Australian modern country festival Strummingbird has announced three replacement artists for its 2026 October run, following Post Malone's postponement of his upcoming Asia and Australian tour dates. Presented by Kicks Entertainment, the festival spans three locations across Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland, with Tyler Childers, Sam Barber and James Johnston stepping in to fill the headline gap across Ballarat (10th October), Newcastle (17th October) and the Sunshine Coast (18th October).

Tyler Childers joins Newcastle and the Sunshine Coast as an Australian exclusive, bringing his seventh studio album Snipe Hunter, produced by Rick Rubin, to Aussie audiences for the first time live. The Grammy-nominated Kentucky songwriter reached #1 on Billboard's Americana/Folk Albums chart and #7 on the all-genre Billboard 200 with the record, which GQ labelled "the most visionary country album of the year." Sam Barber, a Southeast Missouri singer-songwriter with 3.3 billion streams to his name, lands exclusively in Ballarat off the back of his latest album Broken View, a 13-track record that swings from gritty country to full rock catharsis, co-created at Aaron Dessner's Long Pond studio.

Rounding out the additions is NSW Mid North Coast local James Johnston, who plays all three legs of the festival. The 8x Platinum artist behind "Raised Like That" and sophomore album Where You'll Find Me is fresh off UK and Canadian shows, joining a stacked lineup that already includes Bailey Zimmerman, Cooper Alan, Stella Lefty, Dexter & The Moonrocks and more than 20 acts across the three dates.

Ticket holders disappointed by the Post Malone news can request a refund by logging into their Moshtix account before 5pm AEST on Thursday 3rd September, after which the refund window closes permanently. Camping is available at Ballarat and the Sunshine Coast for those wanting a full festival weekend, and MOTM Event Transport offers same-day return buses from metro and regional locations for all three events. Remaining tickets are on sale now through Moshtix and are selling fast, so fans are encouraged to secure their spot at strummingbird.com.au before it's too late.