After more than ten years away, The Waterboys will return to Australia and New Zealand in May 2026 for a long-awaited tour celebrating their new album Life, Death and Dennis Hopper — and a legacy that continues to shape the sound of modern rock.

If ever there was an imprint that was more than just another indie record label it’s Bongo Joe. A musicians’ collective, a community, a shop and watering hole, a barometer of Geneva’s underground scene, an epicentre for ‘post -world’ music, this cutting-edge Swiss co-op is now in its tenth year. Fitting then that Bongo Joe’s founder Cyril Yeterian should be a contributor to one the label’s final releases during this anniversary celebration, the second album from Yalla Miku, naturally called ‘2’. Cyril and his namesake buddy Cyril Bondi were central to Yalla Miku’s self-titled debut (yes there not too fussed about album titles) from 2023, inputting guitar, vocals plus “UFO banjo” and drums respectively.

The Octagon played host to a blistering night of live music on Saturday, with The Royston Club headlining a stacked bill alongside Permanent Joy and FEET. What unfolded was one of those nights that reminded everyone why the live circuit still matters — three bands, three different takes on modern indie, and a Sheffield crowd that was every bit as much a part of the show as those on stage. Permanent Joy opened proceedings, pulling in an impressively large early crowd. Their set was a thoughtful mix of clever, slightly melancholy-soaked songs that burrow into your head.

At the Hordern Pavilion, the Pixies remind Sydney why their sound has endured. Sharp, taut, and emotionally charged, their set feels less like a throwback and more like a statement of continued purpose.

A little slow on the uptake, the single 'Seventeen' was an entry drug for me, and then seeing Sharon Van Etten live at the Dark Mofo Festival a few years back sealed it for me. A magnificent mesmerising performance in the hallowed halls of The Odeon Theatre in Hobart in the middle of winter, and one of the stand out performances of that year. And the only thing that has surpassed that performance was tonight, back in The Odeon Theatre again, during an alleged Tasmanian springtime. Now performing as Sharon Van Etten & the Attachment Theory, this was the opening of Van Etten and her band's Australian and New Zealand tour and an outing for the band's self-titled album: a magnificent debut reviewed by me…

We have been tracking with great fascination the musical path of Tokyo-based Sydney-born artist Joey Sachi ever since we premiered her single 'Fractured' back in 2023. Her new single 'grace' displays a further development of her sound - something more fractured and esoteric and yet still infused with her soft velvet vocals and enigmatic style. Sachi says the new track, produced by collaborator AKINAT, is: ...an ode to someone who changes the way you see the world. I wanted it to feel like a deep breath out, an easy kind of love and listen.

Lutruwita/Tasmania's pop sensation Lasca Dry is back with a new track 'Messy Mind' and we are honoured to premiere her new video for this luscious piece of hyper pop. We here at the antipodean outpost of Backseat Mafia are huge fans of her thrilling style of muscular pop laced with intelligence and humour. 'Messy Mind' has a muscular backbeat with Dry's cool laconic vocals driving over the top, sparkling guitars splashing in and out and chanting back up singers adding to the sparkle. A chorus as expansive as the skies over the southern isle sends the track into the stratosphere: it's a pop masterpiece that reverberates around the skull and sends shivers down the spine with a delicious thrum.

Signed to Wayne Connolly's prestigious Scenic Drive Records, we at the antipodean outpost of Backseat Mafia have long been fans of The Nagging Doubts, admiring their post punk/new wave sound that has an antipodean flavour and a genetic code that, despite their tender age, goes all the way back to Velvet Underground. We are therefore thrilled to premiere their new single 'All To You' in anticipation of a debut album on the way. 'All To You' combines a visceral edge with sweet melodies delivered by bassist Ruby King. According to the band, it is:

Fresh from their AC/DC support slot, Amyl and The Sniffers return home for a one-night-only, free show at Fed Square — promising a high-voltage night of sweat, noise, and rock’n’roll energy in the heart of Melbourne.

HEALTH’s latest single YOU DIED is a heavy, unflinching meditation on mortality — turning pain into something strangely transcendent. The track arrives ahead of the band’s new album CONFLICT DLC, out December 11 via Loma Vista Recordings.

Party In The Paddock is back for its 13th rotation around the sun, and the 2026 edition is already shaping up to be one of the biggest events of the summer. Supported by the Tasmanian Government through Events Tasmania, the festival returns to Quercus Park on the banks of the tilapangka/Liffey River in Lutruwita/Tasmania from February 5th to 8th, 2026, promising four huge days of music, community, and celebration. This year’s lineup is stacked with some of the most exciting names in music, from homegrown heroes to international icons, making 2026’s Party In The Paddock one for the history books.

After five sold-out shows and over 1,600 fans left on waiting lists, Memphis May Fire return to Australia in 2026 — joined by Blessthefall for their first Australian shows in nine years, in what’s set to be a defining moment for metalcore fans.

Melodic hardcore veterans A Wilhelm Scream will return to Australia in 2026 for a seven-city headline tour, joined by Authority Zero and The Decline in Melbourne — a showcase of integrity, energy, and timeless punk craftsmanship.

While fireworks exploded across Nottingham’s skyline, inside the Motorpoint Arena a different kind of spark was flying. On a cold, clear 5th of November, Danish Rock heavyweights Volbeat brought their UK arena tour to town, supported by Bush and Witch Fever, a line-up that promised range, power and unpredictability. What followed was nearly four hours of high-volume catharsis, slick production, and genuine moments of connection that proved live Rock is still very much alive and thriving. By the time the lights dimmed for Witch Fever the arena floor was already filling up, denim jackets, Volbeat shirts, and a healthy number of parents with their kids.

Brisbane’s riverfront will come alive in March 2026 with On the Banks, a new open-air concert series featuring The Streets, De La Soul, Bernard Fanning, Peach PRC, and more — a landmark moment for the city’s live music scene.

The Apartments‘ magnificent album ‘In And Out Of The Light’ was one of the brief rays of light of the grim 2020 – one of my favourite albums of that year. With one of Brisbane’s greatest singer/songwriters, Peter Milton Walsh (briefly an early Go-Between), The Apartments are possibly one of the most underrated bands coming out of Australia, leaving an indelible impression on indie music in the southern hemisphere and beyond. The band has just released ‘That’s What The Music is For’ via Riley Records/MGM and in Europe, UK and USA by Talitres and it is another example of Walsh's heartbreakingly beautiful delicate songwriting filled with luscious imagery and haunting melodies.

On West End Girl, Lily Allen turns heartbreak into art, transforming private devastation into one of her most fearless and musically assured albums yet.

Sudan Archives returns to Australia in March 2026 for her first shows since 2023, performing at Perth Festival and headline dates nationwide following the release of The BPM

Arizona-born rapper Pertinence will make his Australian debut in February 2026, performing in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane with his unique blend of lyricism and introspection.

Florida’s Rain City Drive will make their first-ever Australian headline tour in March 2026, performing across five cities with support from TX2 and Melrose Avenue.

Australian cult legends TISM will perform their 1995 album Machiavelli and the Four Seasons in full at the Sydney Opera House on April 10, 2026 — an exclusive one-night-only event marking three decades of the landmark release.

The Pogues return to Australia for the first time in 14 years to celebrate Rum Sodomy & the Lash’s 40th anniversary, while blues legend Buddy Guy brings Ain’t Done With the Blues to the Sydney Opera House for an extraordinary week of live music.

Scottish rock powerhouse Biffy Clyro will return to Australia in April 2026 for their first tour in eight years, performing in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane following the release of their chart-topping new album Futique.

The new album 'Silverlinings' from Tasmania’s Verticoli puts on show their musical versatility and range of expression. A mix of tangible anger with a punkish delivery, hard rock swagger and some more laid back tracks combine to deliver something that is quite exciting and very cathartic. Opening with the fittingly entitled 'A Kick in the Teeth', Vertici show an uncompromising hard rock edge that is leavened by the melodies and jangling guitars. Singer Sam Hunn's vocals manage to sound both sweet and sardonic at the same time: filled with a swagger as he sings…

Normal service in an increasingly bizarre world has been at least temporarily been resumed with the exciting release of a new single by one of Australia's finest exports, The Church. 'Sacred Echoes (Part Two)' indicates the extraordinary level of creative brilliance from Steve Kilbey and his cohorts continues unabated after an incredible period of creative abundance. Kilbey says of the track Bleak and yet beautiful, Sacred Echoes (Part Two) is unlike any previous Church song ever with its almost orchestral climaxes and its sombre mood. The lyrics and voice are the weariness at the point where hope and hopelessness merge.