Australia has farewelled one of its most influential and distinctive voices with the passing of John Laws, who died peacefully at home in Sydney's Woolloomooloo at age 90. Known nationally as the “Golden Tonsils”, Laws transformed Australian talkback radio across a career that spanned 71 years, shaping political debate, public conversation and broadcasting standards for generations.

Fifty years after it first washed up from the surf at Point Dume, Neil Young's Zuma remains one of his most quietly volatile records, a bruised and beautiful return to Crazy Horse that mixed pastoral reflection with jagged electric bursts, and gave the world the towering epic Cortez The Killer.

When Patti Smith walked into Electric Lady Studios in New York in September 1975, she was not trying to chase radio hits or craft a commercial product. She was trying to breathe life back into rock, fuse it with poetry and performance art, and speak directly to outsiders who felt like music had stopped speaking to them. On 10 November 2025, her debut album Horses reaches its 50th anniversary, standing tall as one of the most influential recordings in modern music.

Metallica continued their tradition of performing a local classic at each show on their Australian tour. For Melbourne, they paid tribute to hometown heroes The Living End with a cover of Prisoner of Society.

Four decades have passed since The Power Station rewired the mid-80s pop landscape with a blast of rock, funk and high-gloss glamour. Now, the short-lived yet explosive supergroup will be honoured with deluxe reissues of their self-titled 1985 debut. Rhino Records will release a 4 CD box set and a 2 LP edition on 23 January, delivering a comprehensive look back at one of the decade's most electrifying collaborations.

Influential Washington D.C. post-hardcore innovators Shudder To Think have re-emerged with their first new material in close to three decades, unleashing the new tracks Thirst Walk and Playback as they resume their long-awaited reunion tour across the United States.

Hayley Williams has unveiled the complete physical edition of her third solo album, Ego Death At A Bachelorette Party, marking a milestone moment in the Paramore frontwoman's post-major label era. The album lands today in stores globally and features 20 tracks in total, including two songs arriving physically for the first time, Good Ol' Days and Showbiz.

Melbourne hard rockers Greystone Canyon have reignited the flame of classic rock with their new single, a thunderous and heartfelt rendition of Thin Lizzy's Suicide, released today, 7 November 2025. The track previews their forthcoming album Something Borrowed…Something New, arriving 5 December 2025 through Rockshots Records, and marks a powerful new era for the band as they embrace a fully live, organic recording approach.

New video has surfaced of AC/DC's elusive drummer Phil Rudd returning to the stage in New Zealand, performing with the Full Metal Orchestra in July in a rare public appearance. Rudd, who has largely stayed out of live performance in recent years, joined the ensemble for powerhouse renditions of Back In Black and Thunderstruck, backed by the might of the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra.

More than three decades after carving their name into Australian pub rock folklore, Nick Barker And The Reptiles have reignited the amps with Blood Nose, the band's first new music in over ten years.

Australia will be well represented at the 2026 Grammy Awards, with Perth's Tame Impala, Sydney's RÜFÜS DU SOL and Melbourne's Amyl & The Sniffers earning nominations across major contemporary categories. The awards will be announced on 1 February 2026.

Morrissey has again halted plans to return to the global stage, cancelling all remaining dates on his 2025 tour due to what has been described as “extreme exhaustion”. The former frontman of The Smiths has withdrawn from performances across South America and Europe, bringing an already turbulent touring year to an early end and raising renewed questions about whether his upcoming 2026 make-good shows in North America will proceed as intended.

Santa Cruz hardcore powerhouse Drain have unleashed their third full-length album …Is Your Friend, marking a razor-sharp new chapter for the Californian trio. Out now through Epitaph, …Is Your Friend aims to do two things, according to the band's mission statement: capture the unhinged power of their live show on record and create new material guaranteed to send crowds into a frenzy. Mission accomplished.

Scottish producer, DJ, singer, and songwriter Sam Gellaitry has officially entered a defining new chapter with the release of his long-awaited debut album Anywhere Here Is Perfect via Major Recordings / Warner Records. Already celebrated as one of electronic music's most inventive voices, Gellaitry now steps forward as a full-form artist, pairing his kaleidoscopic sound design with vulnerable lyricism and cinematic electronic production.

Radiohead are back. After seven long years without a tour, the influential English group stepped onto a stage once again, launching their 2025 European and UK dates in Madrid on 4 November with the first of four shows in the Spanish capital. For a band long associated with pushing forward, this return marks a rare moment of reflection, yet one that feels deeply energised by a renewed sense of purpose.

After more than five decades of shaping arena rock, Journey will take their final bow with a massive farewell trek, setting the stage for the end of one of the most successful touring legacies in rock history. The Final Frontier Tour, beginning 28 February 2026 in Hershey, Pennsylvania, will deliver 60 arena shows across North America through to 2 July in Laredo, Texas, confirming that the group behind Don't Stop Believin' is preparing to close the touring chapter once and for all.

Eddie Izzard will return to Australia in June 2026 to present a daring one-person staging of The Tragedy Of Hamlet, an ambitious theatrical feat that sees the Emmy-winning and Tony-nominated performer embody all 23 characters in Shakespeare's most enduring drama. The production arrives following sold-out runs across the United States and United Kingdom and a wave of acclaim for Izzard's transformation of the classic tragedy into a modern, intimate showcase of performance craft.

Teen Jesus And The Jean Teasers have stepped into a bold new chapter with the release of their second album Glory, out now via Community Music / Mom + Pop. The Canberra-born, now Canberra and Melbourne-based punk-indie quartet have carved out an unmistakable presence in Australian music across the past few years, and Glory arrives as their most self-assured, emotionally charged and musically adventurous work to date.

British singer-songwriter Holly Humberstone will arrive in Australia next week to begin her long-awaited headline tour, presented by Secret Sounds and triple j, bringing her deeply personal and atmospheric pop to local audiences. With Melbourne and Sydney already sold out and only limited tickets remaining for Brisbane and Fremantle, Humberstone has now added a brand-new date for Wollongong on Saturday 22 November at UOW Unibar.

The Church, one of Australia's most enduring and imaginative musical forces, have returned with a brand-new single, ‘Sacred Echoes (Part Two)'. Arriving just as the band prepare to embark on a national Australian tour revisiting four decades of remarkable music, the track captures The Church in full cinematic flight, bending mood, melody, and atmosphere into something both otherworldly and deeply human.

Jake Owen returns this week with Dreams To Dream, a deeply personal new album arriving Friday 7 November, marking a pivotal moment in the American country star's evolution. The record, co-produced with Shooter Jennings and tracked at Sunset Sound in Los Angeles, arrives as Owen steps into full independence for the first time in his recording career, and reveals a songwriter and performer now fully ready to show where life has taken him.

Kings Of Leon have taken a decisive new step in their storied career, unveiling EP #2, their first extended-play release in more than two decades and their first ever as an independent band. The four-track release arrives through the group's own imprint, Love Tap Records, distributed by Virgin Music, and represents a landmark moment for the Followill family as they embrace complete creative autonomy and self-production for the first time since forming in Nashville in 1999.

Melbourne singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Steph Strings will usher in a defining moment of her career in early 2026, with her debut album Feel Alive confirmed for release on Friday 9 January, 2026. The announcement arrives as Strings unveils a brand-new single, the brooding country-pop burner Devil Woman, showcasing a darker, cinematic side to the artist who first won hearts with her coastal folk and percussive guitar playing.

Two decades after reshaping British indie rock with their debut album Employment, Kaiser Chiefs will return to Australia in November for their first national tour in more than ten years, and they are bringing one of Australia's most electrifying live bands along for the ride, The Delta Riggs.

Laufey has returned to usher in the festive season once again, unveiling her rendition of Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town, joining her expanding tradition of modern holiday classics. The Icelandic-Chinese artist, composer, producer and Grammy-winner brings her jazz-and-classical infused warmth to the time-honoured tune, presenting another chapter of what has become an annual musical celebration.

Gilson Lavis, the distinguished English drummer who powered Squeeze through their most defining years and later became an in-demand portrait artist, has died at his Lincolnshire home at age 74. Lavis passed away on 5 November 2025.

Fifty years ago, Deep Purple closed one of the most turbulent chapters in rock history with Come Taste The Band. Released 7 November 1975, the record marked the final breath of the band before their split the following year, and the lone studio outing for the short-lived Mark IV line-up with Tommy Bolin on guitar. Half a century later, the album stands as one of rock's great “what if” stories, a bold reinvention from a band determined to push forward, even as its foundations were buckling.

The SoundMerch Australian Music Prize has named Ninajirachi the winner of its 21st annual award, recognising the most creative and artistically significant Australian album of the year. Ninajirachi takes home the coveted title for her album I Love My Computer, along with the $50,000 cash prize.

Metallica fans in Australia are getting a rare chance to sit face-to-face with one of metal's most influential guitarists, as Kirk Hammett heads to Sydney for a special live conversation celebrating his new book The Collection: Kirk Hammett. The event, hosted by respected Australian music journalist Sean Sennett, will take place at the State Library of New South Wales on Friday 14 November.

Spotify has been pushed into the spotlight again, facing multiple legal challenges that question how music is recommended, promoted, and paid for on streaming platforms.