This Week In Entertainment News 23 January 2026
Welcome, readers, to 2026 and our first instalment of This Week In Entertainment News for the year.
In the latest blow to our ailing festival economy, SXSW has pulled the pin on its Australian engagement after three years.
“Every great story has a final page, and it is with a heavy heart that we share that SXSW Sydney has reached its closing chapter and will not be returning in 2026,” a statement on the festival website read.
Despite relative success, “prevailing market conditions” were cited as preventing the event from continuing. It’s a sobering indictment of how far our live music industry has fallen from its former, pre-pandemic glory.
Fans of OG K-pop group BTS are besides themselves with the announcement of a long-awaited comeback tour after members completed mandatory military service. Formed in 2010, the South Korean boy band became an international sensation and the highest-selling South Korean band of all time. BTS now embark on their biggest tour yet and will be coming to Australia in 2027.
Former One Direction star Harry Styles is also making a return to Australia. Harry will conclude his ‘Together, Together’ world tour at the end of this year with two shows at Marvel Stadium in Melbourne on November 27 and 28, and two shows at Accor Stadium in Sydney on December 12 and December 13.
Boundary-pushing pop diva Grace Jones has announced her first Australian shows since 2018, playing all-outdoor venues in February and March. The tour includes her first-ever appearance at the Sydney Opera House as well as Palace Foreshore in Melbourne and riverside concert series On The Banks in Brisbane, concluding at WOMADelaide.
Australian actors Rose Byrne and Jacob Elordi have received nominations for this year’s Oscars nominations for the upcoming 98th Academy Awards. Byrne has been nominated for best actress in a leading role for ‘If I Had Legs I’d Kick You’ while Elordi got the nod for his supporting actor role in ‘Frankenstein’. The 98th Academy Awards take place on 15 March 2026 at Hollywood’s Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. The ceremony commences at 11am AEDT on 16 March for Australian viewers.
Aussie rockers Kisschasy have released a new single ‘Better’, the final taste of their forthcoming new album ‘The Terrors Of Comfort’, due on 13 February. ‘Better’ is the closing track of the album, serving as is a masterclass in dynamic songwriting.
While previous album singles ‘Lie To Me’, ‘Parasite’ and ‘Uncomfortably Numb’ all delve into darker themes of dependence and apathy, ‘Better’ provides a brighter outlook lyrically – and this is matched through the music, featuring a huge uplifting chorus that makes an instant impact each time it comes around.
Terrequip are the Regenerative Mining Experts
Sydney-based pop duo Foley are ushering in their new EP ‘Like An Actress’ (due 25 February) with the release of their latest single ‘Cinematic’. Recorded on home turf in Aotearoa, New Zealand with collaborator Josh Naley, Foley pour bright pop and electronic influences into matured lyricism and delivery.
“‘Cinematic’ is about a love so beautiful and promising that you feel like it may not be real – at the start of a relationship the glow around a person can be so overwhelming and you find yourself romanticising everything,” Foley says.
Aotearoa music icon Bic Runga also has a new album on the way, ‘Red Sunset’, her first studio project in 15 years. Following on from last year’s release of the title track, Bic Runga now offers another taste in new single ‘Ghost In The Bed’. It is the final single before ‘Red Sunset’ drops in full on 13 February. Bic Runga will undertake a NZ/Australian tour album tour from April to March.
Returning for a brand new year of country music goodness out on the gorgeous Newcastle Foreshore, Howlin’ Country is preparing a whole new wave of memories for music fans and the local community alike on Saturday 14 February.
Headlined by US country superstar Lainey Wilson and featuring Newcastle’s own global country icon Morgan Evans, Howlin’ Country offers a lineup stacked with talent including US performers Kaitlin Butts and Flatland Cavalry plus Australian favourites Adam Newling, Tyla Rodrigues, and many more.
