The Australian duo of Luke Steele and Nick Littlemore have spent more than a decade building one of modern music's most distinctive universes, blending synth-pop, theatre, fantasy and spectacle into a live experience unlike anything else on the road.
Now they're bringing that world to Luxembourg, and RTL Today Radio has tickets to give away.
Ahead of the band's Rockhal show on July 5th, Luke Steele spoke to the Sam Steen Show on RTL Today Radio to discuss touring, new music and why the Empire of the Sun story is far from over.
Empire of the Sun's live shows have become legendary for their elaborate costumes, cinematic visuals and immersive staging, but Steele says getting everything on the road is an enormous undertaking.
"The word I keep using is vortex," he laughed. "The touring world is such a vortex. You can rehearse for six years and everything will go wrong. Then you start, and it's just the test of the environment you're in."
With dancers, costumes, lighting rigs, freight, musicians and crew travelling across continents, every show requires an incredible amount of coordination.
"There's about 200 things just to get to the point where we're all in the same spot to do the show," Steele explained.
Since the release of Ask That God in 2024, Empire of the Sun have found themselves connecting with a whole new audience.
Steele says he's regularly surprised by how many younger fans are discovering the band through streaming services, social media and algorithms.
"I was down at the gym in Budapest and this girl recognised me," he recalled. "She said, 'We Are The People.' It was amazing. The demographics have changed again to a younger generation."
That resurgence comes more than 15 years after breakthrough hits like Walking on a Dream and We Are The People first introduced Empire of the Sun to audiences around the world.
While Ask That God remains the band's latest album, Steele revealed that Empire of the Sun are already road-testing new material during the current tour.
"We've got the shortlist for the next record and it was about 41 tracks," he said. "There's so many songs."
Rather than keeping everything secret until release day, the band have started experimenting with introducing new songs live to see how audiences react.
"It's changing the way we're looking at finishing the album," Steele explained.
Despite selling millions of albums, winning multiple awards and touring the globe for years, Steele says the band still feels creatively energised.
"It's always a new cycle," he said. "We're probably more inspired than ever."
And with world events constantly evolving, he believes there is no shortage of inspiration.
"There's just so much to write about," Steele said. "It feels important to keep doing it."
RTL Today Radio has a pair of tickets to give away for Empire of the Sun at Rockhal on July 5th.
For your chance to win, answer this question:
What is the title of Empire of the Sun's latest album?
Send your answer, along with your name and email address, to the RTL Today Radio WhatsApp: +352 621 52 5000.
Good luck!
Empire of the Sun
July 5, 2026
Rockhal, Esch-sur-Alzette
