Indie hip hop will be represented when American rappers Earl Sweatshirt and MIKE bring their decade-plus friendship down under this May.
The artists behind such joints as 'Chum', 'Riot!', 'Sunday' (Earl Sweatshirt) 'Hunger' and 'As 4 Me' (MIKE) will play concerts in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane.
Both Earl and MIKE released solo albums last year – MIKE's 'Showbiz!' and Earl's 'Live, Laugh, Love' – with the duo to release a collaborative album 'Pompeii // Utility' with the celebrated Surf Gang next month (pre-order it) that plays like a victory lap that traces their friendship back over more than a decade.
Over this time, the pair have developed a loyal working relationship, tallying notable collaborations like 'Allstar' on MIKE’s 2020 album 'Weight Of The World' as well as 'Sentry' on Earl Sweatshirt and The Alchemist's collab album 'Void Dire'.
With the recent release of the album's lead double single, 'Minty // Earth', Earl Sweatshirt, MIKE, and Surf Gang gear up for an album that, at its core, embodies a shared ethos that has always been a part of their creative DNA: collaboration as community-building.
It evokes African and diasporic traditions where art and story are collective, iterative, relational – part of a larger whole.
From top to bottom, there was a clear, concerted effort to keep every angle of the project within the family.
Tickets on sale from 9am AEDT on 27 March.
Earl Sweatshirt and MIKE 2026 Tour Dates
Sat 23 May - The Timber Yard (Melbourne)
Sun 24 May - Vivid LIVE @ Sydney Opera House
Wed 27 May - Open Season @ The Tivoli (Brisbane)
