Jimmy Barnes Returns With New Album 'Defiant' And National Tour

Jimmy Barnes has shared details of his 21st solo album, Defiant. The album is set for release on Friday, June 9th via Freight Train Music, Barnes’ label distributed through his longtime home of Mushroom. To coincide with the album’s announcement, the Cold Chisel frontman has announced a new batch of solo tour dates and also shared the first two songs from the album. The full tour itinerary, as well as pre-sale and ticketing information, can be found below.

The new singles, ‘New Day’ and ‘Beyond The River Bend’, are tracks two and three on the new album respectively. A music video for the former track has been shared, directed by Paul Van Kan and starring Barnes’ longtime friend and collaborator Troy Cassar-Daley, alongside his wife Laurel Edwards. “When Jimmy asked me to bring in my beautiful old EH Holden, Daphne, backstage one night in Brisbane so he could see her in the flesh, it sparked an idea for him to have myself and my wife in his new clip,” said Cassar-Daley. “We had a great day, and it was wonderful to be a part of his new song.” The video for ‘New Day’ can be viewed below.

Jimmy Barnes – ‘New Day’

Defiant was produced by Barnes’ longtime collaborator Kevin “Caveman” Shirley, and was recorded over the last three years following Barnes’ last LP: the festive 2022 effort Blue Christmas. Several factors impacted its delay, including Barnes’ open-heart surgery and the reunion of Cold Chisel for their extensive The Big Five-O Australasian tour. In a press statement, Barnes noted that there was “a recurring theme about the satisfaction you can get from fighting back” throughout the ten tracks on the new album. “That’s why it’s called Defiant,” he quipped.

“Nobody lives this long without copping some knocks, and I’ve taken my fair share – particularly lately. But, none of us can control what life throws at us. We can only control how we respond and, for better or worse, I’ve never liked to take a backward step. It’s no secret that this has caused me some problems over the years, but I’ve finally learned how to turn my stubborn Scottish streak into something positive – something that helps me survive.”

Barnes will return to touring under his own name in June, the day after Defiant is released. He will be complemented by his nine-piece backing band, which includes his wife Jane on backing vocals and his son Jackie on drums. It follows on from the cancellation of his acoustic tour last year, which was done in order for him to fully recover from emergency hip surgery. “I’m really looking forward to getting back on stage with my band again,” said Barnes. “I’m so proud of this new record – all the songs mean a lot to me and I can’t wait to share them with you. It’s going to be some serious fun!”

Jimmy Barnes Defiant 2025 Tour

Saturday, June 7th – AEC Theatre, Adelaide SA
Sunday, June 8th – Riverside Theatre, Perth WA
Saturday, June 14th – Palais Theatre, Melbourne VIC
Saturday, June 21st – Fortitude Music Hall, Brisbane QLD
Friday, June 27th – State Theatre, Sydney NSW
Saturday, June 28th – Canberra Theatre, Canberra ACT

A pre-sale for the tour goes live from 11am local time on Wednesday, February 26th. General sale then follows on Friday, February 28th at 10am local time. Both can be accessed via Frontier Touring.