This Week In Entertainment News 27 March 2026
A fresh serving of bite-sized music and entertainment news from Australia and around the world – new music, tours, and what’s happening in the industry.
Outback Queensland music festival the Birdsville Big Red Bash has been cancelled for 2026, following torrential rainfall in the region. It’s the second year the event won’t take place after taking a gap year in 2025. It’s yet another major blow for the struggling live music industry after the collapse of Bluesfest. Despite the event being 90 per cent sold out, organisers said it was not feasible to stage Big Red Bash after Birdsville received a year’s worth of rain in February.
Pop dynamo Lorde has left Universal Music Group and is now an independent artist. Her long-time deal with Universal, which she signed when she was just 12 years old, expired late last year. It marks a new era for the New Zealand singer-songwriter who rose to prominence in 2013 with her track ‘Royals’.
“The truth is that a 12-year-old girl pre-sold her creative output before she knew what it would be like and before she knew what she was signing away,” Lorde said in a statement.
“I’m sure I’ll have a deal again, could well be with Universal, but I knew that I needed to take a second to have nothing being bought or sold that comes from me.
Metal giants Parkway Drive have confirmed the band’s association with Jed Gordon, who has plead guilty to an underage sex offense. He is the brother of drummer Ben Gordon and was closely associated with Parkway Drive’s touring and merchandise operation. Parkway Drive acknowledged the familial connection in a statement addressing the situation as well as broader cultural issues of abuse and power imbalances affecting the metal scene.
“As men in a place of privilege, we need to do better.” The statement read.
“What we want to say to any victims, both those who are coming forward and those who haven’t, is that we see you and we hear you. We take your pain and trauma seriously.”
Lead singer for rock band The Art, Azaria Byrne could be facing a lifetime behind bars following his arrest as part of a major drug operation in Sydney. Byrne and his fiancée Brooke Mitchell were denied bail as police allege their involvement in a $5.5 million international drug ring. Byrne, along with eight other people, is accused of running the operation from his music studio in Sydney’s inner west, where police uncovered large amounts of cannabis, cocaine, ketamine, MDMA, and LSD as well as $200,000 cash.
Swedish media company Pophouse Entertainment have secured the rights to Tina Turner’s name, image, and a majority stake of her music for an undisclosed sum in a deal with BMG. Pophouse was co-founded by ABBA’s Björn Ulvaeus and has acquired a substantial portfolio of legacy artist IP. Known for creating digital avatars and immersive concert experiences, Pophouse have not confirmed if they will be creating a Tina Turner avatar, teasing an announcement of their plans coming in the next six months.
Sir Paul McCartney has released a new single and announced his 18th solo album ‘The Boys of Dungeon Lane’, his first in five years. The album is an introspective work reflecting on McCartney’s formative years in Liverpool, recounting early adventures with his bandmates prior to their success as The Beatles. He describes the first single ‘Days We Left Behind’ as a “memory song”. Paul released his first solo album following his split The Beatles in 1970.
The first international guest announcements for BIGSOUND 2026 (1-4 September Fortitude Valley, Brisbane) includes representatives from ROAM Artists (UK), Reeperbahn (GER), DMT Law Firm (US), Carpark Records (US), The Great Escape (UK), True Panther (US) and SXSW (US).
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Get ready to rip it up like it’s 1999 as Aussie punk rockers 28 Days celebrate their 30th anniversary with a national tour. This June, 28 Days hit the road for nostalgia-packed run of dates taking fans back to the early 2000s with tracks like ‘Rip It Up’, ‘Sucker’, and ‘Say What?’ They play Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, and Adelaide.
With a captivating presence and a warm, natural confidence brought to both lyrics and vocal performance, breakthrough indie-pop artist Gypsy Lee is setting herself up for a vibrant new arc with the debut of her latest track, ‘Snitches’. As a preview of her forthcoming EP project, the new single from the Melbourne-based artist is an engaging stride forward. A beautiful blend of songwriting skill and charisma, Gypsy Lee leaves the listener with no choice but to be drawn in.
Masters of creating lush and intimate indie soundscapes, Mega Fäuna expand on dreamy notions of life’s myriad experiences across their debut album, ‘softmore’. The album, drawing together a meticulously crafted collection of influences, stories and emotional threads, arrives as a beautiful statement of intent from one of the East Coast’s most exciting and dynamic outfits. The band, comprising members of outfits The Buoys, Sweetie, Wiles Skeleten, and Baby Beef features striking personalities and talents that have come together here in building a strong sonic foundation.
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