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.

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds will return to Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand in early 2026 with The Wild God Tour, and have confirmed Aldous Harding as support for the full run of shows. The announcement arrives as the 31 January concert at Alexandra Gardens in Melbourne reaches capacity, with limited tickets still available for the 30 January and 1 February dates.

The Head And The Heart will return to Australia in January 2026 with two intimate headline shows, presented by Frontier Touring. The Seattle band will perform at the Princess Theatre in Brisbane on 12 January, and Anita's Theatre in Thirroul on 17 January, offering fans a close-range look at a group now fifteen years into a remarkable global career. The dates will sit alongside their national run with long-time friends The Lumineers, providing rare theatre-sized opportunities for Australian fans.

Control The Sun, a new progressive metal act built from the ranks of Adelaide heavyweights Japam and Colibrium, have released their debut single Say It's Over. The track marks the first public outing from a group formed by long-time collaborators driven by the desire to create heavy music that is memorable, melodic and built for the stage. Both Japam and Colibrium earned strong followings across the 2010s with high-energy shows and intricate arrangements, and Control The Sun pushes that legacy into a fresh chapter.

Jonathan Bree has unveiled a new single, Live To Dance, and the release marks another chapter in his long creative partnership with Princess Chelsea. The track arrives as a dark and hypnotic piece of electronic pop, shaped by minimal tones that move with slow force. The mood is stark, the production is spare, and the delivery is intimate.

Celtic Thunder will return to Australia in March 2026 with An Intimate Evening With Celtic Thunder, a new production designed to bring fans closer to the heart of the group's remarkable journey. The tour will unite current members Emmet, Damian, Neil and Ronan with former members who helped shape the group's sound, creating an event that blends nostalgia with a refreshed artistic vision.

Pragmatico, the dance-centred project from Melbourne songwriter and producer Jacob Butler, has entered a significant new phase with confirmation of a global distribution partnership with UK powerhouse Perfect Havoc. The London label has become a major tastemaker in commercial dance, with hits from artists including Joel Corry and MNEK. For Butler, this moment formalises years of evolution, experiment and ambition under the Pragmatico banner.

Detroit turned its annual NFL Thanksgiving Day Classic into a once-in-a-generation music moment when Jack White and Eminem shared a stage for the first time, transforming the Detroit Lions vs Green Bay Packers halftime slot into an arena-level event that immediately lit up the internet.

It is with total sadness that I have to tell you that Skyhooks legend Bob ‘Bongo’ Starkie has passed away at the age of 73.

The City of Port Phillip has officially opened Seekers Way in St Kilda. The new street name honours The Seekers, the Melbourne group that started more than sixty years ago and went on to win fans around the world. Patrick Donovan and founding member Bruce Woodley spoke at the ceremony, reflecting on the band's roots in the area.

Newton Faulkner will return to Australia in April 2026 for a national headline tour aligned with the release of his new album Octopus, set for 6 March 2026 via Cooking Vinyl Records. Faulkner unveils the new single Gravitational as the latest preview of the album, which continues the experimental production approach that has shaped his current creative period.

Confidence Man have supercharged the rollout of their upcoming EP, Active Scenes Vol One, with the release of Gossip (Chris Lake Remix), a high-voltage rework by one of the most prolific figures in global dance music. Chris Lake brings a refined and explosive club energy to the single, a move that underscores the growing international reach of the Australian group. The remix arrives as a centrepiece moment for the EP campaign, a significant endorsement from a producer known for shaping modern electronic music with precision and intent.

The Temper Trap have joined forces with one of electronic music's most influential figures, Solomun, for a pulsating rework of their current single Giving Up Air, a track that has already become a key release in their long-awaited comeback. The collaboration links two artists who have shaped audiences in different worlds, with Solomun's global club presence now wrapped around the sound of one of Australia's most successful indie exports of the past two decades.

Queen's A Night At The Opera marks its 50th anniversary with the same impact it carried on release in November 1975. The album arrived during a crisis for the band, who were close to collapse due to a punishing contract and limited funds. They had earned hits with Sheer Heart Attack yet lived on tight weekly payments. Brian May lived in a bedsit. Freddie Mercury lived in a damp flat in Kensington. John Deacon was denied a modest loan to buy a house. The frustration led to the band parting ways with Trident and moving to EMI, a decision that would change their future.

For the first time since 2013, the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra will revive its long-loved tradition of free outdoor concerts at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl, with four major events planned for 10 to 14 February 2026. The series, presented by the MSO with ABC Classic, The University of Melbourne and Arts Centre Melbourne, promises a week of symphonic music supported by Australian composers, celebrated soloists and rising talent.

Netflix will present Sean Combs: The Reckoning on 2 December, a four-part documentary series chronicling the rise and fall of Sean “Diddy” Combs, a figure whose influence shaped mainstream hip-hop for more than three decades. The series arrives during a period in which Combs is serving a federal sentence following his conviction for two counts of transportation for purposes of prostitution, a ruling delivered in July and followed by a sentence of 50 months and a fine of $500,000.

Commuters at London's St Pancras International witnessed a rare lunchtime spectacle when The Darkness arrived unannounced for a stripped back performance that marked a milestone week for the band. The British rock favourites, led by the Hawkins brothers Justin and Dan, performed beside the station's famed piano as crowds gathered in the main Arcade, a location that has grown into one of London's busiest cultural hubs. The performance aligned with the twentieth anniversary of One Way Ticket To Hell… And Back, the band's 2005 album that featured a steam train on its memorable cover, a fitting link to one of the country's most iconic rail stations.

Oasis have closed the chapter on their long-anticipated Live ‘25 Tour, finishing in Sao Paulo after 41 shows across 142 days that reignited one of the most influential partnerships in British rock. The tour marked the first time Liam and Noel Gallagher had shared a stage in 16 years, a break defined by personal tension, separate solo careers, and persistent speculation about the fate of the Britpop giants.

Victorian Opera will launch its 2025 season with a fresh staging of Gilbert and Sullivan's The Pirates Of Penzance. The production will run at the Palais Theatre from 31 January to 6 February, with tickets ranging from $39 to $165. The company will open its twenty-first anniversary season with one of the most recognisable operettas in the English canon, a work that has remained a fixture of theatre programming since its 1879 premiere.

Augie March will honour the twentieth anniversary of Moo, You Bloody Choir in April 2026 with a national tour that will feature the full album performed live for the first time. The band will also add a selection of long-loved favourites. The album, released in 2006, became an instant Australian classic and elevated the Shepparton-born group from cult acclaim to major national recognition.

For more than two decades, The Used have pushed the boundaries of post-hardcore and emo, shaping a global movement through melodic volatility and emotional candour. In 2026, the Utah-formed band will reach a milestone few in their genre have achieved, with an exclusive orchestral performance inside the Sydney Opera House on Sunday 29 March 2026, a black tie event presented as A Mid Summer Night's Symphony.