Music News

Castaway Festival is returning for the 2026/27 summer with a distinctly Australian lineup spanning hip hop, rock, pop and emerging talent.

Headlined by Hilltop Hoods, Violent Soho and Amy Shark, the festival will travel across Perth, Melbourne and Wollongong, with Playlunch, Trials, Lyric and Birdland completing a seven-act bill.

The first stop will be Whitfords Nodes Park in Hillarys, WA on Saturday 21 November 2026, followed by Mornington Racecourse in Victoria on Saturday 12 December, before Castaway heads to Wollongong on Saturday 20 March 2027.

Castaway Festival

At the top of the bill are Hilltop Hoods, the Adelaide trio whose career has stretched across more than two decades. With multiple ARIA Awards and a catalogue of releases that have helped shape Australian hip hop, their festival sets have become a reliable home for big crowds and bigger singalongs.

Joining them are Brisbane rock favourites Violent Soho, bringing a very different kind of energy to the lineup. Their raw, guitar-driven sound gives the festival a heavier edge, while Amy Shark adds a pop and singer-songwriter perspective to the day.

Shark is also coming into Castaway with fresh material following the release of her latest album SOFT POP. She says she’s a fan of both Hilltop Hoods and Violent Soho and was more than happy to join the lineup.

“I don’t think you could get a better lineup. Hip-hop, rock and pop – I can’t wait!” Shark said.

The supporting lineup gives the festival plenty of room to move beyond its three headline acts.

Playlunch arrive after a busy period of international touring across the US, UK and Europe, while Trials, Lyric and Perth’s Birdland bring a younger wave of Australian talent into the mix.

For Playlunch, returning home after their overseas run makes the timing particularly exciting.

“We’re so stoked to be a part of Castaway Festival with this STACKED lineup of incredible acts,” the band said, describing the festival as a chance to get back on home turf and kick off the Australian festival season.

The appeal of Castaway is in the mix. Rather than building a bill around one particular sound, the festival brings together artists from different corners of Australian music and gives them a common stage.

Hilltop Hoods can move a crowd with decades of Australian hip hop behind them, Violent Soho bring the guitars and volume, and Amy Shark offers a completely different side of contemporary pop. Add Playlunch, Trials, Lyric and Birdland to the day and there’s plenty for audiences to discover between the headline sets.

Castaway Festival 2026/27

Saturday 21 November 2026
Whitfords Nodes Park, Hillarys, WA

Saturday 12 December 2026
Mornington Racecourse, Mornington, VIC

Saturday 20 March 2027
Wollongong, NSW

Lineup:
Hilltop Hoods
Violent Soho
Amy Shark
Playlunch
Trials
Lyric
Birdland

Tickets go on general sale Friday 28 August at 12pm local time, with Telstra Plus and artist presales beginning Wednesday 26 August. A Face To Face presale follows on Thursday 27 August.

Get Castaway Festival tickets and information

With three cities, seven Australian acts and a lineup that refuses to sit neatly inside one genre, Castaway is shaping up as one of the bigger Australian festival runs of the 2026/27 summer.

Three decades after four friends from Perth started making music together, Jebediah’s story is heading to cinemas.

Jebediah: Are We OK? will open in cinemas nationwide on 8 October 2026, with Madman Entertainment distributing the documentary across Australia and New Zealand. The release will be accompanied by a national Q&A tour featuring members of the band and the filmmakers.

Jebediah: Are We OK? — Madman Entertainment

Formed in suburban Perth in 1994, Kevin Mitchell, Chris Daymond, Vanessa Thornton and Brett Mitchell went from playing in school bands to national stardom with their double-platinum debut album, Slightly Odway.

Thirty years later, they’re still making records, still playing together and still working out how to balance the band with the lives they’ve built away from it.

Directed by Victorian writer-director Arlo Dean Cook and produced by Western Australian producer Brooke Tia Silcox of No Thing Productions, the 89-minute documentary was made over eleven years.

The film combines thirty years of personal archives and home videos with intimate present-day access to the four members of Jebediah. Rather than simply retracing the band’s biggest moments, Are We OK? looks at the friendship underneath the music and the realities of growing older while trying to keep a creative partnership alive.

That relationship is what gives the film its weight.

Jebediah emerged during the 1990s and quickly became one of Australia’s most recognisable alternative rock bands. Their debut album Slightly Odway went double platinum, while songs including “Leaving Home”, “Harpoon” and “Jerks of Attention” became part of the soundtrack to an era.

But Are We OK? isn’t simply a trip back through the band’s biggest hits.

Instead, it spends time with the four people behind the music, looking at what it means to maintain a creative partnership and friendship across three decades while life continues to change around them.

The result is a portrait of a band that has managed to keep going without pretending that the journey has always been easy.

The documentary was selected for the Melbourne International Film Festival 2026 Premiere Fund ahead of its national cinema release.

The national Q&A tour begins in Western Australia, with the full band joining Cook and Silcox at Luna Leederville in Perth on 2 October and Luna SX in Fremantle on 3 October.

From there, the tour moves through Adelaide, Brisbane, Sydney, Newcastle and Melbourne, with different members of Jebediah appearing alongside Cook at selected screenings.

The Sydney screening at Ritz Cinemas on 11 October will be hosted by Richard Kingsmill, while the 30th Anniversary Special Q&A at The Corner Hotel in Melbourne on 18 October will feature Vanessa Thornton and Cook, hosted by Jane Gazzo and Dylan Lewis.

For longtime fans, Jebediah: Are We OK? offers a chance to revisit a band that has been part of Australian music for more than three decades. For anyone discovering Jebediah now, the documentary provides a closer look at the people, friendships and experiences behind the songs.

National Q&A Tour

Western Australia

Friday, 2 October – 6:45 PM
Luna Leederville, Perth
Q&A with Jebediah, Arlo Dean Cook & Brooke Silcox

Saturday, 3 October – 4:00 PM
Luna SX, Fremantle
Q&A with Jebediah, Arlo Dean Cook & Brooke Silcox

South Australia

Friday, 9 October – 6:30 PM
Palace Nova Eastend, Adelaide
Q&A with Kevin Mitchell & Arlo Dean Cook

Queensland

Saturday, 10 October – 6:30 PM
New Farm Cinemas, Brisbane
Q&A with Kevin Mitchell & Arlo Dean Cook

New South Wales

Sunday, 11 October – 3:00 PM
Ritz Cinemas, Sydney
Q&A with Kevin Mitchell & Arlo Dean Cook, hosted by Richard Kingsmill

Saturday, 17 October – 6:30 PM
Tower Cinemas, Newcastle
Q&A with Vanessa Thornton & Arlo Dean Cook

Victoria

Tuesday, 13 October – 6:30 PM
Cinema Nova, Melbourne
Q&A with Kevin Mitchell & Arlo Dean Cook

Wednesday, 14 October – 6:30 PM
Sun Theatre, Yarraville
Q&A with Kevin Mitchell & Arlo Dean Cook

Thursday, 15 October – 6:30 PM
Kino Cinemas, Melbourne
Q&A with Arlo Dean Cook

Sunday, 18 October – 6:30 PM
The Corner Hotel, Melbourne
30th Anniversary Special Q&A with Vanessa Thornton & Arlo Dean Cook, hosted by Jane Gazzo and Dylan Lewis

Monday, 19 October – 6:30 PM
Elsternwick, Melbourne
Q&A with Arlo Dean Cook

Tickets for the Q&A sessions

General national release sessions across Dendy Cinemas and independent cinemas will be announced soon.

San Francisco’s underscores is heading back to Australia this December, bringing her genre-bending live show to Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney for three special theatre shows, with an appearance at Meredith Music Festival also on the calendar.

The Australian return follows the release of U, the third album from April Harper Grey and one of the year’s more adventurous pop records. The album has already amassed more than 80 million global streams, continuing a trajectory that began with Grey uploading music to SoundCloud as a teenager from her childhood bedroom.

Since the release of her 2017 EP skin purifying treatment, underscores has built a distinctive world somewhere between hyperpop, alternative pop, electronic music and internet culture. Her music can move from distorted production and chaotic energy to surprisingly intimate moments without ever settling comfortably into one lane.

That unpredictability has become a major part of her appeal.

Her previous releases, including the 2021 debut fishmonger and the concept album Wallsocket, helped establish a devoted following, while U has pushed that sound even further. The album earned a triple j Feature Album spot and has seen underscores featured by publications including Interview, The FADER, Vogue, Pitchfork, Wonderland, Crack Magazine and NME, where she also graced the cover.

Live, underscores has continued to build momentum on some of the world’s biggest stages, appearing at Coachella, Lollapalooza and Corona Capital while sharing stages with artists including 100 gecs and Porter Robinson.

Her collaborations have also become an important part of the picture. ‘Harvest Sky’ saw her team up with Oklou, while other collaborations include Yaeji and Danny Brown.

Joining underscores for all three Australian headline shows will be New York-based Estonian-American producer and DJ umru. Known for his early work with Charli xcx, A. G. Cook and the PC Music scene, umru has developed his own reputation for distorted maximalism and boundary-pushing production that sits somewhere between underground experimentation and pop.

The pairing makes for a fitting Australian tour, bringing together two artists who have spent much of their careers pushing at the edges of contemporary electronic and pop music.

A June 2026 DJ set from underscores gives some idea of what to expect live. The set moves through music from SOPHIE, Ninajirachi, Jane Remover and Oklou alongside unexpected appearances from Janet Jackson, Kylie Minogue, Skrillex, Rihanna and Miley Cyrus.

The Australian shows will take place in December, beginning at the Princess Theatre in Brisbane on Friday 11 December. underscores then heads to 170 Russell in Melbourne on Monday 14 December before finishing at Sydney’s Metro Theatre on Thursday 17 December.

She will also perform at Meredith Music Festival in Victoria.

The Frontier Members and artist presale begins Wednesday 26 August at 10am local time, running until Friday 28 August at 11am or until the allocation is exhausted. General public tickets go on sale Friday 28 August at 12pm local time.

Tour Dates

Friday 11 December 2026
Princess Theatre, Brisbane, QLD
Licensed All Ages

Buy tickets via Ticketmaster

Monday 14 December 2026
170 Russell, Melbourne, VIC
18+

Buy tickets via Moshtix

Thursday 17 December 2026
Metro Theatre, Sydney, NSW
Licensed All Ages

Buy tickets via Ticketek

Also appearing: Meredith Music Festival

Meredith Music Festival

More Information

Frontier Touring

underscores official website

underscores on Instagram

umru on Instagram

Watch underscores – ‘Tell Me (U Want It)’

With U continuing to find new listeners and a live show that refuses to sit neatly inside one genre, underscores’ Australian return looks set to be one for fans of the more unpredictable side of modern pop and electronic music.

Presented by Frontier Touring and Penny Drop.

FOLLOW UNDERSCORES:

Website | Facebook | Instagram | X | Soundcloud | YouTube | Spotify | Apple Music | Tik Tok

frontiertouring.com/underscores

Thirty years is a long time in music. Tastes change, venues disappear, festivals come and go, but some names manage to remain part of the conversation.

Fuzzy is one of them.

Founded in Sydney in 1996 with Sublime, an 800-capacity club night on Pitt Street, Fuzzy grew from a club night into one of the most influential live music and festival operators in Australia. Over three decades, its events have become part of the fabric of Australian summer, from Parklife and Field Day to Harbourlife, Listen Out and Shore Thing.

Now, as Fuzzy celebrates its 30th anniversary, the company is marking the occasion with a new identity designed to reflect where it is today rather than simply where it has been.

The story began with John Wall, Ming Gan and Adelle Robinson, who helped build Fuzzy into a national operation. Wall and Gan stepped away from the company in 2025, with Robinson, who joined during Fuzzy’s early years, now leading the business as CEO.

For Robinson, the anniversary is as much about looking forward as it is recognising the past.

“Thirty years is a huge milestone in live music, particularly when you think about how much the industry has changed since 1996,” she says. “What I’m most proud of is that Fuzzy has kept moving with it.”

That ability to evolve has been central to Fuzzy’s story. The company has moved from club nights into festivals, regional events, touring productions and new live formats, while continuing to put artists and the experience of being there at the centre.

Some of Australia’s biggest artists have also passed through Fuzzy’s stages early in their careers. Flume, for example, opened a small stage at Parklife in 2012 after winning the Triple J Unearthed competition. Less than a decade later, he returned to headline Listen Out and Field Day.

At 30, Fuzzy isn’t slowing down.

In 2026, Groovin the Moo returned with a one-off show in Lismore following a two-year hiatus, while Field Day celebrated its 25th anniversary and will return to Sydney on New Year’s Day 2027.

The Point has also expanded Fuzzy’s live offering, bringing artists including Missy Higgins and The Teskey Brothers to Fleet Steps, a location that has hosted Fuzzy events since 2003. Harbourlife now sits within the wider series alongside its headline concerts.

Earlier this year, Golden Hour brought 15,000 people to Bondi Beach for Crowded House, while Fuzzy also brought UK festival Mighty Hoopla to Australia for the first time and secured the licence to bring New Year’s Eve celebrations back to Bondi Beach.

Away from the major festival stages, Fuzzy’s touring arm has continued to grow, with recent tours featuring Mochakk, Dennis Cruz, Disco Lines, MEDUZA, Gorgon City and Levity. From here, those tours will sit under a new banner, A Tour by Fuzzy, giving the company’s touring work its own place within the broader Fuzzy identity.

The rebrand isn’t simply about a new logo or visual direction. It reflects a company that has changed considerably while holding onto the principles that have kept it going for three decades.

That includes making live music more accessible. Fuzzy’s MobTix and Affordability Tix programs provide significantly discounted tickets for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and people holding selected concession cards across Fuzzy-run shows.

Sustainability has become another part of the operation, with recycling programs now running across major Fuzzy events. In 2024 alone, the team prevented around 650,000 cans and paper cups from going to landfill, with funds generated through Return and Earn donated to charity.

“Good Times, Done Properly” remains the mantra.

Thirty years after Sublime first opened its doors, Fuzzy has grown into something considerably larger than the club night it started as. Yet the idea behind it remains familiar: bring good music, good people and a great setting together and give people a reason to show up.

The new identity is a line in the sand between what Fuzzy has built and what’s still to come.

Thirty years in, there’s clearly no intention of standing still.

PRE-SALE REGISTRATION HERE

Hypersonic Festival is returning in 2026 with a two-city edition bringing some of the biggest names in electronic music to Melbourne and Sydney across two massive days in November.

Following its debut, the festival is set to return to Melbourne Showground on Friday 20 November before heading to Sydney’s Royal Randwick Racecourse on Saturday 21 November.

The lineup is led by Dutch electronic music heavyweight Armin van Buuren, who will headline alongside W&W, Showtek, Australian festival favourite Timmy Trumpet and drum and bass duo Hybrid Minds.

The festival is being presented by Symbiotic and Hardware, with the 2026 edition expanding across multiple stages and a broad range of electronic styles including EDM, techno, drum and bass, dubstep, hardstyle, tech-house and dance-pop.

Rather than focusing on a single corner of electronic music, Hypersonic is positioning itself as a multi-genre festival bringing together established international acts, Australian artists and artists making their Australian debut.

Armin van Buuren arrives with a career spanning decades and a reputation built on euphoric productions and huge festival performances. W&W will bring their high-energy approach to the main stage, while Showtek add their blend of EDM and electro house.

Australian artist Timmy Trumpet will represent the homegrown contingent, bringing his signature trumpet-driven sound and energetic live show to the festival.

For drum and bass fans, Hybrid Minds will offer something more atmospheric. The British duo have built a reputation around melodic and emotional productions that sit at the more immersive end of the genre.

Adding to the festival atmosphere will be MC Stretch, known for his work at major events including Tomorrowland and Stereosonic.

With two cities, multiple stages and a lineup designed to move between festival EDM, techno, bass music and harder sounds, Hypersonic is aiming to build on the momentum of its first edition while establishing itself as a major fixture on Australia’s electronic festival calendar.

Presale registration is now open, with presale tickets going on sale at 12pm AEST on Tuesday 25 August.

General public tickets go on sale at 12pm AEST on Wednesday 26 August.

Hypersonic Festival 2026

Friday 20 November — Melbourne Showground, VIC
Saturday 21 November — Royal Randwick Racecourse, Sydney, NSW

Presented by Symbiotic and Hardware.

PRE-SALE REGISTRATION HERE

Hypersonic Festival

Indianapolis indie rockers Wishy are entering a new chapter with their second album, Nature’s Pill, arriving 2 October via Winspear.

The band have also shared Lovesick, the album’s first single, offering an early glimpse at a record that leans into romantic frustration, melodrama and the strange contradictions of being human.

Led by Nina Pitchkites, Lovesick is a bright, swooning piece of dream pop that balances sugary melodies with a little grit. There are clear echoes of classic pop-minded alternative music, with the track carrying the buoyancy of The Sundays and some of The Cure’s more melodic instincts.

Pitchkites describes the song as a deliberately over-the-top take on yearning, with the track embracing the kind of romantic melodrama that can be both ridiculous and completely sincere.

That balance between melancholy and humour runs throughout Nature’s Pill.

The album follows Wishy’s acclaimed 2024 debut Triple Seven, which helped establish the Indianapolis five-piece as one of the more exciting new names in indie rock. Their growing reputation has since been strengthened by the Planet Popstar EP, festival appearances and tours with artists including The Beths and Beach Bunny.

For Nature’s Pill, Wishy approached the writing process more collaboratively than before. Kevin Krauter, Pitchkites, Dimitri Morris, Mitch Collins and Conner Host reunited with producer Ben Lumsdaine in Los Angeles, recording half of the album live together in a small studio.

The result is a record that expands the band’s existing palette. The dreamy, guitar-heavy world of Triple Seven remains intact, but Nature’s Pill draws further from ’80s college rock, ’90s dream pop, alternative rock and ’00s indie.

Thematically, the album isn’t simply a collection of breakup songs. Wishy explore romantic frustration, desire, loneliness and the melodrama that comes with relationships, often approaching those subjects through fictional or exaggerated perspectives rather than straightforward confession.

That gives the songs room to be emotional without becoming overly heavy.

The band’s second album also arrives with a sense of momentum. Triple Seven received widespread critical attention, while Wishy’s live schedule has continued to expand alongside their growing audience. Nature’s Pill feels like a natural progression rather than a reset, keeping the band’s melodic instincts intact while allowing them to become stranger, louder and more adventurous.

With Lovesick setting the tone, Wishy appear ready to embrace all of it — the heartbreak, the humour, the noise and the absurdity.

Sometimes the best response to everything being a mess is simply to make something beautiful out of it.

Nature’s Pill is out 2 October 2026 via Winspear.

Tracklist

All The Rage
Covergirl
Sensational
Shift
You’re Not Serious
Mona Lisa
Lovesick
Freak 99
Headscratcher
Blitz
Kiss Kiss Kiss
Party World

C**T is out now via Tabloid Recordings, buy/stream it here

SIDNEY PHILLIPS TOUR DATES
Oct 9 – C**T LP Launch @ Northcote Social Club – Naarm/Melbourne (TIX)
Nov 24 – The Rechabite – Boorloo/Perth w/ Buckshot (TIX)
Nov 26 – The Triffid – Meanjin/Brisbane w/ Buckshot (TIX)
Nov 27 – Prince Bandroom – Naarm/Melbourne w/ Buckshot (TIX)
Nov 29 – Manning Bar – Eora/Sydney w/ Buckshot (TIX)
Dec 2 – San Fran – Te Whanganui-a-Tara/Wellington w/ Buckshot (TIX)
Dec 3 – Tuning Fork (All Ages) – Tāmaki Makaurau/Auckland w/ Buckshot (TIX)

Stay connected with Sidney Phillips:
23 Profile | Instagram | YouTube

Dijon is heading to Australia for the first time, with the American singer, songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist set to make his Australian headline debut at the Sydney Opera House this December.

The Los Angeles-based artist will take over the Concert Hall on Saturday 12 December, bringing his intimate and unpredictable live show to one of Australia’s most iconic stages.

It has been a huge year for Dijon. Following the release of his acclaimed 2025 album Baby, the artist has continued to expand his creative world through collaborations with artists including Justin Bieber and Bon Iver, while also receiving two Grammy nominations for Album of the Year and Producer of the Year.

He has also stepped into acting, appearing in Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another, adding another dimension to an already wide-ranging creative career.

Musically, Dijon has never been particularly interested in staying inside one lane. His work moves between experimental folk, Americana, R&B and neo-soul, with a rawness that has become central to his appeal.

His debut album Absolutely, released in 2021, established that approach, pairing soulful songwriting with an intentionally unpolished sense of intimacy. Baby pushed the sound further, creating something that feels both deeply personal and difficult to categorise.

That unpredictability also carries across to his live performances. Dijon’s shows are known for improvisation, emotional intensity and moments where the distance between performer and audience seems to disappear.

Following years of growing international attention, the Sydney Opera House appearance gives Australian audiences their first opportunity to see Dijon headline on home soil.

The performance forms part of the Opera House’s year-round contemporary music program, which continues to bring established and emerging artists from across the world to the Concert Hall and Forecourt.

For Dijon, however, this one is particularly significant.

“Playing Australia for the very first time!” he said of the upcoming performance.

With his profile continuing to rise and his music refusing to settle into a single definition, Dijon’s first Australian headline show arrives at an interesting point in his career.

Dijon

Saturday 12 December 2026
Concert Hall, Sydney Opera House
9pm

Tickets from $129.90 plus booking fee.

General public tickets go on sale Friday 28 August at 9am AEST.

Tickets are available through the Sydney Opera House.

https://www.sydneyoperahouse.com/whats-on

New York duo FCUKERS are heading back to Australia this December, bringing their high-energy blend of dance, rock and electronic music to Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne, with a stop at Meredith Music Festival along the way.

The Australian run kicks off at Sydney’s Metro Theatre on 9 December before moving to Brisbane’s Princess Theatre the following night. After their Meredith appearance on 12 December, the duo will finish the tour at Melbourne’s Timber Yard on 13 December.

It comes at a particularly busy time for FCUKERS, who have quickly moved from New York’s underground club scene into some of the world’s biggest festivals and stages.

Their debut album, Ö, arrived in March, produced by Kenneth Blume and spanning 11 tracks that refuse to sit comfortably in one genre. House, breakbeats, dancehall influences, pop and dance rock all find their way into the record, giving it the kind of restless energy that makes sense both in a club and outside it.

The album has already picked up strong international attention, with praise from NME, DIY, DORK and Vogue, alongside support from The New York Times and Australian radio including triple j, Double J and community stations.

Live is where FCUKERS have really built their reputation, however. The duo have appeared at major festivals including Glastonbury, Coachella, Primavera and Lollapalooza, while also taking their sound into some of Europe’s most respected clubs.

They have shared stages with RÜFÜS DU SOL and Tame Impala, supported Harry Styles during his Brazil shows and performed on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon. Their growing list of high-profile appearances also includes DJ sets connected to Charli XCX and Madonna in New York.

There is a sense of controlled chaos running through everything FCUKERS do. Their music is designed for movement, but there’s enough unpredictability in the production to keep things interesting. Ö moves quickly between sounds without losing its central focus: make something infectious, make it loud and get people moving.

That approach has helped the duo carve out a space somewhere between underground club culture and a much larger festival audience.

Their return to Australia gives local audiences the chance to experience that energy in a series of intimate headline shows, alongside their Meredith Music Festival appearance.

With FCUKERS continuing to build momentum internationally, December looks set to be another loud chapter in the duo’s rapidly expanding story.

FCUKERS Australian Tour

9 December — Metro Theatre, Sydney
10 December — Princess Theatre, Brisbane
12 December — Meredith Music Festival, Victoria
13 December — The Timber Yard, Melbourne

Presale tickets open Tuesday 25 August at 11am local time, with general sale commencing Wednesday 26 August at 11am.

SIGN UP FOR PRESALE HERE
PRESENTED BY HANDSOME TOURS

TOUR DATES

Wednesday 9 December – Metro Theatre, Sydney NSW
Thursday 10 December – Princess Theatre, Brisbane QLD
Saturday 12 December – Meredith Music Festival, VIC
Sunday 13 December – The Timber Yard, Melbourne VIC

Presale: Tue 25 Aug 11am local
General Onsale: Wed 26 Aug 11am local

SIGN UP FOR PRESALE HERE

FCUKERS
WEBSITE | INSTAGRAM | TIKTOK | YOUTUBE

Milly Strange, Djarraway, Public Figures, Say True God?, Superhotel and Joey Leigh Wagtail will perform at 4ZZZ on September 2, with the AMRAP BIGSOUND Listening Sessions following on September 3.

Community radio is getting another big moment during BIGSOUND, with Sounds Like Community Radio returning to Meanjin, Brisbane, for a free afternoon of live music, broadcasting and connection at 4ZZZ.

Taking place from 1pm to 6pm on Wednesday 2 September, the event will bring together artists, presenters and stations from around the country at 4ZZZ, 264 Barry Parade, Fortitude Valley.

Presented by the Community Broadcasting Association of Australia’s Australian Music Radio Airplay Project (AMRAP), the event celebrates the people, stations and volunteers who continue to support Australian music every week.

Sounds Like Community Radio will be broadcast live, with performances coming from both the 4ZZZ studio and the station’s iconic Zed Carpark. Guest presenters from community stations around Australia will also join the broadcast, introducing artists, sharing stories and crossing live to performances.

Participating stations include 4ZZZFM, Triple R, PBS 106.7FM, Three D Radio, Edge Radio, SYN 90.7FM and fbi.radio, with the event also being broadcast nationally through the Community Radio Network.

The lineup brings together artists working across very different corners of the Australian music landscape.

Djarraway combines roots, reggae and First Nations storytelling, incorporating traditional language and culture into his performances.

Naarm/Melbourne songwriter Milly Strange brings intimate, folk-inspired songwriting together with alt-rock grit and raw emotion.

Joey Leigh Wagtail, a Dunghutti artist, draws on folk, blues and country traditions while exploring identity and belonging through his music.

Brisbane favourites Superhotel bring alternative country rock with melodic indie influences, while punk outfit Public Figures add an uncompromising, high-energy sound and social commentary.

Rounding out the lineup is Mandandanji and Waanyi hip-hop artist Say True God?, whose lyricism and soulful production have established him as one of the exciting voices emerging from Australia’s contemporary hip-hop scene.

There is also some serious weight behind the community radio network itself.

The sector reaches more than 5.4 million listeners every week through a network of more than 450 licensed stations, providing an important platform for local artists, diverse voices and music that might otherwise struggle to find an audience.

Research led by Monash University and Griffith University found that community radio contributes more than $153 million each year to Australia’s music economy.

Its influence can also be seen in what listeners do after discovering an artist. Approximately 1.3 million Australians purchase tickets, merchandise or music after discovering artists through community radio, while more than 390,960 hours of Australian music are broadcast across the sector annually.

For emerging artists, that makes community radio more than just another promotional outlet. It remains one of the places where programmers actively seek out new Australian music and where listeners can discover artists before they reach a much wider audience.

The following day is for the artists

The community radio focus continues on Thursday 3 September with the return of the AMRAP BIGSOUND Listening Sessions.

Running from 10am to 2pm at The Warrar Room, The Precinct, Level 2, 315 Brunswick Street, Fortitude Valley, the sessions give artists the opportunity to sit down with the music programmers and presenters behind some of Australia’s leading community stations.

The idea is pretty straightforward: get new music in front of the people responsible for deciding what makes it onto community radio playlists.

Artists preparing a new single, planning a release campaign or looking to build momentum around their music can receive direct feedback and practical advice about what can help a track stand out for community radio airplay.

Representatives from 4ZZZFM, Triple R, PBS 106.7FM, Three D Radio, Edge Radio, SYN 90.7FM and fbi.radio will be available throughout the sessions.

Artists will have the chance to discuss their music, learn more about how community radio programming works and find out how AMRAP connects Australian musicians with broadcasters across the country.

The sessions are open to BIGSOUND delegates, artists and music industry professionals, with spaces limited and bookings essential.

Across the two days, the program offers a look at both sides of the community radio relationship — the artists making the music and the people working behind the microphones to get it heard.

For a sector built around local voices, independent music and people who genuinely care about what they’re playing, that’s still a pretty important connection.

Sounds Like Community Radio

Wednesday 2 September 2026
1pm–6pm
4ZZZ
264 Barry Parade, Fortitude Valley
Free entry

Featuring: Milly Strange, Djarraway, Public Figures, Say True God?, Superhotel and Joey Leigh Wagtail.

AMRAP BIGSOUND Listening Sessions

Thursday 3 September 2026
10am–2pm
The Warrar Room, The Precinct
Level 2, 315 Brunswick Street, Fortitude Valley

Open to: BIGSOUND delegates, artists and music industry professionals.

Bookings are essential