[MUSIC/FILM INTERVIEW] LYDIA LUNCH – 2026 Australian Tour Interview

New York No Wave Queen Lydia Lunch returns to Australia to perform the songs of synth–punk duo Suicide and Suicide vocalist Alan Vega.
 
Lydia will be joined on stage by Andrew Coates of revered Melbourne electro trio, Black Cab to commemorate the tenth anniversary of Alan Vega’s passing, with special guests. (The Melbourne show will actually feature both principals of Black Cab – Andrew Coates and James Lee.)
 
Lunch originally met Suicide – the duo of late vocalist Alan Vega and multi-instrumentalist Martin Rev – in the 1970s, when Lunch moved to New York City from Rochester as a teenager. She formed a lifelong bond with the pair, often joining them on-stage to perform the song ‘Frankie Teardrop’ and recording a duet as part of Vega’s solo album Sniper, a collaboration with French experimental artist Marc Hurtado. Since Vega’s passing in 2016, Lunch has performed several Suicide tribute shows, most often with Hurtado; together the pair recently released the live album Metempsychosis: Reincarnate the Music of Alan Vega + Suicide.
 
Having previously never performed the show in Australia, Lydia surprised fans on a night off in Melbourne during her 2024 Spoken Word tour with an impromptu appearance at the Tote, backed by acclaimed Melbourne electronic duo Black Cab. It sold out in 3 days so she decided to bring it back for Vega’s anniversary in 2026, working again with Black Cab‘s Andrew Coates.

Passionate, sexual, confrontational and bold, Lunch, Vega and Rev are all cut from the same grimy cloth of 1970s New York. This show is more than a tribute. It’s an offering.

This week Lydia spoke to Subculture about the upcoming tour. You can take a listen here: