Men Without Hats – You Can Dance If You Want Tour
Canadian new-wave icons Men Without Hats, best known for the 1980s smash hits “The Safety Dance” and “Pop Goes The World,” are heading to Australia in May and June 2027, marking the first time the full band will tour Australia with their full live show.
More than four decades after Australians sent “The Safety Dance” into the national Top 5, Men Without Hats will bring one of the most instantly recognisable catalogues of the ’80s to Australian stages, led by founding member, songwriter and unmistakable voice Ivan Doroschuk.
When “The Safety Dance” exploded onto radio in 1983, Australia embraced it in a big way, sending the single to #5 on the Australian charts (then the Kent Music Report) and making it the #23 single of the year nationally. Australia was part of a worldwide phenomenon, with the song reaching #3 in the United States, #2 in New Zealand and #6 in the UK, while topping charts elsewhere around the world. Its brilliantly eccentric medieval-themed music videobecame an MTV-era classic, cementing “The Safety Dance” as an unmistakable piece of ’80s pop culture that has never really disappeared.
Then came another enduring anthem, “Pop Goes The World.”
Released in 1987, the song became another international hit and further cemented Men Without Hats as far more than a one-song phenomenon. Over the decades that followed, both songs have continued to find new audiences through film, television, advertising, sport and popular culture, giving the music of Men Without Hats a remarkable life well beyond its original chart success.
From McDonald’s advertising and major Super Bowl campaigns to Tide’s memorable “Pop Goes the World” campaign, and even “Pop Goes The World” finding new life as a football chant during UEFA Euro 2024, these songs haven’t simply endured - they’ve become part of popular culture.
“The Safety Dance” has surpassed 240 million streams on Spotify, while Men Without Hats attract around 1.8 million monthly listeners, with their catalogue continuing to generate hundreds of thousands of streams every day. Not bad for a song that became a global hit decades before streaming even existed.
Formed by Ivan Doroschuk in Montreal in 1978, Men Without Hats evolved from their punk beginnings to become one of the defining acts of the international new-wave and synth-pop explosion of the 1980s. Ivan’s brother Colin Doroschuk was a key member throughout much of that decade, alongside a revolving cast of musicians, while Ivan remained the band’s principal songwriter, unmistakable frontman and creative constant.
In 2020, that songwriting legacy was formally recognised with Men Without Hats’ induction into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame. The Doroschuk family connection continues today, with Colin’s daughter Sahara Sloan joining the band on keyboards and vocals in 2023, bringing a new generation into the Men Without Hats story.
More recently, Men Without Hats have entered an exciting new chapter with their acclaimed new album, On the Moon, out now. Its first two singles — the irresistibly fun “I ❤️ The 80s” and soaring synth-wave anthem “In Glorious Days” — are earning airplay around the world, with each surpassing 1.5 million YouTube views and continuing to climb. Produced with Grammy and Juno Award-winning producer Brian Howes and longtime Men Without Hats producer and guitarist Sho Murray, On the Moon stands as the band’s strongest release in decades.
The current live line-up brings together Ivan Doroschuk on vocals, Sahara Sloan on keyboards and vocals, Sho Murray on guitar and veteran drummer Adrian White.
More than 40 years after Australia first danced along, the wait is finally over.