Derek Riggs

Craig 'Bloxy' Bloxom leads a revitalised V.Spy V.Spy through a sold-out Melbourne show, with Bob Spencer adding another dimension to a set dominated by the band's landmark 1986 albums.

Nick Cave once named the 1986 release his favourite Bad Seeds album, while Mick Harvey regarded the sessions as the moment the band found its musical identity. Forty years on, Your Funeral... My Trial remains one of the defining records of Nick Cave's early career.

Kim Wilde's fifth album gave her the biggest American success of her career, taking her version of The Supremes' 'You Keep Me Hangin' On' to number one on the Billboard Hot 100. Released in November 1986, Another Step also captured an artist expanding beyond her established synth-pop sound and taking a greater role in her songwriting.

Forty years after its release, Elton John's *Leather Jackets* remains one of the most troubled chapters in his recording career. Despite contributions from Cliff Richard, Cher and two members of Queen, the 1986 album became a commercial disappointment and a record Elton has repeatedly described as the worst he ever made.

Released on 27 October 1986, XTC's eighth studio album brought together Andy Partridge's songwriting, Todd Rundgren's production and a carefully constructed cycle of songs about love, nature, belief and mortality. A difficult studio relationship and the unexpected American success of "Dear God" helped shape the story of one of the band's most enduring records.

Boston's Third Stage turns 40 on September 24, 2026, marking four decades since Tom Scholz and Brad Delp returned with the band's long-awaited third album and its only US number one single, "Amanda".

Alice Cooper's 1986 comeback album Constrictor turns 40, marking the point where the shock-rock pioneer returned from a three-year recording hiatus with Kane Roberts, a harder-edged sound and two songs that became closely linked to horror cinema, "He's Back (The Man Behind The Mask)" and "Teenage Frankenstein".