Clint Boge

Metallica's Australian tour has been nothing short of a love letter to Aussie rock, and Brisbane got its own wild chapter on Wednesday night, 12 November, when the metal legends tore through The Chats' viral anthem Smoko.

Brisbane's riverfront is set to become Australia's newest major live music destination when On The Banks, a fresh outdoor concert series, launches in March 2026. The Cultural Forecourt at South Bank will transform into a riverside music hub for three weeks from 1 March to 22 March, presenting a lineup of international heavyweights and Australian icons across hip-hop, alternative, pop, garage, folk, R&B and more.

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.

The 2025 Screen Music Awards celebrated the best in Australian screen composition at a glittering ceremony at Brisbane's Fortitude Music Hall last night, recognising a powerful year in music for film, TV and games.

Brisbane's people powered radio station 4ZZZ turns 50 this year, and the party is shaping up to be a city-sized celebration of the weird, the wild and the wonderfully loud. ZED50 will take over Roma Street Parklands on Saturday, 25 October 2025, with two stages, no crossovers, and a line up that reads like a who's who of Queensland music history, plus a few sharp newcomers.

Danish electronic-pop outfit ROYA will make their first trip down under in January 2026, bringing their explosive live show to Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney.

Tommy Richman is about to make his long-awaited Australian debut. The US singer, songwriter, and rising global star will bring his Coyote Tour down under in November, playing Sydney, Brisbane, and Melbourne with special guest Trevor Spitta.