JON CLEARY & THE ABSOLUTE MONSTER GENTLEMEN . TWO-TIME GRAMMY AWARD WINNER BRINGS GOOD TIME FUNK AND JOY OF NEW ORLEANS TO AUSTRALIA IN MARCH 2027
After more than 35 years at the forefront of the ever-evolving musical landscape of New Orleans, two-time Grammy Award-winner Jon Cleary will return to Australia in March 2027 with his extraordinary longtime backing band The Absolute Monster Gentlemen for a run of dates that will bring the good time funk, soul and joy of the Crescent City to stages across the country.
A master of New Orleans funk and R&B, Cleary has spent more than three decades immersed in the musical traditions of a city whose grooves run deep. Alongside The Absolute Monster Gentlemen, he delivers a sound that is simultaneously steeped in history and at the same time completely alive in the present.
At the heart of Cleary’s New Orleans sound are The Absolute Monster Gentlemen – a powerhouse of groove, soul and exciting musicianship. Drawn from the deep musical community of New Orleans, the band brings together musicians who understand the language of funk, R&B and second-line rhythm from the inside out. Together with Cleary on the keys, guitar and vocals, they create the loose and infectious deep pocket grooves that have made the Gentlemen a fixture on stages and dance floors around the world.
“Sophisticated, nasty, good-time, low-down funk is the folk music of New Orleans. The roots go deep. Everyone playing on this stage is a New Orleanian by birth or by choice, having learned their craft at the feet of the masters who in turn were taught by the old lions in their day.” – Jon Cleary
Born in London, Cleary was on a plane to New Orleans before he turned 20, embarking on a lifelong musical relationship with the city. His extraordinary understanding of the city’s music soon saw him working as a session musician alongside New Orleans legends including Earl King, Johnny Adams, Walter ‘Wolfman’ Washington, Snooks Eaglin, Ernie K-Doe, Jessie Hill, and the legendary Dr. John, as well as touring extensively with Bonnie Raitt and Taj Mahal.
Jon Cleary & The Absolute Monster Gentlemen’s 2024 album The Bywater Sessions continues that remarkable live performance legacy, and this year’s solo release by Cleary Live at Royal Albert Hall is the cherry on top for the star with an intimate and electrifying piano performance recorded at the iconic London venue.
Cleary last brought his New Orleans sound to Australia in 2024, when he played multiple sold out shows across the capital cities with The Absolute Monster Gentlemen, leaving audiences with a taste of the band’s irresistible rhythms and deep-felt music traditions.
Now, the band return for a long-awaited Australian tour in March with performances spanning Adelaide, Brisbane, Cairns and his biggest single shows in Sydney and Melbourne in his long history of touring Australia, plus a very special appearance at the 50th Port Fairy Folk Festival, celebrating 50 years of one of country’s much-loved music festivals and 13 years since Jon Cleary last played at Port Fairy in 2014.
Expect all the deep grooves, piano mastery, and good-time rhythms when Jon Cleary & The Absolute Monster Gentlemen return to Australia in March.
JON CLEARY & THE ABSOLUTE MONSTER GENTLEMEN
AUSTRALIA 2027
Friday 5 March – Melbourne Recital Centre, Melbourne VIC
Saturday 6 & Sunday 7 March – Port Fairy Folk Festival, Port Fairy VIC
Monday 8 March – The Gov, Adelaide SA
Wednesday 10 March – City Recital Centre, Sydney NSW
Thursday 11 March – The Old Museum, Brisbane QLD
Sunday 14 March – Tanks Arts Centre, Cairns QLD
Tickets on sale Wednesday 30 September at joncleary.com
