The Animals Announce 2024 Australian Farewell Tour

November 20, 2023

An approximate incarnation of 1960s British rock band The Animals are heading to Australia in 2024. The band includes original Animals drummer John Steel, along with guns for hire Danny Handley (guitar, vocals), Roberto Ruiz (bass, vocals) and Barney Williams (drums). The tour coincides with the 60th anniversary of the band’s formation in the city of Newcastle upon Tyne in Northern England.

This version of the Animals will play shows at intimate venues in Newcastle, Wollongong, Paddington, Rozelle, Tweed Heads, Adelaide, Albury and Doncaster in February and March 2024. Find all the details below.

The Animals – ‘We Gotta Get Out of This Place’

The forthcoming visit is billed as a “farewell tour” and the tour art promises performances of The Animals’ best-known songs, such as ‘The House of the Rising Sun’, ‘We Gotta Get Out of This Place’, ‘Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood’, ‘It’s My Life’ and ‘Boom Boom’.

‘Boom Boom’ is a cover of John Lee Hooker; ‘We Gotta Get Out of This Place’ was written by Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil for The Righteous Brothers, but ended up in the hands of The Animals; ‘The House of the Rising Sun’ is a traditional American folk song and was recorded by Joan Baez, Nina Simone and Bob Dylan before The Animals made it a hit; Simone was the first artist to record ‘Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood’, which was written by Bennie Benjamin, Horace Ott and Sol Marcus.