Robert Plant stepped into the Tiny Desk space on a windy Halloween afternoon and immediately commented on the minimalist setup, telling the room that it reminded him of Live Aid, adding that he could not hear himself there either, because the format avoids amplified vocals and personal monitors. The limitation did nothing to unsettle him, because Plant has long embraced reinvention, moving from the power of Led Zeppelin to the refined folk, blues and roots recordings he has championed over recent decades.

Joe Jackson will launch a major new chapter in 2026, as he prepares to release his first rock album since 2019, Hope And Fury, and embark on an 80-show international tour. The album will arrive on 10 April 2026. The release marks a return to the sharp, melodic and uncompromising style that first defined Jackson in the late 1970s, when he emerged as one of the most distinctive voices in the new wave era.

M. Ward will return to Australia in March 2026 with his band The Undertakers, marking another chapter in a relationship with local audiences that spans more than two decades. The acclaimed American songwriter, known for his understated vocal delivery and atmospheric guitar work, will bring a full band for a run of intimate East Coast shows that will take his music from Melbourne's bars to regional New South Wales.

Jellybean Johnson, born Garry George Johnson in Chicago in 1956, has died suddenly at the age of 69. His family confirmed his passing on Friday, only days after he celebrated his birthday. No cause of death has been released. Johnson's death marks the loss of one of the most significant figures in the creation and evolution of the Minneapolis Sound, a movement that fused funk, rock and soul with a sharp rhythmic edge.

Ian Lees, the bass player for Moving Pictures, has passed away after suffering a heart attack.

ZZ Top will return to European stages next June and July with The Big One! Tour, a five-week run across thirteen countries. This will be their first full European tour in two years, marking a major moment for the Texas trio who have remained active through more than five decades of touring, recording, and reinvention. The run begins on 22 June in Tartu, Estonia, with the band set to deliver twenty-three concerts across arenas, festivals, and open-air venues, including a Spanish bullring in Murcia.

Pink Floyd will mark the 50th anniversary of Wish You Were Here with a major archival reissue arriving on 12 December, and the centrepiece of the release is the first ever continuous edition of Shine On You Crazy Diamond presented as a 25 minute stereo mix. The new version unites Parts I to V and Parts VI to IX in a single sequence, a format long discussed by fans yet never officially delivered until now.

Pras Michel, a founding force behind The Fugees, has been sentenced to 14 years in a United States federal prison, as a long-running foreign influence case reaches its final stage. The sentence, delivered in Washington on Thursday, closes an extraordinary legal saga for the rapper who helped define 1990s hip-hop with Lauryn Hill and Wyclef Jean.

Linkin Park will return to Australia in March 2026 with the From Zero World Tour, marking their long-awaited first local shows since 2013. The renewed line-up, featuring Mike Shinoda, Dave “Phoenix” Farrell, Joe Hahn, Emily Armstrong, and Colin Brittain, will deliver six major arena dates across Brisbane, Melbourne, and Sydney, bringing a new chapter of the band's history to Australian fans.

Service Station Chicken, the third full-length album from Dave Favours & The Roadside Ashes, arrives today and marks a significant evolution in the band's creative identity. The release reflects a group that has now settled into a mature and confident sound, shaped by years on the local circuit and a deep regard for the roots of Australian independent rock.

Girl Monstar have reignited their long-dormant catalogue with the release of their new single Hate Train, a confrontational rock track that delivers a direct challenge to corporate exploitation and the misuse of power. The song arrives as the second preview of their forthcoming album GRRRR!! which will be released on 27 January 2026 through Vicious Kitten Records. The track is available on all major platforms except Spotify, as the band refuse to support organisations whose investment structures fund weapons technology.

In 2020, The Royal Danish Library unveiled Stranger Than Kindness, The Nick Cave Exhibition, a major cultural event that offered an unprecedented window into the creative world of Nick Cave. The exhibition has now returned in a digital form. The new edition is an immersive virtual experience that brings Cave's artistic universe to global audiences through an ultra-high-resolution 3D platform, complete with a newly recorded audio guide narrated by Cave.

Gary “Mani” Mounfield, the influential bassist of The Stone Roses and long-time Primal Scream member, has died at the age of 63. His brother Greg confirmed the news with a public message stating that it was shared with “the heaviest of hearts”. The announcement has shaken Manchester, a city where Mani's sound shaped generations of musicians. Family members, colleagues, and the wider music community have been expressing their grief since the news broke.

It has now been 30 years since Bruce Springsteen released The Ghost Of Tom Joad, a stark and deeply human record that shifted him away from stadium anthems and back into the quiet, shadowy corners of American storytelling. Released on 21 November 1995, the album arrived at a moment when Springsteen had just reunited in the studio with The E Street Band for part of his Greatest Hits collection, yet he chose to follow that reunion not with bombast, but with one of the most intimate projects of his career.

Better Lovers have marked the first anniversary of their debut album, Highly Irresponsible, with a deluxe edition that expands the original release with two new songs, The Impossible End, and Don't Forget To Say Please. The expanded version arrives via SharpTone Records and is now available across all major digital platforms, with vinyl orders also open. The deluxe release strengthens what has already become one of the most notable heavy music debuts of the decade, reflecting a group determined to evolve while maintaining the ferocity that defined their earliest work.

Canadian emo-rock trio Second Harbour, consisting of Xavier Morency, Vincent Morency, and John Muggianu, have signed to SharpTone Records.

Metallica closed their Australia and New Zealand tour in Auckland with a moment created only for local fans. The final night delivered the expected firepower across a career spanning setlist, yet the highlight arrived when Robert Trujillo and Kirk Hammett delivered their tour-tradition Doodle. This version was built around the Split Enz classic I Got You, paired with Six60's anthem Don't Forget Your Roots. The Doodle placed two of New Zealand's most important songs into the middle of Metallica's global production, creating a rare cultural crossover in front of a sold out crowd.

Nashville delivered another milestone in Country Music history as The 59th Annual CMA Awards took over the Bridgestone Arena with a night built on legacy, drive and standout achievement. Country star Lainey Wilson guided the broadcast with a confident presence shaped by years of hard touring and a growing catalogue of acclaimed work. The broadcast reflected a genre still expanding its reach while honouring the players who shaped its past.

Sir Mick Jagger has made an unannounced return to Dartford Grammar School in Kent, visiting both his former classrooms and The Mick Jagger Centre, which is marking its 25th anniversary. The Rolling Stones frontman, now 82, walked the halls that shaped his early life and spent time with students and staff who continue to benefit from a facility he helped establish in 2000.

Converge will release their eleventh studio album Love Is Not Enough on 13 February 2026 via Deathwish and Epitaph, marking a significant moment for a band now 35 years into a career that has shaped the sound and ethos of modern heavy music.

Melbourne metalcore innovators The Gloom In The Corner will open a new chapter of their ever-expanding cinematic universe in 2026, with the release of their third studio album Royal Discordance. The album will arrive on 27 February, through SharpTone Records, and will further cement the band's reputation for storytelling, sonic ambition and conceptual depth.

Slipknot have confirmed the sale of a majority stake in their back catalogue to HarbourView Equity Partners, marking one of the most significant catalogue acquisitions involving a metal act in recent years. The agreement covers publishing and master recording royalties across the band's official releases since their 1999 self-titled debut album, a landmark record that reshaped modern metal through its ferocity, precision, and theatrical identity. Neither party has revealed financial terms, although long-running industry reports placed the value at close to $120 million, a figure consistent with the group's enduring commercial strength.

Unprecedented Demand For Rare Kraftwerk Artefacts Julien's Auctions has revealed the full results of The Florian Schneider Collection, a landmark event held on 19 November 2025 at the Musicians Hall Of Fame And Museum in Nashville. The sale drew international attention, with more than 450 items from the personal archive of the late Kraftwerk co-founder Florian Schneider offered to collectors, historians, and musicians. The auction produced extraordinary figures, confirming Schneider's central role in shaping the sound and direction of modern electronic music.

Finnish rock mainstays The Rasmus have released a new video for Banksy, the latest single from their eleventh studio album Weirdo. The track continues the band's long tradition of merging dark atmospheres, taut grooves and melodic choruses with topical lyrics that reflect the turbulent world around them, and the band's lifelong empathy for outsiders and misfits. The arrival of Banksy extends a prolific period that now folds into a major milestone, as The Rasmus prepare for their first ever Australian headline shows in January 2026.

Real Boston Richey has returned with a decisive statement, a new single titled Mr. Pay For Sh*t, featuring streamer and comedian BenDaDonnn. The track signals the start of the rollout for Public Housing 3, the next chapter in the Tallahassee rapper's flagship series. The new release arrives after a strategic pause in output, a break that followed an intensive period where Richey issued two albums within fourteen months and scored his first Billboard Hot 100 Top 50 entry.

Robert Finley will tour Australia for the first time in May 2026, marking a major chapter in a career that has grown across decades of hard work, steady reinvention and spiritual fire. The run is presented by Love Police, who have long championed artists who build their craft on soul, truth and lived experience. Finley, now 71, steps into Australia with the force of his new album Hallelujah! Don't Let The Devil Fool Ya, his fourth for Easy Eye Sound and a work that stands as his most personal statement.

Sanguisugabogg, the Ohio death metal force known for their graphic theatrics and uncompromising sound, will return to Australia in June 2026, with Oklahoma's PeelingFlesh joining them for their first run of shows on local soil. The tour follows Sanguisugabogg's chaotic 2024 Australian debut, which left audiences talking about the band's notorious tradition of launching a football into the pit with the promise of a prize for the last fan standing. The group will bring a new set built around their 2025 album Hideous Aftermath, which has become a defining benchmark for modern death metal.

The Beta Band will tour Australia for the first time in 2026, a moment indie fans have awaited for almost three decades. The Scottish innovators will visit Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide, Melbourne and Fremantle, bringing their influential 1998 release The Three E.P.'s to life, along with key tracks from their catalogue. The tour follows a surprise reunion that has already filled theatres in the United States and the United Kingdom, proving the group's legacy retains powerful momentum.

Orlando sonic storytellers Magnolia Park are back with a new single, “Chasing Shadows,” their first release following the launch of their ambitious fourth studio album, VAMP. Released via Epitaph Records, the track explores the dark conclusion of VAMP's dystopian narrative, where the protagonist Aurora XI faces devastating loss at the hands of the Shadow Cult.

Two giants of American music, Dwight Yoakam and ZZ Top, are teaming up for the Dos Amigos Tour 2026, bringing together decades of hits and a signature live performance energy. The tour launches March 26 in Brookings, South Dakota, and wraps up May 23 in Huntington, West Virginia, covering major markets across the Midwest, South, and East.