Lenny Kravitz has started his southern return, and Auckland was first to witness his new tour in action. Lenny touched down with a setlist shaped by his three decade career, and Australia now has a predicted blueprint of what to expect next. Kravitz played Auckland on Saturday night, and the show leaned into classics, deep cuts, and a generous serve from his latest album Blue Electric Light.

Metallica ended their 2025 Australian tour in Sydney with a surprise that honoured two of the city's most influential rock acts, and the crowd at Accor Stadium erupted as the nods to AC/DC and Rose Tattoo rang out across the venue.

A free all-ages show for Amyl And The Sniffers at Melbourne's Federation Square came to a sudden halt after large sections of the crowd pushed through perimeter fencing, creating an immediate safety risk. The event, announced as a surprise hometown performance during the band's break from supporting AC/DC on the current world tour, drew thousands into the CBD with expectations of a rare cost-free appearance.

American heavies Born Of Osiris and Signs Of The Swarm will join forces for a crushing double-headline Australian tour in March 2026, marking the long-awaited return of Born Of Osiris six years after their last visit, and the first chance for Australian fans to witness Signs Of The Swarm in full flight since the band's global breakthrough.

A new chapter in alternative folk and experimental rock has arrived, with Scott and Seth Avett of The Avett Brothers joining forces with Mike Patton, the ever-restless voice behind Faith No More and Mr. Bungle. Their project, simply titled AVTT/PTTN, brings together two distinct musical worlds, united by curiosity, kinship, and decades of mutual respect. Released through Thirty Tigers, Ramseur Records, and Ipecac Recordings, the album captures the creative spark that shaped this unlikely trio.

Six time Platinum-selling indie artist Cavetown, the project of English singer and songwriter Robin Skinner, has released his new single NPC, the fourth preview from his upcoming album Running With Scissors, due 16 January 2026. The single arrives as Skinner prepares for an Australian visit next February, where he will appear at Laneway Festival alongside headline shows in Sydney and Melbourne.

Squeeze will release Trixies on 6 March 2026 through BMG, delivering an album that predates every hit the band is known for. The record contains the earliest songs ever written by Chris Difford and Glenn Tilbrook, conceived long before Cool For Cats, Up The Junction and Tempted shaped the band's legacy in British pop. These songs began life in 1974, years before the band entered a studio, and the story behind their creation offers one of the most unexpected turns in Squeeze's long history.

Slayer will revisit one of the most pivotal albums in their history in 2026, confirming a 40th anniversary reissue of Hell Awaits for release on 15 May through Metal Blade Records. The landmark release marks four decades since the Californian band pushed thrash metal into darker and more complex terrain, setting a benchmark that would influence extreme metal for generations.

Finnish rock has a long history of reinventing itself, and the country's newest export, Hokka, arrives with the kind of pedigree that guarantees attention. Nuclear Blast Records has officially announced the worldwide signing of the band, bringing together three generations of Finland's rock lineage in one project.

After three years away from releasing new music, London-based multidisciplinary artist Alewya has resurfaced with a bold new chapter, unveiling her latest single Night Drive (Feat Dagmawit Ameha), out now via Because London Records. For an artist whose career has always blurred the boundaries between sound, movement, image and heritage, this moment marks more than just a return, it signals a rebirth.

Forever Ends Here have re-emerged with a renewed sense of purpose, releasing their reflective and forward-thinking EP I'm Still Trying To Find Myself. The record marks a fresh era for the Sydney and Melbourne based trio, who first captured national attention during the 2010s with their energetic pop punk sound and relentless touring schedule.

Rose Tattoo will return to Europe for the final time in 2026, bringing to a close an international chapter that began more than four decades ago when the Sydney band first tore across European stages with a sound that fused hard rock, blues rock and the uncompromising spirit of Australian pub culture. For many European fans, Rose Tattoo were the band that arrived without compromise, played louder than anyone else on the bill and built a fiercely loyal following that never waned, even as line-ups changed and years passed.

Aotearoa's fiercest punk force Dick Move will return to Australia in January and February 2026, armed with their third studio album Dream, Believe, Achieve and ready to deliver the kind of high-velocity chaos that has made them one of New Zealand's most vital contemporary punk exports.

Metallica's Australian tour has been nothing short of a love letter to Aussie rock, and Brisbane got its own wild chapter on Wednesday night, 12 November, when the metal legends tore through The Chats' viral anthem Smoko.

Jimmy Barnes is extending the celebration of one of Australia's most defining rock albums, For The Working Class Man, adding three new shows to his already sold-out 40th Anniversary Tour. The expanded tour will now include performances at Sandstone Point Hotel in Queensland on 21 March, Centennial Vineyards in Bowral on 28 March, and Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne on 10 April.

Global K-pop powerhouse ATEEZ will return to Australia in March 2026 for their ATEEZ 2026 World Tour [In Your Fantasy], presented by AEG Presents and Frontier Touring. The announcement follows the group's worldwide success with their 2024-2025 World Tour [Towards The Light: Will To Power] and leader Hongjoong's acclaimed debut fashion film Petit Coussin, released earlier this week.

The Preatures are closing out a milestone year with a fitting tribute to their acclaimed debut, Blue Planet Eyes, marking its 10th anniversary with a special archival exhibition in Sydney and the release of Blue Planet Eyes... Live!, a limited-edition double LP capturing the band's triumphant return to the stage.

This December, two of the most forward-thinking names in electronic music will unite for a new collaborative project. Australian producer What So Not and Dutch innovator Buunshin are set to release The Quiet That Hurts on Friday 5 December, a five-track EP that merges raw emotion with experimental sound design.

British soul singer James Hunter has reunited with the legendary Van Morrison for the jubilant new single Ain't That A Trip, taken from Hunter's upcoming album Off The Fence, out 16 January 2026 via Easy Eye Sound. The high-spirited collaboration comes accompanied by a striking video directed by James Slater, filmed inside an abandoned textile mill in Bradford, England, and brimming with vibrant dance energy that perfectly complements Hunter's vintage rhythm and blues sound.

Chicago's long-running instrumental collective Tortoise have returned with Touch, their first new studio album since 2016, released today on International Anthem and Nonesuch Records across streaming platforms, following last month's vinyl, CD and digital download releases. The record finds the five-piece reconnecting after years spent in different cities, and pushing the band's wide-ranging sound into bigger, sometimes orchestral territory.

Sydney's iconic New Year's Day festival Field Day will celebrate its 25th anniversary in 2026 with one of its biggest line-ups yet. Returning to The Domain on Gadigal Country on Monday 1 January 2026, Field Day will once again kick off the year with a world-class roster of international and Australian artists, dance floor anthems, and a brand-new stage dedicated to Sydney's vibrant LGBTQIA+ community.

Scottish-Irish legends The Waterboys will make their long-awaited return to Australia and New Zealand in May 2026, marking their first visit to this part of the world in more than a decade.

Canadian alt-rock powerhouse The Beaches have released their latest single Can I Call You In The Morning?, arriving alongside their third studio album No Hard Feelings, out now via AWAL. The song marks the band's first new release since 2024's Juno-winning Blame My Ex, and serves as a fitting opener to the new record - a bold, chaotic and catchy anthem of heartbreak, regret and emotional honesty.

Australian-born, Los Angeles-based alt-pop artist ILUKA has unleashed her hypnotic new single Witch Girls, a soaring pop anthem that celebrates individuality and self-empowerment. Released on 31 October, Witch Girls arrives just in time for Halloween, setting the tone for her debut album The Wild, The Innocent, & The Raging, which will be released on 21 November 2025 via Nettwerk.

London-born alt-pop provocateur girli has unveiled her new single ‘Better Undressed’, marking the start of what she calls her most personal creative era yet. The track, released through AllPoints, signals a stylistic and emotional shift for the outspoken artist, who has spent nearly a decade redefining pop on her own terms.

Hongjoong, the multi-talented leader of global K-pop phenomenon Ateez, has unveiled his debut fashion film Petit Coussin, a poetic and nostalgic exploration of youth, memory, and artistry. The project, filmed in Seoul, marks Hongjoong's first foray into fashion design - a world he approaches with the same precision and imagination that have defined his music career.

AC/DC delivered big time at their first Australian show in Melbourne for the Power Up tour — and fans got a very special surprise. The band performed ‘Jailbreak’ for the first time in 34 years.

Two decades after defining Australian rock for a generation, Eskimo Joe will celebrate the 20th anniversary of Black Fingernails Red Wine with a national tour in May and June 2026.

Barry Manilow, one of the most successful entertainers in popular music, has released a new video for his latest single Once Before I Go ahead of his final U.S. tour dates, set to begin in January 2026. The 82-year-old icon, whose career has spanned more than five decades, will bring his last performances to nine American cities, closing the touring chapter of a career that has defined adult contemporary music since the 1970s.

James Reyne will extend his Fall Of Crawl Tour into 2026 with a new round of shows announced today, adding extra dates in Melbourne, Thirroul, Gosford, Canberra, Hobart, Toronto and the Sunshine Coast due to overwhelming demand.