Rufous Whistler Announces New Zealand Tour
Fresh off a sold-out Australian tour and the release of their debut album National Panic — which debuted at #2 on the ARIA Country Albums chart and was named ABC Country’s Feature Album of the Week — Rufous Whistler is heading across the ditch for their first-ever New Zealand tour.
Hailing from Northeast Victoria (Wiradjuri Country), Rufous Whistler is fast becoming a standout name in modern folk and alt-country. Their sound weaves raw storytelling through rich, harmony-driven arrangements — think the haunting precision of I’m With Her, the lyrical grit of Gillian Welch, and the unrelenting drive of Trampled by Turtles.
Led by singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Vinny Russell, he brings together some of Australia’s most dynamic acoustic musicians for this debut NZ tour: Lucy McKenzie-McHarg (fiddle, mandolin, vocals, guitar), Dylan Knur (mandolin, fiddle, banjo, vocals). Together, they deliver a live show that’s both intimate and explosive – earthy and electrifying in equal measure.
Following international airplay, AMRAP charting, and over 30,000 streams across breakout singles like River Gum Tree, Honey, and I Mean It, the full-length album National Panic offers an unflinching look at collective anxiety, personal unrest, and the deep need for connection – wrapped in vibrant instrumentation and soaring harmony.
Their first New Zealand shows will roll out through April and May 2025 – dates as follows or at rufouswhistler.com/tour
TOUR DATES:
Thurs 22 May – Globe Theatre, Palmerston North ^
Fri 23 May – Welly Bluegrass Society, Wellington ^
Sat 24 May – Ruby Bay Store, Ruby Bay
Sun 25 May – Fairfield House, Nelson
Weds 28 May – Wunderbar, Christchurch ^
Thurs 29 May – Pearl Diver, Dunedin ^ +
Fri 30 May – Tussock Country Music Fest, Gore
Sat 31 May – Waikaka Hotel, Gore
Weds 4 June – Movespace, Auckland *
Thurs 5 June – Whangateau Hall, Whangateau
Fri 6 June – Katikati Folk Club, Katikati
Sat 7 June – Taranaki Pop-Up Gigs, New Plymouth
Sun 8 June – Ohau Hall, Levin
^ with Butter Wouldn’t Melt
+ with Lara Rose
* with Soft Punchline (Chris Dent of Albi & the Wolves)
