After tour dates quietly appeared on their MySpace a couple of days back, it was confirmed today that inimitable reggae/hardcore pioneers Bad Brains are scheduled to tour Australia in June. They play the Hi-Fi Bar in Brisbane on Wednesday 16 June, the Hi-Fi Bar in Melbourne on Thursday 17 June and the Manning Bar in Sydney on Saturday 19 June.

Recent footage suggests they’re not quite as dynamic live as they used to be, and their recent output has been, um, somewhat hit-and-miss (more miss than hit in the case of frontman HR’s 2009 solo outing Hey Wella) – but still, it’s the original line-up touring, and if you’re a fan, this has gotta be worth seeing. If you’re game, tickets go on sale on Wednesday through Moshtix.

Also heading our way are influential Kiwi four-piece The Chills, riding the wave of resurgent interest in the Flying Nun/Dunedin sound of the early ‘80s. They play the East Brunswick Club in Melbourne on Friday 14 May and the Oxford Art Factory in Sydney on Saturday 15 May. This will be the band’s first Australian tour since 1992, and follows a successful tour last year by Dunedin contemporaries The Bats, who are returning in April – both tours are being staged by excellent Melbourne label/touring company Mistletone. The Chills also featured on Stroke, the recent double-CD tribute to Tall Dwarfs founder Chris Knox, who suffered a stroke last June – they contributed a cover of ‘Luck or Loveliness’. Ticketing details here.

And finally, local post/proggers done good Pivot (the first Australian band on Warp Records, don’t you know) are back in April to play the Annandale in Sydney on Thursday 1 April and the East Brunswick Club in Melbourne on Saturday 3 April. Tickets on sale now via civilsociety.com.au.