Acapella Verses
2026 National Tour

Luka Lesson is one of Australia’s most powerful spoken word artists, blending rap and poetry into performances that move effortlessly between intimate stages and large festival crowds. A former Australian Poetry Slam Champion, Luka has performed everywhere from the National Museum of Australia to sold-out theatres in Byron Bay, and has supported international artists including Akala, Lowkey and Nahko.

In 2026, Luka Lesson returns to deliver his trademark incisive words and killer performances to audiences across the country on his Acapella Verses Tour. After performing in his musical theatre debut: Agapi & Other Kinds of Love, Luka is returning to his roots with a new tour, delivering both his classic poetry and some fresh pieces in their purest form: solo, direct and powerful. With over 1000 poetry performances across half a dozen countries, Luka commands the stage like none other. Every verse carries the weight of ancient oral traditions, where rhythm becomes memory and story becomes collective pulse.

With two decades of performing and workshop experience, Luka is as comfortable commanding a 200-seat theatre as he is leading dynamic, interactive workshops rooted in spoken word and writing practice. Recent runs of 200-seat venues have sold over 550 tickets, with steadily growing audiences in every city he performs.

About Acapella Verses

  • Stripped back and magnetic, the performance blends spoken word, storytelling and rap without music

  • Touring Australia in March 2026, with further seasons throughout the year

  • Ticketed pre-show writers’ workshops offer audiences a chance to engage directly with Luka’s practice before the evening performance

  • Designed for intimate theatres (100–150 seats), galleries and cultural spaces

Previous Festivals, Supports
& Collaborations

  • Festivals: Splendour in the Grass, Woodford Folk Festival, Bleach* Festival, Wanderlust (NZ), OneBlood Hip-hop Festival (South Africa), Edinburgh Literature Festival, Sydney Writers’ Festival, Ubud Writers’ Festival, Byron Writers’ Festival and many more

  • Supports: Akala (UK), Lowkey (UK), Nahko (USA), Shane Koyczan (Canada), Tiki Taane (NZ).

  • Collaborated with Trevor Hall on the song ‘Forgive’ ft Luka Lesson (7Million+ Streams)

  • Collaborated with BD Foxmoor on ‘Kaskarika’ (Music is King) (300,000+ views on Youtube)

  • Luka Lesson Youtube channel has gained 900,000+ views and 4600+ subscribers

Highlights & Achievements

  • Winner, Australian Poetry Slam Championship

  • Published two poetry collections ‘The Future Ancients’ and ‘Antidote’ and the verse novel: ‘Agapi & Other Kinds of Love’

  • Released two albums: ‘Please Resist Me’ and ‘EXIT’

  • Performed at National Museum of Australia, Art Gallery of NSW, Australian Institute of Archaeology at Athens, and more

  • Produced commissioned works for Queensland Symphony Orchestra, La Boite Theatre, Institute of Non-Violence, National Gallery of Victoria and Bleach* Festival

  • Poems studied on school curriculums across Australia

  • International performances in the USA, UK, South Africa, Hong Kong, China, Indonesia and Greece.

Previous Works
by Luka Lesson

Agapi & Other Kinds of Love, sold out show at Byron Theatre.

Luka Lesson // Amber Lights

Luka Lesson mini-documentary, filmed at the Chau Chak Wing Museum, Sydney.

Luka Lesson // Viral

Luka Lesson Socials Following

Total Socials Following: 30.7k

  • "Luka is a genuine artist of high quality whose poetry is powerful and poignant. I salute his prophetic witness!"

    DR CORNEL WEST
    U.S. PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE
    & PHILOSOPHER

  • "Luka Lesson is one of those people who changes the weather; who by his very presence makes the landscape seem more possible, more holy, more liveable. More true of heart. Words make worlds. Luka knows this. His mouth is a creation story...and we are all better for it.""

    DOMINIQUE CHRISTINA
    AWARD WINNING POET

  • “Luka Lesson is the kind of poet other poets want to be: other poets want to be honest”

    SHANE KOYCZAN
    AWARD WINNING POET

  • "A voice and presence capable of casting and holding a spell"

    JOHN SHAND
    PLAYWRIGHT & THEATRE CRITIC

  • “Luka Lesson is quickly becoming one of the most powerful artists of our medium. All comments about awesome word play and clever lines aside his work is most importantly simple, honest, rebellion. The stuff that all great art is made from.”

    KEN ARKIND
    AWARD WINNING POET

  • Luka is an intuitive, dauntless and irrepressibly curious writer. His celebration of underheard stories is clear in his complex, multilayered narratives, and I’m always excited to read his new work—the true mark of a constantly evolving artist.

    HALA ALYAN
    AWARD WINNING POET
    & NOVELIST

  • "Luka Lesson is a sonic literary genius."

    TAYLOR MALI
    AWARD WINNING POET

  • "Luka Lesson is a world class talent. He has a rare combination of hip hop cadence and a sculptor’s eye, combined with an on-stage charisma that makes his performances mesmerising. "

    OMAR MUSA
    AWARD WINNING POET
    & NOVELIST

Contact us.

Contact & Booking
For bookings, collaborations, or media enquiries, get in touch here:
info@lukalesson.com

Press kit, photos and videos available on request.


Watch: Youtube.com/lukalesson
Listen: Audiobooks & Albums
Website: lukalesson.com