Black Flag are stepping back onto Australian soil this May, but this isn’t the same band that last tore through local stages.
Greg Ginn’s long running hardcore project has rebooted with a fresh lineup, marking a new chapter that leans into both legacy and reinvention, at the centre of it is a first for the band.
Black Flag now front a female vocalist, with Max Zanelly joining on vocals alongside David Rodriguez on bass and Bryce Weston on drums. Ginn remains the constant, still steering the ship nearly 50 years after the band first crawled out of Hermosa Beach’s DIY underground.
It’s a shift that will raise eyebrows, Black Flag’s history isn’t just influential, it’s heavily mythologised, tied to the voices and volatility of past eras. Swapping that out for something new is a risk, but it’s also the point, this version of the band isn’t trying to recreate 1981. It’s pushing forward, whether fans are ready or not.
Black Flag 2026 Australian tour dates
Black Flag May 2026 – Australian tour dates
- Thursday, May 28th – Melbourne, Corner Hotel
- Friday, May 29th – Sydney, Crowbar
- Saturday, May 30th – Brisbane, Crowbar
- Sunday, May 31st – Gold Coast, Vinnies Dive Bar
Find out more and pick up your tickets here.
Behind the scenes
The new lineup is already writing and rehearsing together, the goal seems clear, hold onto the DNA, but let new influences bleed through, and whether that lands as evolution or friction will be decided on stage.
Australian fans won’t have to wait long to see how it plays out, the band have locked in a run of intimate shows across the east coast, hitting smaller rooms that suit the claustrophobic intensity Black Flag built their name on.
With decades of weight behind the name, every move carries scrutiny, but if Black Flag have ever cared about expectations, they’ve never shown it.
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