This Week In Entertainment News 31 July 2026
Music and entertainment news from Australia and around the world, plus new releases and tour updates.
Australian music journalist, historian, and broadcaster Glenn A Baker has died aged 74. His death was announced on social media by fellow music journalist Stuart Coupe.”I’m beyond sad,” Coupe posted. “This is a post that I was hoping I wouldn’t be making.” Baker was a true champion of Australian music, helping to establish radio station 2JJ which would later become Triple J and writing 17 books as well as sleeve notes for more than 600 albums. He was also the editor of Billboard for more than 20 years.
The 20th Australian Independent Record Labels Association (AIR) Awards were held in Adelaide this week, with breakout producer Ninajirachi taking home five awards. Her album ‘I Love My Computer’ won Independent Album of the Year and Best Independent Electronic Album or EP, while the single ‘iPod Touch’ collected Independent Song of the Year and Best Independent Electronic Single. Nina Wilson was also recognised as Independent Producer of the Year for her work on the album. Congratulations to all winners of the 2026 AIR Awards.
Australian metalheads are rejoicing with this week’s announcement that System Of A Down and Faith No More are embarking on a co-headline Australian tour in 2027. The news was confirmed after projections of the bands’ logos were spotted in various cities. It’s been nearly 15 years since System Of A Down last toured Australia when they headlined Soundwave, and Faith No More return after a ten-year absence.
Prototypical edgelords TISM are heading out on their first national tour in 30 years. The ‘No Mistakes’ tour will see TISM bring their trademark masked chaos to Darwin, Melbourne, Brisbane, Canberra, Perth, and Sydney from August to October. Fans have been told to expect radically different setlists in each city as the band trawl through their beck catalogue of hits and misses.
Melbourne-based artist Callum Padgham has unveiled his debut EP ‘Love is the Centre of the Universe’, a jubilant and heartfelt release featuring 2 brand-new singles plus 2 singles that have already received 500K+ TikTok views, 50+ radio spins & national press coverage. Dropping on vinyl and all streaming services, this 4-track pop odyssey is a meticulously crafted labour of love that took Callum and an army of 27 collaborators – from international composers to legendary turntablists – 3 years to create. Born from lived-experiences, Callum’s lyrical themes share an immediately apparent sense of purpose at their core – to meaningfully improve as many lives as possible.
Live Nation’s Ones To Watch returns to champion the next wave of Australian music, where emerging talent, culture and craft collide. Rooted in the creative community, the program celebrates the connection between artists and audiences while continuing to support developing talent both on and off the stage. Returning to Melbourne on Wednesday 5 August, the globally renowned music discovery event is set to hit the inner north’s latest music hotspot, the newly launched Smith St. Hotel. Miles Nautu, Gazal, and Lara Buchanan.
Sunshine Coast singer, songwriter and producer Alli Kate returns today with new single ‘Mistake’, marking the moment with the news she has also signed with One Day Recordings / EMI Music Australia. ‘Mistake’ is a sharp, emotionally direct pop track that turns heartbreak into something quietly confrontational. Alli Kate’s unfiltered, emotionally honest songwriting shines on the brooding production of regular collaborators 99hurts (Playboy Carti, ONEFOUR), with co-writers Bailey Pickles (ONEFOUR) and Jasmine Khan (Boy Soda, Larissa Lambert). ‘Mistake’ is about the aftermath of broken trust, looking back at the warning signs, knowing they were there, and living with what came next.
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Newcastle alternative punk outfit Dead Mall has unveiled a bold, heavy new sound on their latest single ‘Rats’; their first single since the release of their debut record ‘Superliminal’ last year. Dead Mall have been busy since the release of their album last year, touring up and down the east coast and working in the studio towards their next body of work. Mixed, recorded & produced by the band’s guitarist Darcy Long, along with mastering from Grammy award winning engineer Alan Douches (Converge, Misfits, Every Time I Die), ‘RATS’ is a left turn from the bands previous output in terms of production and songwriting.
Having already sent shockwaves through the alternative world with the emotionally devastating ‘Prettier,’ the Corey Taylor collaboration ‘Blame,’ and the groundbreaking ‘Rose McGowan’ featuring Rose McGowan herself, Kid Bookie returns with perhaps his most explosive statement yet. New single ‘H.A.T.E.’ is available now, offering another uncompromising glimpse into his hugely anticipated new album ‘Cheaper Than Therapy II’, released 9 October.
‘Shine Caught Blue’, the third solo album from Australian sound art legend Robbie Avenaim, out August 14. ‘Shine Caught Blue’ features a groundbreaking collaboration between two peculiar percussion robots: Avenaim’s proprietary S.A.R.P.S. (Semi Automated Percussion System) and Melbourne’s iconic public sound sculpture the Federation Bells. Avenaim melds with his unique human / machine interface to draw intricate, delicate textures from drums, percussion, bells and piano and with the legendary Jim Denley featuring on flute.
