Australian music

Gary “Gazza” Johnson, the bassist who helped define China Crisis during the Liverpool band's most successful 1980s period, has died peacefully at the age of 61.

Colin Hay will lead the current Men At Work line-up with four additional Australian tour dates in October and November, marking 45 years since the release of the band's landmark debut album, Business As Usual.

ABC will return to Australia in March 2027 for their first full national tour in more than a decade, with Martin Fry leading a six-date celebration of The Lexicon of Love and the band's catalogue of classic pop songs.

Howard Jones has released the new single Stand Up, his first new studio recording from the forthcoming album Global Citizen, while preparing to launch his extensive North American Things Can Only Get Better Tour.

David Lee Roth's first full-length album after leaving Van Halen, Eat 'Em And Smile, reaches its 40th anniversary this week, marking a pivotal chapter in one of rock's most scrutinised departures.

Madonna's third album, True Blue, arrived on 30 June 1986 and became a defining release of the decade, producing five hit singles and establishing her as one of the most successful artists in popular music history.

Forty years after its release, Rod Stewart's Every Beat Of My Heart remains one of the defining records of his mid-1980s period, producing major international hits including the title track and Love Touch while showcasing collaborations with some of the era's most successful songwriters and producers.