Today marks the 50th anniversary of Ringo Starr's compilation album, Blast From Your Past, a landmark release that captured the early solo success of the former Beatle. Released in 1975 on Apple Records, the album represented both Starr's first compilation LP and his final project under his EMI contract, as well as the last Apple Records release until the label's revival in the 1990s.

Brisbane's riverside concert series, On the Banks, has unveiled a new wave of international and Australian talent set to perform at the Cultural Forecourt at South Bank across February and March 2026. The series, a collaboration between Queensland Performing Arts Centre (QPAC) and South Bank Corporation, promises warm summer nights filled with music, food, and community energy along the Brisbane River.

Mondo Freaks have capped a milestone year with the release of the instrumental edition of their self-titled debut album, unveiled this week on their Every Star Records imprint. The Melbourne ten-piece, known for their Boogie and Funk foundations, originally issued Mondo Freaks in October, yet a deep dive into the album's multitrack sessions revealed how vividly the arrangements stood on their own. With production layers shaped by the renowned mixer Michael Brauer, the band felt the detailed instrumentation deserved its own presentation, creating a companion release that highlights the album's core musical architecture.

The Amity Affliction will take their heavy catalogue across regional Australia in early 2026, announcing a major 21-date run stretching through Queensland, New South Wales, Tasmania, Victoria and South Australia. The tour marks the band's most extensive regional schedule in years and arrives as they prepare to return to the United States in April. Fans outside the capital cities will receive a rare opportunity to see the band in intimate venues, with support locked in from In Hearts Wake and RedHook across selected dates.

Boy & Bear have released their sixth studio album, Tripping Over Time, a record that navigates memory, maturity and melodic craft. The independent album spans 11 tracks, and it foregrounds the band's knack for sunlit indie pop and intimate storytelling. The focus track, Ancestors, is a hushed centrepiece, pairing pastoral reflection with emotional clarity.

Grace Jones will headline the latest expansion of the Palace Foreshore 2026 program as Melbourne prepares for the arrival of one of the most influential cultural figures of the past five decades. Jones will perform on Monday 2 March, her first Australian appearance since 2018, bringing a force of theatrical energy that has defined her global impact.

Wanstock will deliver a genuine first in 2026, with Canadian hitmakers Loverboy confirmed to play their debut Australian shows when the festival returns to Sydney and Melbourne in March. The long-running rock event has grown steadily since its beginnings in 2018 and now stands as one of the most reliable gatherings for classic rock devotees, with next year's line-up built around an unprecedented mix of Australian and international acts.

Southern Sons will return to Australian stages in 2026, as the band prepares to launch its Heart In Danger Tour, a national run built around the songs that shaped their rise during the early 1990s. The tour, named after their 1990 breakthrough single Heart In Danger, will begin in April 2026 and will travel through major cities and selected regional centres, delivering a full retrospective of the group's catalogue.

Perth Festival will expand its 2026 season with a new wave of events that enrich the city's summer arts landscape. The Festival has unveiled an extensive range of music, theatre, film, immersive technology and cross-cultural storytelling that builds on an already ambitious program. These new inclusions strengthen the Festival's long legacy as one of Australia's most innovative multi-arts celebrations, a legacy stretching back to its 1953 beginnings as the oldest annual international arts festival in the country.

French DJ and producer Hugel has delivered another major moment in his rapidly expanding career with the release of his latest single Jamaican (Bam Bam), his collaborative reimagining with Solto of Sister Nancy's classic anthem. The track, released through Make The Girls Dance Records, in partnership with MoBlack Records, has surged past seven million Spotify streams within weeks, a result that further cements Hugel's position within the top tier of modern electronic music.

Legendary American punk band Black Flag will return to Australia in May 2026, marking the group's first visit since unveiling a refreshed lineup and a renewed creative drive. The tour will bring the influential Hermosa Beach originals back to Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, and the Gold Coast, giving Australian fans a first look at the band's new era.

Twilight At Taronga will enter its 29th year in 2026, once again turning Taronga Zoo's waterfront amphitheatre into one of Sydney's most cherished summer destinations. With demand stronger than ever, new shows have been added for Sons Of The East on 12 February and Xavier Rudd on 22 February, joining an already packed program that has produced a string of early sell-outs.

Sepultura will bring their global farewell tour to Australia in March, closing the final chapter on a career that reshaped heavy music and placed Brazilian metal firmly on the international map. After four decades, countless world tours and more than 20 million records sold, the band has chosen to end their journey through a conscious final act that celebrates everything they built.

Kobalt has announced the signing of rising Australian soul artist Don West, as the publisher takes on his global songwriting rights.

Lewis Capaldi is back in Australia for his second tour, and the jump in venue size says everything. In 2020 he played one night at Melbourne's Festival Hall to about 5,400 people. This time he's sold out three nights at Rod Laver Arena, each holding around 14,000.

Toronto punk force PUP will mark one of the most significant weeks of their career with Megacity Madness (The Official Live Recordings), a new 13 track live album captured across six shows in their hometown earlier this year. The band, formed in Toronto in 2010 and known for their explosive catalogue from PUP through to Who Will Look After The Dogs?, returned to their earliest stages for a run that doubled as a victory lap through the venues that shaped them.

ZZ Top have confirmed the first United States concerts for their 2026 The Big One! Tour, with a run of spring shows now added to their already announced European schedule. The band had previously locked in a substantial list of European appearances for mid-2026, and these newly revealed U.S. performances will take place ahead of the international leg. Tickets for the fresh American dates go on sale this Friday, 12 December, marking another busy touring year for the Texas trio. These concerts are separate from the Dos Amigos dates with Dwight Yoakam, which were announced earlier and put on sale last month.

Victor Wooten And The Wooten Brothers will return to Australia in February, continuing a remarkable legacy that began in the 1960s. Their 2023 Australian debut was met with packed rooms and broad acclaim, and the upcoming tour promises another rare opportunity to witness one of the world's tightest musical families performing at full strength.

Aukai has unveiled his new single Las Lluvias, a spacious and radiant preview of the forthcoming album Chambers, scheduled for release on 3 March 2026 through Apapachoa Records. The project is driven by German American multi instrumentalist Markus Sieber, who has cultivated an international following for his reflective compositions and detailed instrumental soundscapes. Chambers continues that evolution, with Sieber describing the album as a dream sequence shaped by the unique acoustics of the room in which it was recorded.

21 Savage will release his new album, What Happened To The Streets?, this Friday, December 12, drawing together a major visual collaboration with British Nigerian artist Slawn and a high-profile reveal during Miami Art Basel. The project marks the latest chapter in a career that has shifted from regional mixtape acclaim to Grammy-winning global status.

Triumph will return to full-scale touring in 2026, marking their first major run in three decades as the Canadian hard-rock giants unveil the Triumph 50th Anniversary Tour. Produced by Live Nation, the extensive North American itinerary celebrates fifty years of musical achievement, touring innovation, and a catalogue that shaped arena rock across Canada, the United States, and beyond.

Yungblud will return to Australia in January 2026 for his largest national tour to date, and Brisbane's long-running punk outfit Dune Rats have been confirmed as special guests for the full run. The announcement follows significant demand across the country, with Perth and Brisbane selling out quickly, an additional Brisbane show added, and Sydney upgraded to Qudos Bank Arena due to overwhelming interest.

Canadian metal force Alissa White-Gluz has officially opened the next phase of her career with the release of her debut solo single The Room Where She Died, available now through Napalm Records. The track marks her first global solo release after years of creating material privately for her Patreon community. It also confirms the direction she hinted at when she departed Arch Enemy in November 2025, the band she fronted for more than a decade.

Ensiferum will bring their Winter Storm Over Australia tour to local fans in May 2026, marking the Finnish band's long-awaited return and celebrating their 30th anniversary.

Motörhead's 50th year has closed with a global wave of tributes, new releases and public celebrations that underline the band's enduring cultural reach. As 2026 approaches, the legacy of Motörhead and its founder Ian “Lemmy” Kilmister continues to expand through memorials, music projects and a growing international fan community that remains fiercely loyal to both the man and the band.

Scottish comedian Danny Bhoy will return to Australia in early 2026 for his thirteenth national tour, bringing his acclaimed new show Dear World… to audiences across the country. The tour marks another chapter in a career that has seen Bhoy become one of the most successful international acts on the Australian comedy circuit, with a loyal following that has grown steadily since his local debut more than twenty years ago.

Devo will return to the road in April 2026 for the Mutate, Don't Stagnate Tour, launching just days before their next appearance at Coachella. The West Coast run will deliver a full production show combining the band's signature visual language, electronic experimentation, and sharp cultural commentary, continuing a legacy that began more than five decades ago.

Raul Malo, the Miami-born vocalist who reshaped modern country and Americana through his work with The Mavericks, has died in Houston at age 60. Malo passed away on 8 December 2025 after a prolonged battle with colon cancer. His death brings to a close a career that spanned more than three decades and produced one of the most distinctive voices in American music.

Australian musician and author Joe Matera will release The Making Of ABBA - The Story Behind The Band's 1975 Breakthrough Album on 30 October 2025, a detailed exploration of the record that lifted the Swedish quartet from European favourites to global pop innovators. The book charts the creative, musical and historical arc of ABBA's self-titled third album, a release that defined the sound of the group and set the stage for their international ascendancy through the second half of the 1970s.

British rap innovator Dave will return to Australia in June 2026, with a new arena tour celebrating his chart-topping album The Boy Who Played The Harp. The visit marks his first national run since 2021, when he toured We're All Alone In This Together to sold-out crowds and cemented his place as one of the defining storytellers of his generation.