Snot will return to Australia in January for their first local headline show in more than ten years, with the band announcing a sole Melbourne date as ticket demand surges for their special appearance on the Soulfly, Nailbomb, Snot bill. Their standalone performance will take place on 29 January at Max Watts, with the group preparing to revisit their seminal catalogue and mark a fresh chapter in a turbulent, influential and often tragic history.

Australia's strained festival sector has claimed another significant event with the cancellation of Park Waves Australia, the touring heavy-music festival led by Parkway Drive and promoter Destroy All Lines, which had been scheduled for February 2026. The announcement ends plans for an 11-show national run that would have introduced the German-born event to local audiences, with organisers confirming that rising costs and unsustainable financial pressure made the tour unviable. Parkway Drive said the decision “feels like a kick in the guts”, reflecting the frustration felt across the wider industry. All ticket holders will receive a full refund, with emails already dispatched.

Bernie Leadon, founding member of the Eagles and one of the main builders of country rock, has released the title track from his upcoming album Too Late To Be Cool. The new video shows an artist who knows exactly where he came from and where he's going.

Clare Bowditch will continue the 20th anniversary celebrations for What Was Left with new East Coast concerts, beginning with a What Was Left Reimagined performance at the Melbourne Recital Centre on Friday 20 March 2026. Tickets for the Melbourne show are on sale now, with additional dates in Brisbane and other East Coast cities to be announced soon. The new dates follow a successful run of regional shows staged earlier this year, which marked the two decade milestone of the ARIA Award-winning album.

David Byrne has spent more than four decades redefining what a live performance can be, so the notion of squeezing his latest touring ensemble into NPR's famously cramped Tiny Desk seemed, at first, close to impossible. Byrne's shows have long been known for their sprawling casts, precision choreography and inventive use of non-traditional instrumentation. From Stop Making Sense through to American Utopia, the artistic director in him has always demanded more space, more movement and more sonic experimentation. Yet, remarkably, his Tiny Desk appearance proved that even a dozen musicians playing everything from marimba and cello to timbau and zabumba can still operate with Byrne's trademark clarity, humour and discipline.

Lainey Wilson has opened the festive season with a new animated video for her version of Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow! with Bing Crosby. The clip presents Wilson and Crosby as stylised characters who inhabit a nostalgic winter scene that aligns with Crosby's long legacy in seasonal music. Crosby helped define the modern Christmas canon with White Christmas, which became one of the most successful singles in history. Wilson's new version links two eras of country and pop tradition while embracing her growing international reach.

Melbourne artist Lithe will return home in February 2026, presenting the Australian leg of his global Euphoria Tour, a run that precedes his largest North American shows to date. The announcement follows the release of his debut album Euphoria, a record that confirms his profile as one of Australia's most progressive voices in R&B, hip-hop and atmospheric trap production.

Los Angeles band Death Lens have released their galvanising new single “Power”, a high-energy statement that closes out their year with a renewed sense of resolve. The track arrives as the group's first new music since the 2024 album Cold World, a release that solidified the quartet's standing in contemporary West Coast punk. As the self-described Brown boys from La Puente continue their ascent, “Power” showcases a sound sharpened by more than a decade of evolution.

Las Vegas outfit Roman Candle have released their new single Nothing Is Original, a forceful statement that signals the emotional direction of their forthcoming full-length. The track arrives with a stark music video that reflects the tension and vulnerability at the core of the band's evolution. It continues a prolific chapter for the group following their signing to Sumerian Records earlier this year, a move that has elevated their profile across the global hardcore landscape.

Multi award-winning singer and songwriter Kutcha Edwards will honour six decades of music, memory, and cultural truth when he presents 60 Cycles Around The Sun Celebrating A Lifetime Of Song And Stories at the Melbourne Recital Centre on Friday 17 April 2026. The one-night event brings together long-time collaborators, musical allies, and emerging voices who hold deep connections to the respected Mutti Mutti, Yort Yorta and Nari Nari Songman.

Canadian rock veterans 54-40 will open 2026 with the release of their new studio album Porto, scheduled for 23 January 2026. The announcement follows the rollout of four new singles, Running For The Fence, Die To Heaven, Time Will Tell, and the newest track Virgil, which signals a renewed creative surge for the long-running band.

SIX The Musical, the global pop-theatre phenomenon that has dominated the West End, Broadway, and international stages, will make its long-anticipated return to Australia in 2026. Seasons are now confirmed for Melbourne at the Comedy Theatre from July 2026, Sydney at Theatre Royal from October 2026, and Brisbane at QPAC's Playhouse Theatre from January 2027. The return follows overwhelming demand from Australian audiences who embraced the production during earlier runs.

Flea has stepped away from the global stadium roar of Red Hot Chili Peppers to return to the instrument that shaped his youth, the trumpet, for a new solo project due in 2026. The album, scheduled for release through Nonesuch Records, marks a significant shift for the bassist who helped define Los Angeles rock across five decades. A first preview, titled A Plea, is available now. Further details of the album will arrive in early 2026.

Frontier Touring will bring Foo Fighters back to Australia this summer for a one night only event at UTAS Stadium, Launceston, on Saturday 24 January, marking the band's long awaited return to Tasmania and their first ever performance in the city. The announcement gives local fans a rare chance to see the 15 time Grammy winning rock giants deliver their high impact stadium set on home soil.

When Rubber Soul arrived in the UK on 3 December 1965, The Beatles stepped into a new phase of their creative lives, a phase that would soon define the sound and ambition of popular music. The sixth studio album from John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr landed during a frantic period in their global rise, yet the work itself came from a rare four-week window where the group were free of touring, filming and radio commitments, a gift they had never been offered before.

King Stingray will return to Dashville in 2026 for The Gum Ball's 21st birthday, creating a full circle moment for long-time festival fans. The Yolŋu surf rockers first appeared at the festival in 2022 as a relatively unknown outfit, yet their performance left a lasting impact on the audience. Their rise since then has been remarkable, with the band blending modern rock with ancient songlines from Northeast Arnhem Land, creating a style that reflects both cultural depth and youthful drive.

Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour will present The Phantom of the Opera in a limited outdoor season from 27 March to 3 May 2026. The production marks the musical's 40th anniversary and is expected to draw international audiences to Sydney.

Radiohead have postponed the first two concerts of their Copenhagen residency after Thom Yorke was diagnosed with an extreme throat infection, a condition that has made it impossible for him to sing. The British group, who returned to the road in November after a seven year break, were due to open a four night run at the Royal Arena on 1 and 2 December, yet both dates have now been pushed back to 15 and 16 December.

Sean “Diddy” Combs is attempting to halt the global release of Sean Combs, The Reckoning, with lawyers issuing a cease-and-desist to Netflix hours before the four-part documentary is set to air. The series, executive-produced by Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson and directed by Alexandra Stapleton, is already attracting intense scrutiny due to claims it contains stolen and unauthorised footage.

Opeth have released an official animated music video for §3 to commemorate the first anniversary of The Last Will And Testament, the band's fourteenth studio album and their first conceptual long-form narrative in a quarter of a century. The video arrives as a companion piece to the story unveiled in November 2024, when the album introduced listeners to a fractured family saga shaped by secrets, resentment and the slow erosion of trust.

Colin Hay has postponed his scheduled Australian performances for December after suffering serious respiratory complications connected to the flu and Covid. The announcement halts what would have been Hay's first run of Australian shows since 2024, including two nights at the Melbourne Recital Centre, a performance at Sydney's Enmore Theatre, and an appearance this weekend at the Meredith Music Festival. All dates will be rescheduled to June 2026.

Sean Ono Lennon will debut the Academy Award winning animated short War Is Over! on YouTube at 6pm on 1 December, with the premiere supporting War Child throughout the holiday season. The film, written by Sean with director Dave Mullins, uses the message of John Lennon and Yoko Ono's Happy Xmas (War Is Over) to frame a modern call for peace and protection for children impacted by conflict.

Earth, Wind & Fire will return to Australia in April 2026, marking the iconic band's first Australian performances since 2012. The long-awaited tour will begin with a headline set at Byron Bay Bluesfest on Easter Friday before two exclusive sideshows in Sydney and Melbourne. For Australian fans, this homecoming has been more than a decade in the making, and the announcement reaffirms the group's continuing stature as one of the most influential bands in the history of soul, funk and R&B.

triple j will enter 2026 with a renewed commitment to the nation's fast-rising country music movement, confirming a brand-new weekly program, Country Club, hosted by Tom Forrest, known to many listeners as Outback Tom. The announcement lands during a major groundswell for the genre, as local acts and global releases fuel interest across Australia's youth audience. In recent years, country music has experienced a surge across pop and alternative spheres, with global artists exploring acoustic traditions, layered harmonies, and rustic storytelling. In Australia, Unearthed artists have pushed a new frontier with songs that blend folk roots, indie energy, and classic country instrumentation.

Mumford & Sons will return to Australia and New Zealand in April and May 2026 for a three-date arena run in support of their forthcoming sixth album Prizefighter. The tour marks the band's first full-scale shows in the region since the global success surrounding Rushmere in 2025, and follows their sold-out one-night-only return at the Sydney Opera House earlier this year.

Since 2015, the Melbourne Guitar Show has earned a reputation as the country's most comprehensive gathering for players, builders and enthusiasts. In 2026 the format expands, as the Sydney Guitar Show arrives at Sydney Olympic Park for the first time, taking over Sydney Showground Hall 5 on Saturday 7 March and Sunday 8 March. The two-day event aims to deliver a deep dive into the culture, craft and community that surrounds the world's most played instrument.

AC/DC's earliest recordings with founding vocalist Dave Evans have remained one of Australian rock's great unknowns for more than half a century. While fans have long debated the extent of Evans' contribution before Bon Scott's arrival in late 1974, very little has ever been formally confirmed-until now.

Fatboy Slim and The Rolling Stones will join forces again with the release of Satisfaction Skank on 11 December 2025, a new official collaboration that reimagines one of rock's defining guitar riffs for a new generation. The project arrives through Southern Fried and ABKCO Music & Records, marking more than six decades since Keith Richards captured the first spark of the Satisfaction riff on a late night home recording. The new release also rekindles a creative relationship that first took flight when Fatboy Slim remixed Sympathy For The Devil in 2003.

Swedish rock institution The Hellacopters will mark another milestone in their thirtieth anniversary year with the release of Cream Of The Crap! Collected Non-Album Works . Volume 3, due on 13 February 2026. The set closes a gap that has lingered since the second instalment of the series appeared more than twenty years ago, and it arrives soon after the group's chart-topping ninth album Overdriver, released in January 2025, which delivered the band a No. 1 in Sweden and a top ten berth in Germany.

Gold Coast heavy outfit Hammers will deliver their long-anticipated debut album Death Wobbles on Friday 23 January 2026 via Summerland Records. The release marks a major next step for a band that has evolved significantly since locking in their current line-up in 2017.