Hits Back

In an unexpected, yet profoundly moving moment this past weekend, Kiwi music icon Neil Finn stepped into Aotea Square, Auckland, and lent his voice to a pro-Palestine rally, delivering a stirring a capella performance of “Don’t Dream It’s Over” to a gathering estimated at 300–500 people braving the elements.

Sydney’s Electric Pandas, the cult pop-rock outfit who made their mark in the mid-80s with one album and a hit song 'Big Girls', are officially back together. Lin Buckfield has revived the Pandas for 2025 with a refreshed line-up, and they’ll share the stage with James Reyne this November.

On July 31, 1985, John Cougar Mellencamp released Scarecrow, his eighth studio album. Reaching #2 on the US Billboard 200, the album became a commercial milestone, eventually earning 5× Platinum certification in the U.S.

Chrissie Hynde, legendary singer-songwriter of The Pretenders, returns with an unexpected, warmly intimate project: Duets Special, issued under the inviting banner Chrissie Hynde & Pals, set for release on 17 October 2025 via Parlophone (and Rhino).

Vernon Reid, the Grammy-winning guitarist best known for his incendiary work with Living Colour, has announced the release of his new solo album Hoodoo Telemetry, due October 3 via Artone / The Players Club Records. Ahead of the full release, Reid has unveiled the single Beautiful Bastard, a song he originally considered for his Yohimbe Brothers project but has now reclaimed for this collection.

Midge Ure’s postponed 2025 Australian tour has been rescheduled for October 2026.

"Tell us a story" ...That’s how Paul Kelly begins his forthcoming album SEVENTY, an invitation as old as childhood, whispered from the back seat of a family car or around a glowing campfire. Who better to ask than Australia's master storyteller himself? For more than 45 years, Paul Kelly has chronicled lives, characters and contradictions with matchless insight and heart.