Karen Leimbach

September 13 has seen a mix of major album releases, breakthrough concerts, and the birth of several prominent musicians. Globally, artists from blues to pop have marked this day with songs and shows that left a lasting impact. In Australia, too, it is remembered for the birthday of Steve Kilbey and Stephen Cummings-icons of alternative rock-among other milestones.

The Whitlams Orchestral ’26 Tour will see The Whitlams partner with Australia’s leading symphony orchestras across the country in 2026.

The Whitlams already have their 2027 plans pencilled in. Fans can mark the calendar for a full-scale Torch The Moon 25th anniversary celebration, complete with a national tour and a vinyl reissue of the much-loved album.

G Flip has dropped the blistering new single Bed On Fire alongside a powerful video, marking the centrepiece moment of their just-released third album Dream Ride.

Sophistication isn’t difficult to absorb when it arrives at the very un–rock and roll hour of 2pm on a Saturday. Suited up for the occasion, Tim Freedman, Jack Housden, Terepai Richmond and Matt Fell, collectively The Whitlams, joined conductor Nicholas Buc and the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra for a rare afternoon of class and drama.

Graham “Buzz” Bidstrup has lived many lives in music. As drummer, songwriter and producer, he’s been Buzz Throckman in The Angels, the driving force behind GANGgajang, the rhythm on Australian Crawl’s “Reckless”, a key player with Jimmy Barnes, and the creative energy behind the Jimmy Little Foundation. Now, he’s put his story into print with his new memoir No Secrets.

When Mondo Rock released Baby Wants To Rock in 1984, they were riding high on a string of Australian hits but still searching for a global breakthrough. The single became a staple on Australian radio, helped cement the group’s reputation as one of the most consistent hitmakers of the 80s, and decades later, found an unlikely new audience with its appearance in the 2025 film The Naked Gun.