James Iha

Sammy Hagar has always had a reputation for surrounding himself with powerhouse players, but his upcoming live album, Sammy Hagar & The Best Of All Worlds Band – The Residency (out October 10, 2025 via Big Machine Rock), brings a distinctly Australian twist. On keyboards, vocals and guitar is Rai Thistlethwayte, best known at home for fronting Thirsty Merc and more recently as a member of The Fabulous Caprettos. For Australian fans, the inclusion of Thistlethwayte in Hagar’s latest chapter is a striking reminder of how far the Sydney-born musician’s career has travelled.

In 1995, Ugly Kid Joe released Menace To Sobriety, their second full-length album. A heavier, darker, and more muscular outing than their blockbuster debut America’s Least Wanted, Menace was hailed by Kerrang! as “the album of the year.” Yet, in the United States, the record received little to no label support, leaving frontman Whitfield Crane to famously declare that their label was quietly backing away.

After a 25-year hiatus, one of the UK’s most adored pop-rocket launches—Five—are back in full force. Sean, Ritchie, Scott, Abz and J Brown will reunite for the Keep On Movin’ 2026 Tour, roaring into Perth, Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne—and even Auckland—next May.

Ed Kuepper, twice inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame as a founding member of both The Saints and Laughing Clowns, will finally bring his acclaimed collaboration with Dirty Three drummer Jim White to the United States for the first time this November. The pair will perform in Los Angeles on November 4 and New York on November 17, with support from none other than Mick Harvey of The Birthday Party and The Bad Seeds.

Skunkhour will mark three decades since the release of one of Australia’s most enduring funk-rock singles with the Up To Our Necks In It national tour this October and November. The tour celebrates the 1995 breakthrough hit Up To Our Necks In It, a track that helped Skunkhour break from the Sydney underground into national recognition.

Australian and New Zealand punk fans are in for a treat: California punk stalwarts Lagwagon will return early next year for a marquee tour marking the 30th anniversary of their seminal 1995 album, HOSS. The band will perform the album in full—track-by-track—alongside fan favourites, reviving the raw energy and emotion that defined the ‘90s punk explosion.

Staffan Öfwerman, best remembered as the energetic keyboardist, percussionist, and backing vocalist for Roxette during their world-conquering years, will release his long-awaited debut solo album Lost and Found (restored, remixed, reborn) on September 5, 2025 through ManoverMusic.