Crash Test Dummies On Their Return To Australia In 2027

CRASH TEST DUMMIES are heading back to Australia in April 2027, and they’re not coming quietly. After a sold‑out 2025 run that reminded audiences exactly why they became one of the most unmistakable bands of the ’90s, the Dummies return with a full‑throttle, career‑spanning Greatest Hits Tour. Their comeback was met with glowing praise, celebrating the band’s singular sound, razor‑sharp musicianship, and Brad Roberts’ iconic baritone; a voice that critics still can’t stop talking about. Last time, they delivered God Shuffled His Feet front to back. This time, they’re opening the entire vault. Fans will get the songs that shaped a generation, the hits, the deep cuts, the moments that made Crash Test Dummies a global phenomenon. Brad Roberts speaks to Rob Lyon about their upcoming tour.

Fantastic news that another Australian tour has been announced, even bigger than the last one. You must be really thrilled about coming back again so soon for another tour?
A: Yeah, we really are. We spoke to the agents after the tour that we did last time to see how, if they were pleased, and they were, and they wanted to book shows again for as soon as possible, so we just kind of came back with that in mind.

The response alone last time, that must be really sort of humbling and, you must have been blown away and I think the response has been just as strong this time around as well.
Yes, it’s really a great pleasure. It’s a long way to go, but it’s worth it.

Absolutely, were there any sort of highlights that really stood out for you from last time around?
Well, all of the shows were super enjoyable because the crowds were so good. But I can’t really, in fairness, pick one city over another.

Even during these shows, just the legacy and the impact and the power that these songs have and in particular that album. Do you reflect on that when you see that the impact that these songs actually have on people?
Yeah, I do. You know, it… it moves me that people are actually interested in hearing this stuff after all these years, because we’re not a young band.

What do you think it is about the music that just keeps resonating and it keeps finding its way to an even younger group of fans that might be discovering it for the first time?
Well, it’s interesting you should say that, because we do see a lot of that sort of cross‑generational thing going on with our crowds, where parents will bring their kids and sometimes even their grandkids. It’s humbling and just a reminder that we’re all getting that much older.

The charm of your classic single Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm, you must have felt like you won the lottery when you created that song?
Ha ha! Well… to be honest with you, when we put that song out, Canada, our first… the market we look towards first, because we’re from there, totally rejected that song. Radio didn’t want to play it. Much Music didn’t want to play the video and we were flushed right down the toilets quite summarily, after having a huge record with Superman’s Song on our previous effort. So it took some fighting before it became the lottery, as it were. It was an uphill battle for us. But Clive Davis, who ran Arista Records, got it in his head that he wanted us on the charts, and… so he made it happen.

Did it take a lot to make that happen though for one person?
Well, he was the president and he was a very hands‑on guy. And yes, I would say he did make a decision to plug us into his machine.

I guess for the knockers and doubters, I remember how long it was number one, it felt like it was a good few months that it was number one for. Did you feel like you could go na‑na‑na‑na‑na‑na or was it just a very quiet sort of validation?
Well, we couldn’t very well say na‑na‑na‑na‑na‑na, because it would have looked so bad on us. Well, in retrospect, I can say…

This tour is about the greatest hits. There’s so many of them. It must be a really nice challenge to have, trying to work out a tour set list that pulls together an entire career of the Crash Test Dummies?
Yeah, it’s always a challenge. I like to lean in deep onto the God Shuffled His Feet catalogue, because that catalogue is very well known and you want to give people something familiar when they go to a show. But you also want to sprinkle in some stuff that’s from out in the wild beyond, and maybe not something they’ve heard before.

Is Sacred Alphabet still part of the set list now? I love that song. That’s brilliant.
Thank you so much, and yes, indeed, it is. That one goes over really well live.

Is there still the same pressure to do new material, or with the current landscape is it just not worth it?
The only pressure that exists for me is the pressure I put on myself. And I’m putting zero pressure on myself right now. I love touring. We do it for the money, but we also do it because we love it because frankly, if you didn’t love it, it wouldn’t be worth it. It’s kind of a hard job.

Interview By Rob Lyon

Catch Crash Test Dummies on the following dates, tickets from Metropolis Touring…