Beloved Australian songwriter Ben Lee has announced a national tour to mark the 20th anniversary of his career-defining album Awake Is The New Sleep, which will stop in at King Street Bandroom in September.
Fans can expect a full run-through of the 2005 album, played live with a full band and no modern trimmings—no backing tracks, no click tracks, and no screens.
Ben promises a throwback to simpler, flower-covered stages, with songs that explore love, loss, and transformation delivered the old-fashioned way: human and heartfelt.
The tour arrives alongside a reimagined version of his breakout anthem Catch My Disease.
Titled Catch My Disease 2025, the new cut was made in collaboration with US indie rockers Phantom Planet, giving the song a shoegaze twist and a lyrical update that name-drops everyone from Miss Kaninna to Ulladulla.
While Ben admits he’s not usually one for nostalgia, he recognises that Awake Is The New Sleep has taken on a life of its own in the hearts of fans.
Written during a time of personal upheaval, the record became a beacon of optimism and openness, and its messages still resonates, 20 years later.
Ben Lee’s Awake Is The New Sleep 20th Anniversary Tour will stop in at King Street Bandroom, Newcastle on Friday, 26 September 2025. Tickets go on sale Thursday, 22 May via Oztix, with a Frontier Touring presale beginning Tuesday, 20 May via kingstreet.oztix.com.au.
