Faithless & the enduring echoes of the 90s

As the 2020s have finally started to run in for their victory lap, reverberations of the influence of 90s era dance and electronic music are still being felt and celebrated.

They say that fashion historically runs in a 20-30-year cycle, and while music’s parallel with fashion is understandably contested, it’s undeniable that this current period of dance music has been clearly defined by 90s nostalgia. Hard house, happy hardcore, and even the prominence of the word ‘rave’ have become near impossible to escape for any regular member of society, let alone fans of it.

But while many modern acts, producers, DJs, festivals and clubs look to in some way recreate or reimagine that ‘freedom’ so regularly associated with days gone by and ‘decent gear’, there’s a generation of influential performers from that period still gracing our stages.

Over the course of their 30+ year career, UK group Faithless have long stood as a pioneer even among that very generation.

The group, made up of core original members Sister Bliss, Rollo and Maxi Jazz, have for decades regularly collaborated with a rotating group of vocalists, musicians and producers to create a brand of electronic music that was entirely their own. Rooted in powerful messaging and gripping live performance, Faithless have earned a reputation as pioneers who helped to shape the identity of modern electronic music.

From addiction to insomnia, political unrest, social justice and spiritual searching, the group touches on the harsher realities of a culture rooted simultaneously in both struggle and celebration.

‘Insomnia’, one of the group’s most iconic singles, celebrated its 30th anniversary towards the close of 2025, marked by the release of a series of classic mixes, made available online for the first time.

With the passing of Maxi Jazz in 2022, Sister Bliss and Rollo have continued to carry the torch well into 2026, bringing Maxi’s voice to the stage via his features across the group’s 2025 album ‘Champion Sound’.

This week, that torch sees Faithless touching down in Australia for the first time in 15 years, with a series of shows across Gadigal Land/Sydney, Naarm/Melbourne, Meanjin/Brisbane and Arakwal Land/Byron Bay.

To mark the occasion and to celebrate the group’s legacy as they visit a very different kind of Australia, we secured a moment of Sister Bliss’ time.

SISTER BLISS: We’ve had some amazing times here over the years - sailing around Sydney Opera House - always iconic! Beach days at Manly - hanging with family in Adelaide & Melbourne, and of course, the people, the food … and the shows!

And hanging out with George Michael last time the band was over in 2011 - he came to every show and hung out with us all backstage - a real gentleman. My hope is he’s found Maxi in the next realm, and they’re making some beautiful music together …

SISTER BLISS: I think the changes are most probably in us ! We’re not getting any younger ;) ….so we have to make sure we eat well, hydrate and get some kind of sleep over the tour because we know jetlag is super disorienting! In terms of the audience - it always blows my mind to see a massive spread of ages at our shows, from kids who weren't even born when we started, now discovering our music in a new era … very encouraging!

SISTER BLISS: I guess Insomnia becoming the global enduring hit it is now was a key moment, in that it opened all the doors for us to tour the world, and make 8 studio albums (feels crazy saying that!). But also that it was not an instant success - Reverence sold 16 copies a week for the first few months - we thought that was amazing!

So we only put a live band together to let people know we had a whole album out there, which was on our own independent label, Cheeky Records, with no major label money behind us … we found that word of mouth was a real thing and very slowly Reverence started to get noticed. But there were loads of missteps along the way, and that's how you learn and grow as an artist.

SISTER BLISS: It feels like it's the 90’s at the moment! Lots of M1 organ tracks. Those who know what I mean - you know! (fans of the DX7 keyboard will be in 90’s heaven!)

SISTER BLISS: I guess by doing exactly that - not chasing trends - while being aware of what we love, as crate diggers and music enthusiasts, we are always excited by new music, but we also know what we enjoy sonically, and that our music has a lyrical message, which most electronic music doesn't.

SISTER BLISS: Perhaps not - but then, when our lives and musical tastes seem more shaped by algorithms than ever before, perhaps yes it does! I think fans of music are more open-minded now because they can find anything at the touch of a button - they're not attached to music as a tribe, a style tribe - if you were a punk or an acid house fan - you dressed a certain way - it was a whole lifestyle not just a playlist! Artists like Rosalia really show how pop music itself can be a mash up of all different genres - how cool is she?!!

SISTER BLISS: I think anything that resonates with the experience of being human is going to work, especially as there’s a history from Frankie Knuckles’ ‘Baby Wants to Ride’ onwards of moody vocals across deep house tracks, people want nourishment. Good lyrics, and poetry/spoken word done well can feed the soul as well as moving the feet.

I’m glad Faithless occupies this particular space in electronic music as so many more spoken word artists are coming through.

SISTER BLISS: It was an accident, but it worked, and was unique. It also took dance music from the dance tents to the main stages at festivals, which was very important for the development and acceptance of our scene. It was very based against dance music in the early days in the live world - artists like us and Prodigy got to show we could rock hard as any rock band!

SISTER BLISS: Quite bonkers!

SISTER BLISS: A lot of love and appreciation. Our show is a love letter to dance music, our fans and to Maxi - a celebration of his life and huge contribution to music.

SISTER BLISS: It's the best vibe for an audience to have a great warm up act - especially one as cool and Aussie royalty as K.I.M !

SISTER BLISS: I hope for the freedom to be and express yourself, regardless of age, race, class, gender, sexuality … the dance floor should be a safe space for us ALL to come together, to let go of everyday stress and strain, to be in our bodies not stuck in our heads - and recognise our common humanity together as one! We can dream!

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Tickets to Faithless' Australia tour are still available via Untitled Group.