stops at Norton Music Factory in Caloundra on July 31, Crowbar Brisbane on August 1 and Vinnies Dive Bar in Southport on August 2.

The two bands have also released a limited split seven-inch featuring The Meanies’ “Blacklist” and Dad Fight’s “Reality Check”.

Ahead of the Queensland shows, YELO editor Penny Brand caught up with frontman Link Meanie to discuss tour chaos, younger fans, time machines and the enduring motivational power of cheese-and-pickle finger sandwiches.

Q&A with Link Meanie

YELO: The Meanies have been playing together for more than three decades. What still makes getting onstage together exciting?

Link: It’s those nice finger sandwiches we get on the rider. I particularly like cheese and pickles. And the fact that it’s so easy just getting up and belting it out when you’ve got it on a string, as we do after so many years. I only get stressed if I have to play guitar and sing, so The Meanies is a pretty good no-stress release.

YELO: What brought about this latest tour, and what can people expect from the set?

Link: Wally, bass player and manager, is the one you wanna ask about that. I just write songs, sing and look pretty.

YELO: What is the wildest thing that has ever happened at a Meanies show?

Link: Probably the stabbing near our show in Scarborough, WA, where the culprit was chased by an angry mob out for blood. He then ran into our venue and was detained by the chef in the kitchen. Our show was delayed for a while, but we eventually played.

YELO: What is the most chaotic or ridiculous tour story you can safely tell us?

Link: See previous answer. We watched that situation unfold before our eyes. It was like Lord of the Flies on steroids.

YELO: Has there ever been a gig where everything went wrong, but it somehow became one of the best shows?

Link: Hmmm, when everything goes wrong, it’s never a great show for the band, although perhaps it is for the crowd, who enjoy the manic spectacle. Thankfully, that hasn’t happened for many years.

YELO: What is something about touring in the ’90s that younger bands today would never believe?

Link: Smoking on planes. Having to write letters home from overseas because mobile phones weren’t a thing and the cost of using a landline was ridiculous. Just feeling pretty isolated, I guess.

YELO: What is the strangest thing a fan has ever done, said or given you?

Link: A fully functioning time machine. I went back in time and warned myself not to get into show business. I didn’t listen.

YELO: Which Meanies song still gets the biggest reaction live?

Link: Probably “10% Weird”. It’s our “Wild Thing” … or “The Final Countdown”.

YELO: Are you seeing younger audiences discover the band now, alongside people who have followed you for years?

Link: Yeah, it’s always nice to see younger people in the crowd. I particularly love it when someone brings their twenty-something kid to a show. Generations of Meanies fans.

YELO: What is next for The Meanies after this run of shows?

Link: More singles until we have enough for an album. More shows. More finger sandwiches.

The Meanies tour dates

• Saturday, July 25, 2026 — The Meanies with Spiderbait and The Gnomes — Hindley Street Music Hall, Adelaide — Tickets
• Thursday, July 30, 2026 — The Meanies with Spiderbait and The Gnomes — The Baso, Canberra — Tickets
• Friday, July 31, 2026 — The Meanies + Dad Fight + City Council — Norton Music Factory, Caloundra — Tickets
• Saturday, August 1, 2026 — The Meanies + Dad Fight + Council Grounds + Riot Revolver — Crowbar Brisbane — Tickets
• Sunday, August 2, 2026 — The Meanies + Dad Fight + The Fem Grems + Da Manager — Vinnies Dive Bar, Southport — Tickets
• Sunday, October 4, 2026 — The Meanies — Festy-Ville No. 5, Blah Bar, Lismore — Tickets