Known for his jazz-fusion sensibility and elastic funk, Thundercat is bringing his 2026 tour to Auckland and Wellington this May, performing live in support of his new album Distracted.
The New Zealand leg of his tour will include a stop at the Powerstation in Auckland on Monday, May 4, 2026 with support from BLACK COMET, followed by a SOLD OUT show at Meow NUI in Wellington on Wednesday, May 6, 2026 with support from BABETECH & LUCOLA.
BLACK COMET – A multi-dimensional galactic funk collective founded by ninja, Laughton Kora (Kora, L.A.B, Fly My Pretties), BLACK COMET takes listeners on a groove-driven journey rich in storytelling.
BABETECH – Fierce, energetic, and rooted in club and soundsystem culture, BABETECH blends dubstep, bass, footwork, and R&B into an irresistible, genre-defying sound.
LUCOLA – Electronic, synthesizer-driven, and boldly experimental, LUCOLA is a singular force pushing the boundaries of modern sonic exploration.
In an age of endless notifications and fractured attention, Thundercat turns the chaos inward on Distracted, his long-awaited new album and one of his most resonant statements yet. Six years on from It Is What It Is, the record captures the restless aftermath of grief and modern overload, balancing existential weight with Thundercat’s unmistakable wit and warmth. It’s an album that laughs through the noise, folding jazz-fusion virtuosity, elastic funk and late-night introspection into songs that feel like unfiltered inner monologues: tender, funny, and painfully human.
That philosophy carries directly into the live experience. Onstage, Thundercat treats Distracted not as a lecture on modern life, but as a shared release, stretching songs, breaking the fourth wall, leaning into humour and spontaneity as a form of survival. These Australian and New Zealand shows with Niche Productions and The Operatives promise moments of presence inside the noise: music that drifts, refocuses, and reminds you why joy still matters. It’s playful, loose, deeply human, and a rare chance to experience Distracted and all of Thundercat the way it was meant to be felt, not scrolled past.
Thundercat – ‘I Wish I Didn’t Waste Your Time’
