The Godmother of Soul, Ms Patti LaBelle, will return to Australia and New Zealand in January 2026 to celebrate her 80th birthday and an extraordinary 65 years in the music industry. Presented by MG Live and Arena Touring, the 8065 Tour will bring the Philadelphia-born legend's unmistakable voice and enduring spirit to audiences across both countries.

Dave Ball, the pioneering electronic musician and one half of legendary British synth-pop duo Soft Cell, has died in London at the age of 66. His death comes just days after completing Danceteria, the sixth and final Soft Cell studio album, due for release in early 2026.

Germany's superhero metal crusaders Grailknights have returned with Forever, their seventh studio album and perhaps their most unifying and explosive chapter to date. Released via Perception, a division of Reigning Phoenix Music, Forever is an all-out call to arms for the loyal Battlechoir, packed with thunderous riffs, arena-sized choruses, and that unmistakable blend of heroism and humour that has made the Knights a cult favourite in the power metal universe.

Australia's premier Hammond soul trio, Cookin' On 3 Burners, are back in the groove with their first studio album in six years, Cookin' The Books. The new record finds the Melbourne band in blazing form, deep in the pocket, wide in scope, and overflowing with vintage funk and soul flavours.

Chicago singer-songwriter Delaney Bailey will release her sophomore album Concave on 21 January 2026 through AWAL, previewed by her atmospheric new single Far Away.

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds will release a new live album Live God on 5 December 2025, a sonic testament to their electrifying Wild God Tour that spanned the UK, Europe and North America through 2024 and 2025. Across 15 songs, Live God captures the cathartic power and transcendent atmosphere that defined this era of the band, which Cave described as “an antidote to despair.”

Australian rapper 360 is taking his music on the road once again, announcing a massive 43-date regional Australian tour for 2026. Titled the Back N Forth Tour, this will be the most extensive regional run of his career, bringing his explosive live show to towns across every state and territory. He'll be joined by long-time collaborator and friend Pez, marking a full-circle moment for two of the most recognisable voices in Australian hip hop.

Teddy Swims entered the Rod Laver Arena stage on Wednesday night to a tribal beat, an anthemic guitar overture followed by a curtain drop that revealed the band and then Teddy himself, standing tall atop a lit-up ramp. Swims was back in Melbourne for the third time in three years, but this was his first time bringing a major production.

Chart-topping American rock band Bad Omens have unleashed their latest single “Dying To Love,” a powerful and cinematic anthem that fuses the band's heavy origins with a strikingly modern edge. Released via Sumerian Records, the song captures frontman Noah Sebastian at his most dynamic, gliding from falsetto-laced melodies into visceral screams that cut through the track's haunting production.

Slash, the iconic Guns N' Roses guitarist turned blues revivalist, has dropped his searing new single Crossroads (Live), taken from his upcoming album and concert film Live At The S.E.R.P.E.N.T. Festival, out Friday 7 November via earMUSIC. The track captures Slash's Blues Ball band in full flight, delivering a raw, soulful and unapologetically loud take on Robert Johnson's legendary Delta blues classic.

Parkway Drive have made Australian music history, performing a world-first aerial stunt above the Sydney Opera House. At dawn, frontman Winston McCall rappelled from a hovering helicopter onto the iconic sails, landing on a 60-centimetre platform perched 65 metres high.

Grammy-nominated New York duo Sofi Tukker will return to Australia in 2026 for their first headline tour in four years, bringing their colourful, high-energy live show to Melbourne, Perth, Sydney and Brisbane.

Frontier Touring has announced that rising Alabama-born country artist Kashus Culpepper will join Oklahoma songwriter Wyatt Flores as the special guest on his February 2026 ‘Bucking Bin Chicken Tour'. The tour marks Flores' debut Australian headline run and comes off the back of his breakout year, with multiple sold-out shows prompting the addition of extra dates. Culpepper will join for all dates except The Forum, Melbourne on Saturday 14 February.

After a four-year break from touring, Bon Jovi are set to make a triumphant return to the world stage with the Forever Tour, the band's first major outing since Jon Bon Jovi's life-changing vocal surgery in 2022. The global trek marks a remarkable comeback for the New Jersey rock icons, whose anthems have defined generations of fans since the early 1980s.

After selling out its debut in 2025, Mullum Roots Festival will return even bigger and more ambitious on July 11 and 12, 2026, with an expanded footprint across the village and a first wave of artists that mixes contemporary favourites with homegrown legends.

The much-loved Twilight At Taronga summer concert series will return to Taronga Zoo in February 2026, once again combining live music, family entertainment, and wildlife conservation in one of Sydney's most breathtaking outdoor venues.

After more than four decades, Haircut 100 will finally deliver the long-awaited follow-up to their 1982 classic Pelican West. The new album, Boxing The Compass, will be released on 20 March 2026, marking the band's first full-length studio release in 43 years.

Liam Finn has announced he will play a free show in Melbourne at Altar Electric in Abbotsford on 28 October.

When Oasis walked on stage in Goyang, South Korea, for their first show without founding guitarist Paul “Bonehead” Arthurs since reforming, the sense of history was impossible to miss. As 55,000 fans filled the Goyang Sports Complex for the band's long-awaited return, it was Mike Moore, best known for his work with Liam Gallagher's solo band, who stepped into one of the most iconic rhythm-guitar roles in British rock.

The Doors' legendary guitarist Robby Krieger will mark the band's 60th anniversary with an all-star concert at Los Angeles' Greek Theatre on 30 October, joined by some of rock's most iconic names including Perry Farrell, Billy Idol, Steve Stevens, Deryck Whibley, Robert DeLeo, Orianthi, and more.

Austrian guitar virtuoso Bernth Brodträger and UK-born bass phenom Charles Berthoud have become internet sensations, bridging the worlds of metal, jazz, funk and progressive rock through their boundary-pushing technique and inventive online videos. Now, the two instrumental innovators are taking their skills offline and bringing their Escape The Internet Tour to Australia for the first time, combining concert, conversation and masterclass in one immersive evening.

Polish death metal veterans Vader will bring their unrelenting live assault back to Australia in May 2026, marking the 25th anniversary of their two landmark releases, Reign Forever World and Litany. The tour, presented by Hardline Media, will see the Olsztyn-born icons deliver an uncompromising setlist from their extensive and brutal catalogue.

Following the huge success of his 15-date regional By Request tour, Diesel is keeping the momentum rolling into 2026, adding another 21 shows across Australia. The expanded By Request ‘26 Tour will see the much-loved singer-songwriter and guitarist return to stages from Tasmania to Queensland, finishing with a fitting hometown finale at the Sydney Opera House on 26 April 2026.

When Creedence Clearwater Revival's Stu Cook and his bandmates in Jackdawg sat down to create the Jackdawg album, they weren't thinking of just any Australian singer. They were thinking of Chrissy Amphlett, the defiant, magnetic frontwoman of Divinyls whose voice, attitude and stage presence captivated audiences across the world in the 1980s and 90s.

Australian indie rock favourites The Temper Trap have unveiled the stunning cinematic video for their latest single ‘Giving Up Air', filmed at London's iconic Trellick Tower and directed by Andrea Banjanin (The Vaccines, Geowulf). The emotionally charged clip captures the intimate story of a young father and his teenage son navigating grief and connection, mirroring the song's raw themes of struggle, responsibility and hope.

Love Police will introduce Australian audiences to one of the most quietly powerful songwriters to emerge from the American folk scene this century. Portland, Oregon musician Jeffrey Martin will tour Australia for the first time in March 2026, performing intimate shows in Melbourne and Sydney and appearing at the Port Fairy Folk Festival and Blue Mountains Music Festival.

Atlanta's uncompromising punk force Upchuck will unleash their raw and rebellious sound across Australia and New Zealand for the first time in March 2026. The tour will bring Upchuck to Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Auckland and Wellington, alongside a performance at Victoria's Golden Plains Festival.

Los Angeles psych-rockers Allah-Las will bring their distinctive sun-soaked Californian sound back to Australia in March 2026 for a long-awaited national tour. Presented by Handsome Tours, the five-date run will include headline shows in Melbourne, Adelaide, Sydney, Byron Bay and Perth, marking their first visit since the release of their 2023 album Zuma 85 and instrumental single Countryman ‘82 b/w Dume Room.

Finland's masters of melodic metal, Battle Beast, will finally unleash their full-throttle live fury on Australian soil in March 2026. Known for fusing the epic grandeur of classic heavy metal with 1980s-inspired hard rock and a cinematic pop sheen, Battle Beast have built a global reputation for turning stages into battlegrounds of melody and might.

Australian music powerhouses Sam Dainty and Paul Dainty AO, AM have launched a new artist management venture, marking a bold new chapter in the Dainty legacy. The pair's first signing, 22-year-old pop artist Charly Oakley, is already turning heads with their debut single Against The Odds, released through AWAL.