After more than a decade of soaring choruses, bruised hearts and songs that have soundtracked countless personal moments, Irish rock band Kodaline are preparing to say goodbye.
The Dublin quartet will bring their global Farewell Tour to Australia in September, culminating in a sold-out Melbourne performance at the Forum on Saturday 5 September. It will be the band’s final Australian tour before Steve Garrigan, Mark Prendergast, Vinny May and Jason Boland bring Kodaline’s story to a close.
The Australian dates form part of an extensive farewell journey through Asia, Australia, Europe and the United Kingdom. For Melbourne fans, the Forum’s ornate surrounds will provide a fitting setting for one last night with a band whose music has always carried an almost cinematic emotional weight.
Kodaline confirmed their decision to separate after more than a decade together, describing it as difficult and bittersweet. Reflecting on their rise from busking on Dublin streets to selling out venues around the world, the band thanked listeners for changing their lives and expressed the hope that the music would remain with fans long after the final shows.
This is not, however, a farewell built solely around nostalgia. Kodaline have also recorded a fifth and final studio album, We Were Only Young, due for release on 2 October. Its title feels especially poignant: a backward glance at friendships formed, ambitions pursued and years that passed while the band grew from local hopefuls into one of Ireland’s most internationally successful modern rock acts.
Formed from the earlier incarnation 21 Demands, Kodaline emerged under their current name in 2012. Their 2013 debut album, In a Perfect World, introduced a gift for emotionally direct songwriting, led by songs including ‘High Hopes’, ‘Love Like This’ and the enduring ‘All I Want’.
‘All I Want’, in particular, became something larger than a conventional indie-rock single. Its aching vocal, restrained opening and swelling finale found an audience across television, film and online platforms, becoming a companion to heartbreak, grief and longing for listeners around the world.
The albums Coming Up for Air (2015), Politics of Living (2018) and One Day at a Time (2020) followed, expanding the band’s sound without abandoning its emotional centre. Songs such as ‘The One’, ‘Brother’, ‘Follow Your Fire’ and ‘Wherever You Are’ strengthened Kodaline’s reputation for writing communal anthems—songs intimate enough to feel personal, yet powerful enough to be sung by thousands.
That shared experience will sit at the heart of the farewell performances. Recent tour setlists have reached across the band’s career, bringing together early favourites, later material and the songs fans have carried with them for years. The inevitable closing moments promise to be particularly emotional when voices rise for ‘High Hopes’, ‘Love Will Set You Free’ and ‘All I Want’ for what may be the final time on an Australian stage.
KODALINE — FAREWELL TOUR 2026
Tuesday 1 September
Riverside Theatre, Perth
Thursday 3 September
Enmore Theatre, Sydney
Saturday 5 September
Forum Melbourne, Melbourne
Sunday 6 September
Fortitude Music Hall, Brisbane
Tickets and official information: Live Nation Australia
