It’s hard to describe just how huge Culture Club became when they burst onto the scene in the 80s. They were more of a cultural phenomenon than pop stars. 

The band are in Australia this September for their Greatest Hits Tour, celebrating 40 years of music.

Born out of the London club scene, Culture Club combined Boy George’s outrageous fashion sense, good looks and charming wit with an expert sense of popular music.  

During the early 80s, the group racked up seven straight Top 10 hits in the UK and six Top 10 singles in the US with their light, infectious pop-soul.

These were the glory days of MTV, when it showed back-to-back music videos and not reality shows, and with Boy George’s standout image, that exposure helped push songs like Do You Really Want to Hurt Me and Karma Chameleon to the top of the charts. The Grammy Award winners have sold more than 50 million albums and were the first group since The Beatles to have three Top Ten hits in America from a debut. 

Even before their record label began to push the band’s new singles in 1982, Culture Club received media attention after George appeared in fashion magazines covering the New Romantics scene. His charisma proved to be the group’s best promotional tool. 

The band split in 1986 amid George’s struggle with drug use but reunited in 1998. 

Boy George was raised in England by Irish parents, from Thurles in County Tipperary. He said he found his childhood family trips back to Ireland difficult because he was too flamboyant for his conservative relatives.

During school holidays in the 60s and 70s, the singer often travelled over to stay with family members in both Dublin and Tipperary.

Speaking about those holidays, he told the US-based Irish Voice: “We definitely had far too much personality for some of our relatives in Ireland back then. My mum was told, ‘Look at the way you’re bringing up these kids!’.”

Last year, Boy George was in Australia to take part in reality TV show I’m a Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here. He was the most expensive guest to ever appear on the show, reportedly being paid nearly $1 million for his appearance. 

Culture Club were frequent visitors to Australia in the mid-2010s, touring three times between June 2016 and late 2017. However, they’ve not toured the country since then, with the upcoming shows marking their first run of Australian dates in almost six years.

They are supported by 80s synth pop group, Berlin. Their hits included Take My Breath Away, which topped the charts worldwide after being used in the movie Top Gun. 

Culture Club 2023 Australian Tour

with support by Berlin:

5 SEP Perth WA

8 SEP Sydney NSW

9 SEP Melbourne VIC

11SEP Adelaide SA

14 SEP Brisbane QLD