When London's most flamboyant pop festival lands in Australia for the first time, it's only fitting that one of pop's fiercest icons leads the charge. Kesha will headline the inaugural Mighty Hoopla Sydney, set to take over Bondi Beach on Saturday, 21 February 2026, promising a day of glitter, chaos, and unapologetic pop euphoria.

Canadian country singer-songwriter Cameron Whitcomb will make his long-awaited debut in Australia and New Zealand in May 2026 with his Hard Way Tour. The five-date run will take Whitcomb's explosive live show to Auckland, Adelaide, Melbourne, Brisbane and Sydney, marking his first performances down under.

Australia's two signature outback music festivals are gearing up for a massive return in 2026 with stellar line-ups and desert spectacles that promise to reignite the magic. After a one-year pause, the Birdsville Big Red Bash returns July 7-9, while the Broken Hill Mundi Mundi Bash takes centre stage August 20-22, both unveiling rosters stacked with Australian music royalty.

When John Vesely recorded Awake in a Menlo Park bedroom and uploaded it to MySpace, few imagined the little one-man project called Secondhand Serenade would become a blueprint for the social-media musician. Yet that's exactly what happened - and in our recent chat Vesely was blunt about how indispensable MySpace was to his career.

Tommy James has one of the most extraordinary backstories in rock history. His career began like a fairytale - a teenage hit, a quick rise to fame - but what followed was a cautionary tale of music and the mob. In an exclusive conversation with Noise11, Tommy revealed how his label, Roulette Records, became both his golden ticket and his biggest trap.

When singer-songwriter Helen Ryder walked away from a serious car accident, she didn't just survive, she found a new purpose. Her latest album, Love Over Hate, is both a personal reckoning and a statement of resilience. The record sees Ryder transforming pain into art, exploring the deep emotional terrain that follows trauma and healing.

Icelandic-Chinese singer, composer and multi-instrumentalist Laufey is moving from the stage to the bookshelf, announcing her debut picture book Mei Mei The Bunny, to be released globally on 21 April 2026 through Penguin Workshop, with UK and Commonwealth rights handled by DK Children's.

Teen Jesus And The Jean Teasers have announced their next big move, the Glory album and tour, along with the snarling new single Bait. It's the first taste of what's shaping up to be the band's boldest era yet, arriving November 7 through Community Music and Mom + Pop.

Irish folk innovators Beoga will return to Australia in February 2026 for their first visit in more than a decade, performing headline shows, festival sets and joining their longtime collaborator Ed Sheeran for his national stadium tour.

Canadian synth-pop icons Men Without Hats are heading into a new era with their upcoming album On The Moon, due for release on 14 November 2025. The new record captures the essence of the band's signature 1980s sound while exploring fresh creative territory, balancing nostalgia with renewal.

Alt-rock veterans Garbage have confirmed the much-anticipated return to Australia and New Zealand, announcing four theatre shows in December 2025 in Auckland, Melbourne, Adelaide and Sydney. These dates mark the band's first headline tour in Australia since 2016, and their first appearance in New Zealand's main centres in over a decade.

Tom Petty's timeless 1994 masterpiece Wildflowers continues to bloom three decades after its release, with the 30th anniversary celebration expanding into film, vinyl and print in 2025.

For more than three decades, Counting Crows have been one of the most distinctive and heartfelt voices in American rock. In 2026, Adam Duritz and company will return to Australia and New Zealand for The Complete Sweets! Tour.

Willie Watson, one of Americana's most distinct voices and a founding member of Old Crow Medicine Show, will return to Australia in March 2026 for a national tour presented by Love Police. The tour follows the release of his first full album of original material, the self-titled Willie Watson, released in September 2024 through Little Operation Records.

American post-hardcore veterans Thrice will return to Australia and New Zealand in 2026 for their first headline tour in nearly a decade. The tour will showcase music from their new album Horizons/West, the companion to 2021's Horizons/East, alongside a career-spanning set of fan favourites.

Michael D'Angelo Archer, the singer-songwriter and producer who helped define the neo-soul movement, has died aged 51 following a prolonged battle with pancreatic cancer, his family has announced. The D'Angelo Estate said he “has been called home, departing this life today, October 14, 2025,” and asked for privacy while inviting fans to celebrate the music he leaves behind.

Mercury Prize and Ivor Novello-nominated rapper Pa Salieu will make his long-awaited Australian debut this December, bringing his powerful and genre-bending live show to Sydney and Melbourne, alongside his first appearance at Meredith Music Festival.

Poland's unholy giants Behemoth will return to Australia in February 2026 to celebrate three decades of blackened death metal dominance, marking 30 years since they first began their crusade of chaos and confrontation.

Joey Santiago has always been the quiet force driving Pixies' sonic personality - the man behind the wiry leads and angular phrases that defined a generation of alternative guitarists.

Spandau Ballet's Steve Norman has said he would love one final reunion tour to give the band, and their fans, “the closure we all deserve.”

When A Different Kind Of Truth arrived in February 2012, fans heard more than just the first Van Halen studio album in 14 years. It was a bridge between eras, a rare moment when the band's past collided with its future and it was built in large part by a then 20-year-old Wolfgang Van Halen.

The Hard-Ons, one of Australia's most enduring and gloriously chaotic punk bands, are about to spill a bit of themselves - literally - into history. The acclaimed 2024 documentary The Most Australian Band Ever! is getting a physical Blu-ray release, complete with a deluxe box set edition that includes a limited-edition vinyl pressing made with the actual blood of band members Raymond Ahn and Peter “Blackie” Black.

Baltimore's hardcore juggernaut Turnstile will make their long-awaited return to Australian shores this summer, bringing their explosive live energy and genre-bending chaos for four massive shows across Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Perth.

When Jimmy and Jane Barnes first invited Australia into their kitchen with Where The River Bends in 2021, they shared not just recipes, but a window into their home life, love and family. Now, four years later, the Barnes family are back with Seasons Where The River Bends, the eagerly anticipated follow-up that once again blends food, family and music in the way only the Barneses can. The new cookbook will be released through HarperCollins Australia on Tuesday, 28 October 2025.

Midnight Oil drummer Rob Hirst has officially concluded the auction of his legendary 1979 Ludwig “Touring and Recording” drum kit, with the final winning bid reaching $77,500.

Genre-defying British rocker Yungblud will return to Australia in January 2026 for his biggest headline shows yet, as part of his global IDOLS World Tour. The tour announcement follows a year of record-breaking success, with Yungblud selling out his entire 24-date North American run in just one minute.

On 14 October 1985, INXS released Listen Like Thieves, the album that cracked their international code, and 40 years on it still sounds like a band discovering the shape of its future. The fifth studio album from the Sydney six-piece spent two weeks at number one on the Australian Kent Music Report and became the launchpad that propelled them into the US Top 20, peaking at No. 11 on the Billboard 200.

Half a century after the roar of Newcastle's Rabbit first shook Aussie stages, the band that helped define the mid-70s pub rock sound is back with Defenders Of Rock, a brand-new album out 31 October via Savant Guarde Records. Led once again by original AC/DC frontman Dave Evans, the record is a fist-pumping salute to the spirit of Australian rock and roll, loud, proud, and unbreakable.

Luck might be the word in the title, but Andrew Swift's success story has little to do with chance. The multi-award-winning country artist has spent the better part of a decade building his name the old-fashioned way, through persistence, authenticity, and a deep connection with fans. From flipping burgers and fixing caravans to headlining theatres and topping charts, Swift's journey has been one of grit and gratitude. His new album Lucky Stars captures it all, part victory lap, part love letter, and all heart.

My First Time have uncorked another blast of modern disillusionment with their new single Sippy Cup, a biting satire on escapism and excess that cements the Bristol-based quartet as one of the UK's most unflinchingly self-aware new acts. The track marks their fourth release of 2025, following Brand New, Much Better and Bodybag, and continues the band's rapid evolution from post-punk mischief-makers to one of the scene's most compelling provocateurs.