Men at Work first toured North America in the summer of 1982, supporting Fleetwood Mac. The Australian pop rock and new wave band had recently scored its first big hit with “Who Can It Be Now,” the opening track of their debut album, “Business As Usual.” The song, and the band, quickly caught fire.
“It was pretty crazy,” said lead singer Colin Hay. “It was a phenomenal success.”
Formed in Melbourne in 1979, Men at Work had spent its first few years slowly building a following in Australia. They’d never played a show outside their native country. So when their first record took off all over the world, powered by hits like “Who Can It Be Now” and “Down Under,” it was a bit of a shock.
“You know, it doesn’t really happen to very many people,” Hay said. “So, I mean, I was just trying to stay on the board and not to fall off.”
Four and a half decades later, Men at Work is still touring. Their current tour began with a swing through Brazil and Mexico this spring, and is now making its way up the East Coast, with support from Toad the Wet Sprocket and Shonen Knife. They’ll perform at The Whittemore Center at the University of New Hampshire in Durham next Tuesday, July 28. The following night, they hit the Maine Savings Amphitheater in Bangor.
According to Hay, life on the road is a little different now than it was back in the early ’80s. For one thing, there was a bit more partying in the early days.
“Yeah, it was ridiculous back then. And explosive, was really what it was,” he said. “Well, I’m still alive. If I had kept doing what I was doing back then, I wouldn’t be here.”
Now 73, Hay said he has a whole new appreciation for performing.
“I’m enjoying myself a lot more,” he said. “I actually think that I’m enjoying myself a lot more now than I ever did with playing music.”
Hay is the only continuous member of Men at Work, which went on hiatus in the mid-1980s, reformed in the mid-’90s, and has been touring sporadically ever since. The original lineup fell apart a year after winning a Grammy Award for Best New Artist in 1983.
“It was a band that didn’t really stand the test of time in any real way,” Hay said. “For one reason or another, the personnel was such that it just pretty much disintegrated in four years or so. But we achieved an awful lot, and I was really proud to have been in that band.”
Today, the band’s lineup features members from Cuba, Peru, and the United States. Hay is originally from Scotland and emigrated to Australia as a teenager. Shonen Knife is from Japan, adding to the celebration of diversity to be found on the current tour.
“I think that’s a great thing about music and culture,” said Hay, who now lives in Los Angeles. “To coin a cliche, it’s one of those melting pots where people get to meet, and people of all cultures and backgrounds can do things like play music together. It’s a pretty joyful thing.”
“Down Under,” perhaps Men at Work’s most enduring and widely recognized song, was recently hijacked by anti-immigration demonstrators in Australia. Hay has strongly denounced this unauthorized use of his music, and has spoken out against the politics of division.
“Coming here as a migrant, I love being part of the United States of America, and not only what it is, but what it could be,” he said. “The promise of it is still to be experienced, not just by a few people, but by everyone. And that’s the whole idea, I think, is the idea of the United States of America to be a free country for everyone in it. … Whatever I can do to aid that, I’ll do it.”
So far, the 2026 tour has been “beautiful,” Hay said.
“The concerts are just joyous experiences with none of that division or tension,” he said. “That’s one of the great things about playing live shows.”
Hay said performing hits like “Down Under” in front of a live audience is still a thrill. Does he ever get sick of playing decades-old classics?
“No, I don’t feel that,” he said. “Because, you’re really a messenger for those songs. You take the self out of the equation and you’re delivering a song to an audience, and as soon as you start playing a song, you get this immediate response. And so, you’re giving people immense joy and pleasure, you know? How can you get sick of that?”
Another thrill is exposing new generations of fans to Men at Work’s catalog in a live setting. At a recent show in Brazil, Hay said, the first several rows of attendees appeared to be teenagers. The same might be true at UNH next week.
“It’s a beautiful thing to still be doing it and still be attracting an audience that loves what you do.”
Outside of Men at Work, Hay has many other projects to keep him busy. He’s had a prolific career as a solo artist, and continues to write new music. He’s also a long-time member of Ringo Starr & His All-Starr Band.
“I play with Ringo still, yeah. Played with him just a few weeks ago, and we will go back out in September.”
For now, though, Hay is focused on the tour that will soon bring him to northern New England. He spoke to PortsmouthNH.com from Atlanta, where he had a show on July 21. From there, the tour continues to wheel around the country through late August before hopping across the ocean to Australia in the fall.
What can folks expect at the upcoming concerts? You’ll have to attend to find out.
“Just come along,” Hay said. “If you come along, I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.”
Men at Work performs with Toad the Wet Sprocket and Shonen Knife at The Whittemore Center in Durham on Tuesday, July 28 (presented by The Music Hall), and at Maine Savings Amphitheater in Bangor on Wednesday, July 29. Get full tour details here.
photo by Paul Mobley
