Perfume Genius
Performing his most intimate album yet in Sydney Opera House debut
Sydney —
Queer luminary of American indie music Perfume Genius – aka Mike Hadreas – will return to Australia with a one-night-only headline show in the Opera House’s Concert Hall on Tuesday 9 December.
"Australia! We are thrilled to be returning this December and wrapping up the year with a special run of shows, including a headline at Sydney Opera House. Can't wait to be back.” - Perfume Genius
Beloved for his emotionally raw, genre-defying pop-rock, the Iowa-born singer-songwriter will perform with his spectacular live band, drawing from his critically acclaimed seventh studio album Glory (2025) – hailed as his most confessional record to date – as well as favourites from his celebrated back catalogue. The album’s lead single It’s A Mirror was named Best New Track by Pitchfork.
Described by The Guardian as “one of alternative music’s biggest stars”, Perfume Genius is known for his striking live presence and fearless songwriting, embracing queer identity, trauma and transformation with unflinching honesty. Across seven acclaimed albums – including Set My Heart on Fire Immediately (2020), named among the year’s best by The New Yorker, Pitchfork and Rolling Stone – Hadreas has carved a singular space in contemporary music, shifting from tender ballads to soaring glam rock. Glory was created with longtime partner and collaborator Alan Wyffels, producer Blake Mills and bandmates including Meg Duffy (Hand Habits).
Sydney Opera House Head of Contemporary Music, Ben Marshall, said: “Perfume Genius is at once raw and theatrical – a soul-baring artist whose emotionally arresting soundscapes and clear-eyed vulnerability have cemented his place as one of the most compelling voices in alternative music today. To witness that kind of emotional intensity and artistic precision in the sweeping Concert Hall promises to be a profoundly transcendent and intimate experience – one that will move, comfort, challenge and inspire.”
