UK rockers Fischer-Z set to smash into WA for first time ever

To celebrate the band’s 50th anniversary, British rock group Fischer-Z will take on their first-ever Australian tour in November and December 2026, hitting Rosemount Hotel on Wednesday, November 25.

Marking the milestone in style, Fischer-Z’s world tour will also see the band visit Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, France, Spain, Portugal, and the UK this year.

In addition to the tour, the band are releasing a celebratory album titled 50/50. The LP is split: five brand new songs (three earmarked as singles) and five re-imagined versions of lead singer John Watts’ favourites from the first five albums.

Fischer-Z’s John Watts first entered the pop music world in the 1970s alongside his day job working in an experimental psychiatric facility.

“I’d be doing a shift there from 8 to 4pm and then get in a van to do a gig in Derby,” Watts recalls. “I’d literally dealt with raging psychos all day, so I wasn’t afraid of the punk crowds. You go out and play in Wolverhampton … some snotty little 17-year-olds who threaten to put a cigarette out on your leg, and you think, ‘Well, come on then!”

In 1976, Watts teamed up with synth player Steve Skolnik at Brunel University to form Fischer-Z. The pair’s reputation for political songwriting and frenetic energy earned them a recording deal with United Artists in 1978, putting them in the company of peers like The Stranglers and Buzzcocks.

Their music has enjoyed chart success down under, with Fischer-Z’s breakthrough global hit So Long released in 1980, peaking at #15 on the Kent Music Report, as well as the later single The Perfect Day released in 1987, reaching #12 on the ARIA Charts, earning the band significant national airplay.

Across Fischer-Z’s five-decade career, they have released more than 23 albums and sold over two million records. They’ve played more than 3,000 concerts across Europe, North America, and beyond.

Fischer-Z have shared stages with James Brown (a 167,000-strong crowd in East Berlin), toured with The Police and Dire Straits, and appeared alongside Bob Marley on his final European festival tour.

“I can’t believe it’s already been 50 years,” says Watts. “It’s been a hell of a journey, full of ups and downs, but I can’t wait to celebrate with everyone, and I’m up for it! Here’s to many more years of new music, shows and art.”

Fischer-Z play Rosemount Hotel on Wednesday, November 25, 2026. Tickets are on sale now from rosemounthotel.oztix.com