‘Suburban Boy’ Dave Warner returns to celebrate 50 years of music

Dave Warner and the Suburbs are celebrating their 50th anniversary with a special performance at the Astor Theatre on Saturday, October 24. 

Warner launched out of Perth with his 1972 proto-punk band Pus, which was then refined into the concept of ‘suburban rock’.

In 1975, the Bicton-born musician went to London and wrote many new songs which expressed a clearly defined vision of Australia, including tracks such as Convict Streak and Oklahoma.

Following his trip away, he formed The Suburbs in January 1977. The group developed a huge underground following, which led to Warner signing with Australia’s Mushroom Records in 1978. His first album, Mugs Game, went gold within a month of release, and Suburban Boy became the cornerstone of this new style of music. His music was described as ‘Lou Reed meets Tomas Pynchon’, and Bob Dylan even referred to Warner as one of his “favourite Australian artists”.

Joining Warner on the night will be Howie Johnstone, Tony Durant, and Paul Noonan from the original ‘Mugs Game’ Suburbs. Earlier collaborators like Haydn Pickersgill, the first bass player of The Suburbs, plus later regulars Phil Bailey and Lloyd Gyi will make appearances alongside newbies Phil Bennett and Sam Musca.

The extensive set will include Pus songs, early Suburbs, the Mugs Game era and more recent WHEN songs, with Warner showcasing why he was the prime mover in creating original music out of Perth.

Dave Warner and the Suburbs play at Astor Theatre on Saturday, October 24, 2026. Tickets are on sale now from premier.ticketek.com.au