Richie Weed, the unmistakable voice of Tumbleweed, has stepped into bold new territory with his debut solo album 'Strays'.
Recorded live-to-tape, the album captures raw honesty and spirit, marking a powerful new chapter in his career.
'Strays' is made of songs written over the years that didn't fit into the heavy psychedelic groove of Tumbleweed, and unlike that iconic Tarrawanna sound, no distortion pedals.
Off the back of touring nationally with Jeff Martin (The Tea Party) and ARIA Award–winner Shane Nicholson in a sold-out celebration of Neil Young's music, Richie is also collaborating with Zia McCabe (The Dandy Warhols) and Ricky Maymi (Brian Jonestown Massacre) on an upcoming project, Arktik Lake.
Richie Weed & His Band of Strays are packing up the van and setting the periscope for Brisbane, Murwillumbah and Ipswich, ready for fans to drift in. The band also have a show in Sydney beforehand.
"We're heading up and across the border to the places where we've always had incredible shows and unforgettable crowds, remembering the days of The Great Northern in Byron Bay, Livid Festival, The Roxy, the Gold Coast's Patch and Playroom, and our old favourite haunt, The Zoo."
This time the compass dials in The Cave Inn, The Citadel and Banshee's Bar & Artspace.
Richie Weed & His Band of Strays bring his songs, stories, and spirit to the stage – an intimate and electrifying journey from one of Australia's most enduring and inventive voices.
Here Richie shares five live music venues he wishes were still operational today.
1: The Hopetoun Hotel (Surry Hills, Sydney)
The Hoey was basically my second living room in the '90s. I played there a bunch and saw countless killer shows.
Tuesday afternoons meant Rock Against Work – you'd wander up the hill and the place would already be absolutely rammed. These days it's been boarded up for years, slowly decaying. . . a bit like my memory.
2: Phoenician Club (Sydney)
Velvet wallpaper, gloriously dingy opulence, and beer cheap enough to feel like a public service. Early '90s Sydney didn't get better than this.
You had to bring your own PA, and support bands hauled it in – character building stuff. Tumbleweed supported Nirvana there on their first Australian show, and the stage diving was next-level: people launching from the upper levels into the crowd like it was an Olympic sport.
Now? Gone. Demolished. Folded into the Broadway development like it never even happened. Rude.
3: Trade Union Club (Sydney)
Three floors, bands on every level, and just enough chaos to keep things interesting. It was dark, a bit sketchy, and yeah, sometimes punch-ons were part of the evening's entertainment.
At one point they tried banning Dr Martens to keep the skinheads out. . . surprisingly, not the worst idea.
I saw so many great bands there: Celibate Rifles, Died Pretty, The New Christs. Sadly, it shut its doors before I got my turn on that stage. Still not over it.
4: The Old Greek Theatre (Melbourne)
A huge, echoing cavern of a place. On my first Melbourne tour I supported Dinosaur Jr. – they absolutely tore the roof off. Second time around, Mudhoney did the honours.
After The Powder Monkeys played, Tim Hemensley stormed backstage, swept every drink off the table in one dramatic motion and yelled: "Youth gone wild!" Which pretty much sums the place up perfectly.
Demolished in 2015. Replaced by multi-storey apartments, because apparently we needed more of those.
5: The Treasury (Brisbane)
Most of my memories here are. . . let's call them 'impressionistic'. Hot, sticky, and so packed you could barely inhale, let alone move.
By the time we played, it was already on borrowed time – people were sneaking in through the bathroom window, so capacity was more of a suggestion than a rule.
Total punk-rock chaos. The kind of room where the energy practically sweats onto you. The building's still there, but now it's an Irish pub.
Richie Weed & His Band of Strays 2026 Tour Dates
Sat 18 Apr - Gasoline Pony (Sydney)
Fri 24 Apr - Society City (Wollongong)* Richie performing solo supporting The Shipwrecked
Fri 1 May - The Cave Inn (Brisbane)
Sat 2 May - The Citadel (Northern Rivers)
Sun 3 May - Banshee's Bar & Artspace (Ipswich)
Fri 8 May - Society City (Wollongong)* Richie performing duo mode opening for Anna Weatherup & Amy Lee
Sat 30 May - Cronulla Jazz & Blues Festival (Sydney)* Richie performing solo
