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The 20 best Australian bands of all time
26 January 2026, 08:00
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Monday 26th January is Australia Day 2026, so Radio X is taking a look at some of the very best acts to come from Down Under....
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AC/DC
- Formed: Sydney, New South Wales, 1973
- Most streamed track: Highway To Hell, 2.1 billion streams
The Godfathers of Aussie Rock, the legendary Acca Dacca was formed by brothers Malcolm and Angus Young - two Glaswegians who moved to Sydney in the 60s. Originally featuring the late Bon Scott on vocals - he was replaced after his death in 1980 by Brian Johnson - the band have notched up five decades of no-nonsense, lewd and crude rock 'n' roll. There is now an “AC/DC Lane” in Melbourne.
AC/DC - Highway to Hell (Official Video)
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The Avalanches
- Formed: Melbourne, Victoria, 1997
- Most streamed track: Since I Left You, 72 million streams
The Melbourne DJ collective made a huge splash in 2000 with their debut album Since I Left You, a massive mix of original tunes, memorable samples and scratches. It was long thought that they’d never follow it up - but they did, 16 years later, with Wildflower issuing a third in 2020, entitled We Will Always Love You.
The Avalanches - 'Since I Left You'
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Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds
- Formed: Melbourne, Victoria, 1983
- Most streamed track: O Children, 209 million streams
The dark master of Australian rock, Cave made his debut in the punk/goth outfit The Birthday Party back in 1978. The band dissolved in 1983, leaving Cave to form The Bad Seeds, who have released 18 albums, the latest being Wild God in 2024. 1996's Murder Ballads saw him team up with another Australian icon - Kylie Minogue.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - O Children (Official Audio)
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Crowded House
- Formed: Melbourne, Victoria, 1985
- Most streamed track: Don't Dream It's Over, 1.06 billion streams
New Zealander Neil Finn and Australian Paul Hester were members of the respected New Wave band Split Enz; when that group folded in 1984, they joined forces with Aussie bassist Nick Seymour to form Crowded House in Melbourne.
Despite the later addition of Neil's brother Tim and other non-Aussie musicians to the ranks, Finn considers the band to be Australian, saying the group's early albums were inspired by the city. Certainly, the classic Four Seasons In One Day was inspired by the changeable Melburnian climate. Take a cardie!
Crowded House - Don't Dream It's Over (Official Music Video)
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Cut Copy
- Formed: Melbourne, Victoria, 2001
- Most streamed track: Lights & Music, 52 million streams
Signed to the ultra-cool Modular label, the Cutters were originally formed around Melbournian DJ and musician Dan Whitford and released their debut album, Bright Like Neon Love, in 2004. They're released a number of albums of electronic rock, including 2008's In Ghost Colours and 2020's Freeze Melt.
Cut Copy - Lights & Music (Official Video)
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DMAs
- Formed: Sydney, New South Wales, 2012
- Most streamed track: Believe, 52 million streams
This Sydney trio are a big hit with our very own Liam Gallagher and released their debut single Delete in 2014. Their second album, For Now was issued in 2018 and was tagged as "BIBLICAL" by our Liam. Their cover of Cher’s Believe made Number 6 on Triple J’s Hot 100 in 2016 and their latest album is 2023's How Many Dreams?
Believe (Triple J Like A Version)
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Empire Of The Sun
- Formed: Sydney, New South Wales, 2007
- Most streamed track: Walking On A Dream, 1.3 billion streams
An Aussie supergroup, comprising The Sleepy Jackson's Luke Steele and Nick Littlemore of Pnau. Their self-titled 2008 album raised a few eyebrows, thanks to the outfits the duo wore, which evoked nothing less than some kind of bizarre 1980s fantasy movie. Their fourth album, Ask That God, was released in July 2024.
Empire Of The Sun - Walking On A Dream
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Gang Of Youths
- Formed: Sydney, New South Wales, 2012
- Most streamed track: Achilles Come Down, 173 million streams
Fronted by David Le'aupepe, these Sydneysiders are the hottest thing to come out of Aus since Hugh Jackman. Their second album Go Farther In Lightness gained a lot of critical acclaim on its release in 2017 and has seen the band’s appear reach beyond Australia. Their latest album is 2022's Angel In Realtime.
Achilles Come Down
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Howling Bells
- Formed: Sydney, New South Wales, 2004
- Most streamed track: Setting Sun, 476 million streams
This indie rock band formed back in 2004, with Juanita Stein on vocals and her brother Joel on guitar. They have released four albums, the most recent of which is 2014's Heartstrings.
Howling Bells - Your Love
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Jet
- Formed: Melbourne, Victoria, 2001
- Most streamed track: Are You Gonna Be My Girl, 816 million streams
Brothers Nic and Chris Cester were the backbone of this hard-rockin' Melbourne band, whose biggest hit was 2003's Are You Gonna Be My Girl? Rollover DJ and Look What You've Done were other great tracks from their debut album Get Born.
Jet - Are You Gonna Be My Girl
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INXS
- Formed: Sydney, New South Wales, 1977
- Most streamed track: Need You Tonight, 599 million streams
Fronted by the charismatic singer Michael Hutchence, INXS became Australia's biggest musical export on the release of their 1987 album, Kick. The following decade saw them notch up more sales and acclaim, but the death of Hutchence in 1997 almost finished the band. In 2004 they returned with J.D. Fortune, who'd won a TV competition to find a new vocalist; Fortune was replaced by Northern Irish musician Ciaran Gribbin for one final tour which ended in November 2012.
INXS - Need You Tonight
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Midnight Oil
- Formed: Sydney, New South Wales, 1972
- Most streamed track: Beds Are Burning, 419 million tracks
Best known for their politically-charged 1987 single Beds Are Burning (about returning land to the indigenous Aboriginal people), singer Peter Garrett later became a member of the Australian Labor Party and was appointed Minister Of The Environment in 2007. The band's thirteenth album, Resist, was issued in 2022.
Midnight Oil - Beds Are Burning
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Pendulum
- Formed: Perth, Western Australia, 2002
- Most streamed track: Witchcraft, 120 million streams
Drum 'n' bass out of Perth… the much-loved Pendulum went on hiatus in 2012, but they returned in 2015 and continue to play live shows. Their Anima EP was released in 2023.
Pendulum - Witchcraft (Official Video)
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Powderfinger
- Formed: Brisbane, Queensland, 1989
- Most streamed track: My Happiness, 112 million streams
The Brisbane rockers released seven albums between '94 and 2009, five of which went to Number 1 in Australia. They split in 2010, much to the anguish of Aussie rock fans, reforming for a one-night-only charity show in 2020.
Powderfinger - My Happiness
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Regurgitator
- Formed: Brisbane, Queensland, 1993
- Most streamed track: The Song Formerly Known As, 18 million streams
The Gurge hail from Brisbane and have been together since 1993. One of Australia's most-loved rock bands, their tenth album in 2019 was specially for kids: The Really Really Really Really Boring Album.
Regurgitator - ! (The Song Formerly Known As)
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The Saints
- Formed: Brisbane, Queensland, 1973
- Most streamed track: I'm Stranded, 7.7 million streams
When they released their debut 7" (I'm) Stranded in September 1976, The Saints became the first band outside the US to issue a "punk" single. The Brisbane act were hugely influential, but the original line-up split in '78, leaving Chris Bailey to continue the name and guitarist Ed Kuepper to forge a solo career.
The Saints - Stranded
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The Sleepy Jackson
- Formed: Perth, Western Australia, 1998
- Most streamed track: Good Dancers, 6.3 million
An acclaimed musical project from Perth, based around Auckland-born songwriter Luke Steele. There were two albums - Lovers (2003) and Personality - One Was A Spider, One Was A Bird (2006) - but Steele's Empire Of The Sun project has taken up much of his time since then.
The Sleepy Jackson - Good Dancers
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Tame Impala
- Formed: Perth, Western Australia, 2007
- Most streamed track: The Less I Know The Better, 2.2 billion streams
Perth's psych rock revivalists formed back in 2007, but it wasn't until they released the single Elephant in 2012 that they made an impression on the wider world. Fourth album The Slow Rush arrived in 2020.
Tame Impala - Elephant (Official Video)
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The Vines
- Formed: Sydney, New South Wales, 1994
- Most streamed track: Get Free, 108 million streams
Led by vocalist and guitarist Craig Nicholls, Sydney's The Vines made a huge impact with their 2002 debut album Highly Involved, which boasted tracks like Get Free and Highly Evolved. However, a troubled career saw half the band leave over the years due to Nicholls' erratic behaviour. He was subsequently diagnosed with Asperger syndrome and continues to perform with the group. The last Vines album was In A Miracle Land in 2018.
The Vines - Get Free
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Wolfmother
- Formed: Sydney, New South Wales, 2004
- Most streamed track: Joker And The Thief, 378 million streams
The Sydney-based trio - featuring Andrew Stockdale on guitar and vocals - released their debut album in 2005, and featured the classic track Woman. They've released more albums since including 2009's Cosmic Egg and 2021's Rock Out.
Wolfmother - Joker And The Thief (Audio)
