This Week In Entertainment News 22 May
A weekly round up of music and entertainment news from Australia and around the world, plus new releases and tour updates.
Spotify and Universal Music have agreed to a licensing deal that allows premium users to generate covers and remixes using artificial intelligence. Expected to be a paid add-on, subscribers will be able to create licensed AI covers and remixes of songs from participating artists. It is unclear which UMG artists are included in the licensing deal. Last month, Spotify unveiled a new verification feature to help users differentiate human artists from AI generated content.
TSIM (not TISM) have released a statement denying any responsibility for extensive damage caused during their Sydney Opera House show. “TSIM would like to strenuously deny responsibility for any damage to the Sydney Opera House after their shows on Friday April 10 and Sunday April 12,” the statement reads. Damages to the venue total $18,488.80. It comes ahead of TSIM’s ‘No Mistakes’ tour, which starts at the Adelaide Beer & BBQ Festival in July and continues nationally in October.
Delta Goodrem proved why she’s one of our most popular artists with a stunning performance at Eurovision. Goodrem placed fourth in the grand final for her song ‘Eclipse’, with Bulgaria’s Dara taking out the top spot with ‘Bangaranga’.
‘Pet Sounds’, the groundbreaking eleventh album by The Beach Boys, turns 60 this year. Released in 1966, ‘Pet Sounds’ is widely considered one of the most influential albums in pop and rock music, noted for frontman Brian Wilson’s dedication to composition and production. Wanting to expand on Phil Spector’s Wall of Sound technique, Wilson took a commanding lead in the studio to create a true masterpiece of contemporary music.
Brisbane bids a fond farewell to a beloved nightlife institution with the closure of Fridays after more than 40 years. The venue confirmed the news on its Instagram account this week, though no reason for the closure was given. Fridays opened in 1986 as part of the Riverside Centre, which has undergone significant redevelopment over the years. Revellers are invited to Fridays on Sunday 24 May for one more drink and dance before shutting the doors for good.
The Jungle Giants have expanded their upcoming Australian tour, adding a swag of regional dates. Initially hitting the road in June-July for a capital city run, The Jungle Giants will continue into August with regional shows in Newcastle, Central Coast, Cairns, Townsville, Geelong, and more. The announcement comes off the back of their latest album ‘Experiencing Feeling Of Joy’ last week, which hit #1 in the ARIA Australian Albums Chart.
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US rapper and singer Post Malone has extended his upcoming Australian tour, set to be his biggest tour in the region to date. Already headlining Strummingbird Festival, Post Malone will play stadium shows across Australia and New Zealand on his ‘Big Ass’ tour in October. Post Malone had previously announced the tour would be slightly delayed so he could focus on finishing his latest album. These will be his first Australian shows since 2023.
Emerging as one of Queensland’s most exciting new voices in indie-pop, Amber Farnan has consistently been growing a strong presence for herself since her debut in 2019. A string of releases across following years cemented the songwriter as an artist with a wealth of potential to be tapped into and as we stride into a brand new year of music, Farnan is back with the first taste of a new arc: the new single, ‘When I Get Better’. For fans of artists including Asha Jefferies, Middle Kids and Missy Higgins, a song like this is a perfect moment of reintroduction for Farnan, who is looking ahead to a bright new chapter of creativity.
Having captivated crowds in Melbourne and Sydney in 2025, multi-Platinum selling US duo MKTO are set to return – charting a full national tour of Australia, as well as a stop in New Zealand, this September. Following sold out shows in Sydney and Melbourne in 2025, this upcoming Australian/NZ tour presented by Teamwrk Touring and MRG Live will see MKTO return to both cities, whilst hitting venues in Brisbane, Newcastle, Adelaide, Perth and New Zealand for the first time in over a decade.
