Released on August 30, 1965, Bob Dylan’s Highway 61 Revisited marked a seismic shift in both his career and the landscape of popular music. Celebrating its 60th anniversary this year, the album stands as a bold declaration of artistic freedom, blending folk, blues, and rock into a sound that was as electrifying as it was poetic.

Released on August 26, 1985, The Head on the Door marked a pivotal moment in The Cure's evolution. Celebrating its 40th anniversary this year, the album stands as a testament to the band's ability to blend post-punk sensibilities with accessible pop melodies, propelling them into the mainstream while retaining their distinctive edge.

August 30 has long been a milestone date in music history, bringing with it landmark releases and unforgettable moments. Bob Dylan’s Highway 61 Revisited arrived on this day, reshaping rock songwriting with “Like a Rolling Stone,” while Van Morrison, Rod Stewart, and Judas Priest also released career-defining albums. The first Isle of Wight Festival in 1968 cemented itself as a cornerstone of British rock culture, and decades later Kanye West’s Late Registration and Lana Del Rey’s Norman Fucking Rockwell! set new creative benchmarks. From classic rock to modern icons, August 30 showcases music’s constant evolution across generations.

New Zealand indie rock favourites The Beths have today released their highly anticipated fourth studio album, Straight Line Was A Lie, via ANTI-. The new record arrives off the back of two sold-out album launch shows in the United States earlier this week. In New York City, they played to a packed Bowery Ballroom crowd with comedian Marcia Belsky on support. On the West Coast, they brought their sound to Los Angeles’ Bob Baker Marionette Theatre, with comedy legend Margaret Cho opening the night.

Canadian alt-rock powerhouse The Beaches have released their new single Can I Call You In The Morning?, coinciding with the arrival of their highly anticipated third studio album No Hard Feelings, out now via AWAL.

Kylie Minogue will release her new live album Tension Tour // Live 2025 on September 26, documenting the biggest world tour of her career since 2011. A vinyl edition will follow in 2026, with Kylie already giving fans a taste by releasing the live version of the title track Tension recorded on the tour’s closing night in Monterrey, Mexico.

In a move set to reshape the landscape of live entertainment marketing, Anthem Group has announced a strategic investment in Bolster Group, one of Australia’s most decorated music and culture marketing agencies. While Bolster will maintain its independence, the alliance signals a new era of audience insight, data-driven growth, and campaign innovation across theatre, music, and major events.

It’s hard to believe it’s been 24 years since Australia lost one of its most iconic musical sons—Graeme “Shirley” Strachan, the charismatic lead singer of Skyhooks. Today, on 29 August 2025, fans, friends, and fellow musicians remember the voice that defined a generation, the performer whose presence lit up stages, and the personality who made Australian rock both fun and unforgettable.

Sycco has released a new companion EP, Home Is Where The Zorb Still Is, celebrating the one-year anniversary of her j award-winning debut album Zorb. Out now via Future Classic, the EP continues her kaleidoscopic blend of psych-pop, introspection, and club-ready sounds.

Cheersquad Records (AUS) and Folc Records (Spain) will mark the 40th anniversary of one of Australian punk’s most infamous singles, I Can’t Control Myself / Born To Be Punched by James Baker and the James Baker Experience. The limited-edition reissue arrives on October 7, 2025, in five vinyl variants.

South Summit, the Perth five-piece fast-tracking their way into Australia’s biggest stages, are back with a new single and video, Top of the Hill. The track, recorded at Blackbird Studios with producer David Parkin (Old Mervs, Great Gable, Spacey Jane), is the band’s first release since their acclaimed 2023 debut The Bliss and sets up a run into a packed 2025 summer festival season.

Diamond-certified and GRAMMY Award-nominated artist Halsey will celebrate the 10th anniversary of her debut album Badlands with the massive Back To Badlands 2025–2026 International Tour, bringing her back to Australia for the first time since 2020.

Australia’s biggest international country music festival, CMC Rocks QLD, will return to Willowbank in 2026 with a heavyweight lineup led by Jordan Davis, Old Dominion and Riley Green. The festival runs from Friday 20 to Sunday 22 March 2026, bringing together a mix of Nashville hitmakers, international newcomers and Australian favourites for three days of country music, mateship and memories.

Jessie J has cancelled her upcoming U.S. tour dates and postponed her European tour after confirming she requires a second breast cancer-related surgery later this year.

August 29 is a day that echoes with some of music’s most significant milestones. It marks the birth of Michael Jackson, the “King of Pop,” whose influence on music, dance, and culture remains unmatched. On this day, The Beatles performed their final scheduled concert at Candlestick Park, closing the chapter on their touring years, while Roy Orbison released “Oh, Pretty Woman,” destined to become one of rock’s timeless classics. Michael Jackson also released Bad, the follow-up to Thriller, while in more recent times Kanye West unveiled Donda. With moments of farewell, reinvention, and groundbreaking releases, August 29 holds a unique place in the story of modern music.

The Environmental Music Prize, an award that celebrates artists using music to connect people to nature and drive environmental action, is now open for entries for 2025 – but not for long. Submissions close this Sunday, 31 August 2025.

Virtuosic Irish fiddler Martin Hayes, one of the most significant figures in Irish traditional music, will return to Australia in February 2026 for a national tour presented by Gaynor Crawford and Destroy All Lines.

Russell Morris was almost apologetic when he stepped onto the Hamer Hall stage in Melbourne for the first night of The Farewell Tour on Wednesday (27 August 2025). He admitted to his fans that a 60-year career can look confusing from the outside. The truth is, Morris was never one to sit still.

Eminem has dug deep into the vault to unearth a lost cut from his The Eminem Show era. The newly released song, Everybody’s Looking At Me, has officially surfaced as part of the soundtrack to his new documentary STANS, now streaming on Paramount+.

English pop-rock survivors The Korgis are back in 2025 with a brand-new collaborative album, teaming up with Australian singer, songwriter and guitarist Joe Matera. The project, titled Coffee In New York, will be released on October 24, 2025, via Renaissance Records in the USA on both vinyl and CD.

TX2 is set to unleashed his latest single Feed, a collaboration with the equally enigmatic DeathbyRomy.

There is one Beatles song that has taken on mythical status among fans, collectors and music historians. It has never been released, never leaked, and exists only in the archives of Abbey Road Studios. It is called Carnival of Light.

In what marks a pivotal rebirth for Los Angeles' shapeshifting indie-pop cohort HUNNY, frontman Jason Yarger has officially cast the band in a new light, pulling every lever himself on the forthcoming full-length, SPIRIT!. Released September 26 via Epitaph, the 15-track record is anchored by its playful lead single, “i can see my house from here,” a near-five-minute riff-driven gem brimming with sincerity and improvisational verve.

Bon Jovi will return this October with a brand-new collaboration record, Forever (Legendary Edition), set for release on October 24, 2025. The 14-track album finds Jon Bon Jovi and the band reimagining the spirit of their 2024 record Forever with the help of an all-star guest list. The project arrives after Jon Bon Jovi’s vocal cord surgery, a setback that forced him to step away from touring while still creatively hungry to share music.

Grammy-nominated star Jelly Roll has announced a brand-new show in Townsville as part of his Down Under 2025 Tour for Face To Face Touring. The addition comes after overwhelming demand, making Townsville the northernmost stop on his first ever visit to Australia and New Zealand. The show will take place on 6 November 2025 at Queensland Country Bank Stadium, with a festival-style stage setup on the field and an all-ages audience.

Australian metal titans Parkway Drive will mark two decades of chaos, fire and stadium-sized riffs with a very different kind of show. On 17 September 2025, the band will play a one-off warm-up gig at Berlin’s legendary Metropol.

British-Sri Lankan trailblazer M.I.A. will return to Australia in October for two exclusive headline shows in Melbourne and Sydney, adding to her already anticipated performance at Adelaide’s Harvest Rock festival.

Melbourne is set to swing harder than ever this spring, with the Melbourne International Jazz Festival (MIJF) 2025 unveiling its most ambitious program to date. From 17 to 26 October, the city will host more than 500 artists from 18 countries, presenting over 150 performances across 40 venues.

August 28 stands out in music history as a day of endings, beginnings, and cultural milestones. It was on this date that The Beatles played their last official concert at San Francisco’s Candlestick Park, closing the book on their touring years, while Bob Dylan first crossed paths with the band, sparking a new creative direction. Tammy Wynette recorded her defining anthem “Stand by Your Man,” and Tina Turner reached No.1 in the US with “What’s Love Got to Do with It,” cementing her comeback. The day also brought landmark albums from Big Brother and the Holding Company, The Velvet Underground, and R.E.M., while later generations would see Beyoncé and Florence Welch born on this date. August 28 continues to resonate as a turning point where legacies were launched and legends redefined.

Southeast Asia’s premier music export platform, AXEAN Festival, has unveiled its final lineup for this year’s edition, promising two days of electrifying performances across three stages at Jimbaran Hub, Bali. Set for September 13–14, 2025, the festival will showcase 43 acts from Indonesia and across the region, blending established names with rising independent talent.