letlive
Max Watts, Melbourne
Renowned for their genre-defying sound and electrifying high-energy live performances, letlive. have made a triumphantly return to stages one more time, reuniting with fans and reigniting the fire that defined a generation of alternative music. The trailblazing progressive soul punk band from Los Angeles brought all the passion and fire to Melbourne.
We sent our photographer Amanda along to capture the action.
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HALSEY ANNOUNCES BACK TO BADLANDS 2025-2026 INTERNATIONAL TOUR
CELEBRATING THE 10 YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF HER FIRST ALBUM
AUSTRALIAN SHOWS CONFIRMED FOR FEBRUARY 2026
NEW “BADLANDS ANTHOLOGY” AVAILABLE HERE ON VINYL & ALL DSPs
BADLANDS (2015) – ONE OF THE ONLY ALBUMS EVER TO HAVE EVERY SONG RIAA CERTIFIED – GOLD, PLATINUM, OR MULTI-PLATINUM
Access media assets here
MELBOURNE, AUGUST 29, 2025 — Diamond-certified andGRAMMY®Award-nominated artist Halsey continues the celebration for the 10th anniversary of her triple platinum certified full-length debut album, BADLANDS, with the announcement of her Back to Badlands Tour. The Live Nation promoted tour will kick off with a very special show at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery on October 14 and continue across the US with stops in Boston, Chicago, and New York before traveling abroad to Europe, the UK, and Australia. See below for the full tour dates.
Australian fans can look forward to a series of dates in early 2026, commencing Friday, February 13 at The Hordern Pavilion, Sydney, followed by Riverstage Brisbane on Tuesday, February 17 and concluding on Thursday, February 19 at Melbourne’s Festival Hall.
Presale: Tickets will be available starting with an artist presale beginning on Tuesday, September 2.
Vodafone mobile customers can be among the first to secure tickets during a presale commencing 2pm, on Wednesday September 3. Visit vodafone.com.au/ticket to find out more.
Mastercard cardholders have special access to presale tickets in Australia. Mastercard Presale starts Wednesday September 3 at 2pm and ends Friday September 5, 9am. Plus, Preferred ticket access to some of the best tickets are available from Friday September 5 at 10am. Check out priceless.com/music for details.
The Live Nation Presale starts Thursday September 4 at 10am running until Friday September 5 at 9am or until allocation is exhausted. To access presale tickets, sign up now at livenation.com.au/register.
General onsale begins on Friday, September 5 at 10am at BADLANDSTOUR.COM.
All times are local.
VIP: The tour will also offer a VIP package and experience for fans to take their concert experience to the next level. The package includes a general admission ticket or premium seated ticket and a Roadtrip to the Badlands VIP gift box including items handpicked by Halsey. For more information, visit vipnation.com.
The new tour announce arrives on the heels of Halsey wrapping her “FOR MY LAST TRICK,” tour, which was the best-selling tour of her career, with Variety branding the tour as “one of the most ambitious pop tours of the year.”
When BADLANDS was first released on August 28, 2015, it catapulted Halsey into music history. Since its release the album has sold over 3 Million albums-adjusted in the US, and has accumulated over 9 Billion on-demand streams worldwide. It is one of the only albums in music history to have every song, RIAA certified gold, platinum or multi-platinum. As well as multiple certifications in other countries including the UK, and Australia.
HALSEY
Back To Badlands Tour Dates
Australia 2026
Friday, February 13 Sydney, The Hordern Pavilion
Tuesday, February 17 Brisbane, Riverstage
Thursday, February 19 Melbourne, Festival Hall
General onsale: Friday, September 5 at 10am at BADLANDSTOUR.COM
Artist presale: Tuesday September 2, 1pm – Friday September 5, 9am
Vodafone presale: Wednesday September 3, 2pm – Friday September 5, 9am
Mastercard presale: Wednesday September 3, 2pm – Friday September 5, 9am
Live Nation presale: Thursday September 4, 10am – Friday September 5, 9am
All times are local.
For further information please head to livenation.com.au
International Tour Dates 2025-26
Tuesday, October 14 Los Angeles, CA Hollywood Forever
Wednesday, October 22 Mexico City, MX Pabellón Oeste
Friday, October 24 Dallas, TX South Side Ballroom
Sunday, October 26 Atlanta, GA Coca-Cola Roxy
Wednesday, October 29 Philadelphia, PA The Fillmore Philadelphia
Sunday, November 2 Boston, MA MGM Music Hall at Fenway
Tuesday, November 4 Washington DC The Anthem
Thursday, November 6 Minneapolis, MN The Armory
Saturday, November 8 Chicago, IL Byline Bank Aragon Ballroom
Wednesday, November 12 Denver, CO Fillmore Auditorium (Denver)
Friday, January 9 Toronto, ON History
Tuesday, January 13 New York, NY Hammerstein Ballroom
Saturday, January 17 Detroit, MI The Fillmore Detroit
Thursday, January 22 Amsterdam, NL AFAS LIVE
Friday, January 23 Berlin, DE Velodrom
Saturday, January 24 Dusseldorf, DE Mitsubishi Electric Halle
Monday, January 26 Paris, FR L’Olympia
Thursday, January 29 Manchester, UK Aviva Studios
Tuesday, February 3 London, UK 02 Academy Brixton
A sparkling new chapter is imminent for Melbourne/Naarm indie pop artist Tilly Fenton, with a punchy new single It’s You! out in the world today, and the announcement of her anticipated debut EP it’s a feeling that i know set for release on October 10.
Playful, effervescent and with some charmingly gritty rock edges around the gloss within, It’s You! showcases Tilly’s expansive nuance as a songwriter, capturing her cheeky, fun side while also embracing some iconic pop icons and a soundtrack-inspired modus operandi for the end result. “Olivia Rodrigo’s music definitely had a huge influence on the sound for this song,” shares Tilly. “Ever since her first album came out, I had always wanted to write a super upbeat, angsty and playful pop rock song after hearing ‘good 4 u’ for the first time when I was in high school. It feels pretty full circle considering this was the music I was listening to, while I was going through the experiences that inspired It’s You! Another artist that shaped the sound of this song was Hannah Montana and the early Miley Cyrus music. I was so obsessed with the Hannah TV show and movie growing up, so a lot of the music from it was engraved in my brain from a very young age. I had always wanted to write a guitar driven song with punchy hooks and confident, cheeky lyrics, so I definitely channelled my inner Hannah for It’s You!”
Marking an exciting step closer to the release of her first-ever EP, It’s You! also balances its upbeat stylings with relatable and immersive storytelling, with Tilly delivering an empowering ode to standing up for yourself on her latest track, as she elaborates, “It’s You! is about that one person who really gets under your skin. It’s a love letter to the kind of people who twist things, make you question yourself, and somehow turn you into the villain. It’s that moment you stop biting your tongue and finally say what you should’ve said ages ago, with just the right amount of pettiness “my co-star said you’re hurt because you picked a fight with your best friend”. It’s playful, dramatic and weirdly healing screaming “it’s not me, it’s you!”
Initially penning It’s You! during a session with Anna Laverty (Lady Gaga, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds), Tilly sought to write “a vengeful yet cathartic song”, with the pair brainstorming lyrics that ultimately led to a discussion of the common saying: “it’s not you, it’s me”. “I thought it would be fun to reword it to “it’s not me, it’s you”,” Tilly explains. “I then brought this song to my producer Michael Belsar and my drummer Ben Ellingworth and started the recording process, and we all had so much fun experimenting with different sounds. Michael and I then spent more time on the song, and it continued to evolve into what it is today.”
Mixed by Michael Belsar and mastered by Dale Becker, the accompanying music video for It’s You! saw Tilly work alongside Jesse Richards, who returned after working on Tilly’s previous live video for The Secret, with the brand new clip bringing It’s You!’s underlying message to life via a live performance, mirroring the dramatic yet liberating themes. “The video for It’s You! is a live performance we shot in an empty theatre,” shares Tilly. “The concept came from the idea of performing to no one but yourself. There is something really dramatic but also freeing performing a song like “It’s You!” in that kind of space. It’s kind of like dancing in your bedroom when no one is watching. I have had a vision to do a music video in a theatre for so long and I think it’s so perfect that I ended up doing it for this song!”
Sitting as the energetic closing moment for the broader five-track EP it’s a feeling that i know, It’s You! powerfully concludes the EP’s oscillating moods and moments. Opening with pillowy-soft introspection with The Secret, Tilly’s dulcet vocals float over serene instrumentals and vulnerable lyricism. The percolating bliss of the EP’s midway point, Valentine, dazzles in driving rhythms and dreamy hooks, and It’s You! concludes on a grittier yet jubilant note, with the entire EP resoundingly reflecting Tilly’s ultimate mission statement. “This EP is a very coming of age story,” says Tilly. “I wrote these songs while I was navigating all the confusing, emotional, and overwhelming moments that come with growing up, especially in your teenage years. They’re honest and vulnerable, but always with a sense of hope that everything is going to be ok. I hope that these songs offer comfort and remind people they’re not alone in what they’re feeling and allow them to find joy in the chaos.”
Starting her musical journey back in 2023, Tilly Fenton has spent the past few years crafting her debut EP, working alongside renowned producers and songwriters Anna Laverty and Michael Belsar, while also channelling inspiration from Lizzy McAlpine, Gracie Abrams and Phoebe Bridgers into her own unique sound. An artist capable of balancing vulnerability with strength, Tilly is one of the rare few who can imbue the emotional complexity of growing up and navigating relationships through a mature lens far beyond her 22 years, with her debut single The Secret and Valentine already captivating listeners along the way, and the latter also featured on The Hot Hits with Nic and Loren on the HIT Network.
Earlier this year, Tilly also ticked off another massive first: completely selling out her first headline show at The Bergy Bandroom, with more live performances slated for later this year to launch her brand new EP which has been many worthwhile years in the making. “Performing live is one of my favourite parts of making music,” shares Tilly. “There’s something so special about feeling the energy in a room, connecting with people in real life, and sharing that moment together. Fans can expect a fun, high-energy show where we dance our hearts out, mixed with intimate acoustic moments for some of my slower songs.”
It’s You! Is out today.
it’s a feeling that i know EP due out October 10.
A bright and dulcet addition to her ever-growing repertoire, Melbourne/Narrm singer-songwriter, and music industry legend, Emily Ulman today returns with Severe Clear, the sparkling title track from her forthcoming album of the same name set for release on Friday, October 10.
Blending her buoyant charm with acoustic, folk and pop elements, Severe Clear channels a poignant optimism, with Emily nodding to Johnny Nash’s I Can See Clearly Now to evoke “the hope after the heavy.” As Emily explains, “Severe clear is an aviation term describing skies so clear and cloudless that the endless visibility is too much to take in. I have always loved the phrase. Severe clear weather often follows a storm, and that resonates with me too. A furious, cloudy pocket of weather giving way to something calm and bright and still. Pilots say these conditions are dazzling,almost too perfect.”
“Severe Clear is a song about the moments that arrive after everything has settled,” Emily adds. “It’s about clarity that is so beautiful it is almost unbearable. That strange kind of beauty: perfect, but piercing. I think about weather a lot. I lean right in because it is intrinsic. And magical. This song lives in that space between forecast and feeling. It is about the quiet, everyday moments that suddenly become enormous in their clarity. Like standing in the middle of something spectacular and letting yourself be swept up by it. It is about love, about letting yourself be soft and fall, it’s about buying matching towels because you want to be one and the same. Johnny Nash wrote ‘I Can See Clearly Now’. And I’m borrowing the idea that after the clouds and hard times pass, something brighter takes their place. Sometimes clarity isn’t sharp or sudden or cold. Sometimes it is soft and patient and a little bit dizzying. And perfect.”
With Severe Clear – both the single and broader album – Emily worked alongside a stellar team to realise her creative vision. Produced and mixed by Bonnie Knight (Amyl and the Sniffers, Angie McMahon, Teen Jesus and the Jean Teasers) at The Aviary, with Every Hillside recorded at Soundpark, the album was mastered by Simon Berckelman (Courtney Barnett, Passenger, Lime Cordiale, Cate Le Bon). Drawing inspiration from the likes of Julia Jacklin, Adrienne Lenker, Big Thief, Pinegrove and Bill Callahan the album’s songwriting, structure and emotional weight are further enriched by contributions from Gab Strum (Japanese Wallpaper, Mallrat, Gretta Ray), Alex Lashlie (Closet Straights, Loose Tooth), and Soren Maryasin (Stella Bridie, Chitra).
Beginning with its glowing title track, Severe Clear opens on a serene and stirring note, offering an optimistic warm embrace drawing listeners into Emily’s inner world. From there, the album moves through intimate acoustic beauty and soothing harmonies (Every Hillside), wistful melodies over ethereal backdrops (Fans in the Stands), and a folksy yet cinematic ode to life’s highs and lows (Mountains Mountains Mountains). It balances polished introspection (Trundle), stripped-back glimmers that swirl through your bones (Lake Mistake), and gentle flourishes of empowerment (Planned Burn). At the midpoint of Severe Clear, is an exquisite, vulnerable modern love ballad (Liminal Spaces) that gives way to brooding melancholia (Toughest Tourniquet), before the raw, rousing penultimate track If It Isn’t True, where Emily shifts between vocal serenity and spoken word over sparse, moody instrumentation. Closing with Repeat Things, Severe Clear ends in resounding clarity and vulnerability, carrying inescapable undertones of optimism through heartache, change, and renewal – a perfect embodiment of Emily’s potent songwriting and performance, as well as the broader album’s themes.
“Severe Clear is about change,” shares Emily, “and renewal. About being brave enough to step back into something you love, even after a long absence. It is an album full of mountains and hillsides and clouds and clarity. It is about duality. The ability to hold two conflicting and coexisting truths at the same time. Severe Clear is deciduous. A letting go and a returning. A way to make peace with the cycles that keep pulling me back to songwriting, and back to myself.”
A defining force in the Australian music industry for over two decades, both on stage and behind the scenes, Emily Ulman’s lengthy tenure championing artists has seen her curate and program lineups at some of Melbourne’s most iconic venues, including The Prince Bandroom, The Gasometer Hotel, and The Toff In Town. Additionally, Emily has programmed some of the country’s most significant music events, including Brunswick Music Festival, White Night Melbourne, the CHANGES summit, and her own award-winning online festival Isol-Aid, which received the 2020 triple j J Award for “Done Good” and was named Best Festival at the 2021 Music Victoria Awards. Recently, Emily served as Executive Program Director for ALWAYS LIVE, a Victorian state-wide celebration of contemporary music, inclusive of emerging artists through to international icons, from sell-out stadiums through to intimate venues all playing home to these one-off, exclusive and community-focused events.
Dedicated to shaping a more progressive, inclusive and artist-first Australian music scene, Emily’s creative output is as acclaimed as her work behind the scenes, with her earlier 2025 single Every Hillside marking her first new solo material in over a decade. Now with her stunning and hotly-anticipated new album Severe Clear set for release this October, Emily has channelled her passions and creative core into a collection that is honest, intimate and destined to captivate.
“I’m a words and feelings to the front type of writer,” Emily reveals. “I have described my songwriting as emotional archaeology; digging through my memories to see what might still be living underneath. To sift and sort and better myself as a creator and as a person. I’m constantly taken by the intensity of a moment or phrase and the way a single word can unearth something you thought was long buried. And this is who I realise I am. I write to excavate. I sing to archive and fossilise and remember the mess and magic of it all.”
“It feels really good, really scary, really perfect, really disorienting to be releasing Severe Clear,” Emily concludes. “This is the first time in ten years that I’ve released music and it’s so familiar and wildly foreign. I’ve spent the past decade working behind the scenes in the music industry, but I never stopped writing. I’m glad that Severe Clear is the song and album returning me to my own music and creativity. It’s honest and personal, and I’m proud of it.”
Severe Clear (single) is out today.
Severe Clear (album) is due out Friday October 10.
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Bloc Party
John Cain Arena
3/8/2025
It was a surprisingly warm winters night in Melbourne and you could feel the anticipation that was buzzing from the crowd as people lined up waiting to go into John Cain Arena
Once inside ,everyone was eager to get to their seats or if you were fortunate enough to be standing, making their way to the front of the stage in hope of catching a glimpse of Bloc Party. Before that could happen, Young the Giant took the stage and warmed the crowd up.
Arena falling into total darkness, crowd cheering, Bloc Party takes the stage, opening with “So here we are”, “She’s hearing Voices” and “Mercury”.
Frontman Kele Okereke exclaimed at his joy performing in Melbourne – saying he wasn’t sure when they (the band) will be back, but they will be back again.
Playing through Silent Alarm and all their greatest hits, the crowd went wild, gazing out upon the sea of people, I noticed something that I haven’t seen for a long time, the crowd were there for the music and to be in the moment, when “Song for Clay(Disappear Here)” rang out – no one in the pit was on their phone, the white glow on peoples faces wasn’t to be seen, just pure joy and excitement was up in the air, a rare site in todays extreme hustle society where everyone lives on their phones. Maybe it’s the slightly older crowd who turned up or maybe, just maybe, Bloc Party pulled the crowd into the moment blasting everyone with their sound, a night to be remembered.
Blazing through their set list they played other hits like “Banquet”, “Traps”, The Prayer” and “Like Eating Glass” – ending their set with a 5 song Encore saving their best for last, sending of the night with “Signs”,” The Pioneers”, “Helicopter”, This Modern Love” and rocking the house down with “Ratchet”. Couldn’t have had a better send off for a night out.
Photographs by Jacinta Keefe
DOJA CAT ANNOUNCES FIRST-EVER ARENA TOUR DATES ACROSS NEW ZEALAND AND AUSTRALIA ON
‘MA VIE WORLD TOUR’
Presales commence Monday August 25
RETURNS WITH NEW SINGLE AND MUSIC VIDEO “JEALOUS TYPE”
(Download Artwork HERE)
MELBOURNE, Friday August 22, 2025: GRAMMY award-winning global superstar Doja Cat has today announced the “Ma Vie World Tour”, with dates confirmed for New Zealand and Australia on her first-ever arena tour across the region. It will also include stops in Manila, Tokyo, and more, before wrapping on Sunday, December 21 in Kaohsiung at Kaohsiung Arena. The announcement follows her highly successful 2023 outing, “The Scarlet Tour”.
The “Ma Vie World Tour” will launch on Tuesday November 18 in Auckland at Spark Arena, followed by Perth’s RAC Arena on Saturday November 22, Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne on Tuesday November 25, Brisbane Entertainment Centre on Saturday November 29, concluding in Sydney at Qudos Bank Arena on Monday December 1.
TICKETS – NZ + AUS:
Tickets for the New Zealand and Australia dates will be available starting with an artist presale on Monday August 25 at 10am local time, running until Thursday August 28 at 10am.
NZ:
One NZ: One NZ customers can be among the first to secure tickets during a 48-hour presale starting Monday 25 August at 10am. Head to one.nz/music.
Mastercard: Mastercard cardholders have special access to presale tickets in New Zealand. Mastercard Presale starts Monday 25 August at 10am and ends Thursday 28 August at 10am. Plus, Preferred ticket access to some of the best tickets are available from Thursday 28 August at 11am. Check out priceless.com/music for details.
Live Nation: The Live Nation Presale starts Wednesday August 27 at 10am running until Thursday August 28 at 10amor until allocation is exhausted. To access presale tickets, sign up now at livenation.co.nz/register.
AU:
Vodafone: Vodafone mobile customers can be among the first to secure tickets during a 48 hour presale commencing 10am Monday, August 25. Visit vodafone.com.au/ticket to find out more.
Commbank Yello Mastercard: Eligible CommBank Yello customers with a CommBank Mastercard have special access to presale tickets starting from Monday 25 August at 10am until Thursday 28 August at 10am as well as access to exclusive preferred tickets from Thursday 28 August at 11am(local time). Tickets are available exclusively to eligible CommBank Yello customers using a CommBank Mastercard at checkout. Visit www.commbank.com.au/mastercardpresales to find out more.
Live Nation: The Live Nation Presale starts Wednesday August 27 at 10am running until Thursday August 28 at 10amor until allocation is exhausted. To access presale tickets, sign up now at livenation.com.au/register.
General onsale will begin Thursday August 28 at 11amat dojacat.com/tour.
All times are local.
VIP: The “Ma Vie World Tour” will also offer a variety of different VIP packages and experiences for fans to take their concert adventure to the next level. Packages vary but include tickets, access to the pre-show VIP Lounge, exclusive VIP merch item, early entry into the venue & more. VIP package contents vary based on the offer selected. For more information, visit https://www.livenation.com.au/vipexperiences or https://www.livenation.co.nz/vipexperiences
In further exciting news for fans, Doja Cat returns with her new single and music video “Jealous Type” out now via Kemosabe Records/ RCA Records – click HERE to listen / click HERE to watch. Doja Cat’s new track “Jealous Type” was produced by Jack Antonoff (Taylor Swift, Lorde) and Y2K (Ariana Grande, Tate McRae), with the music video directed by Boni Mata and filmed in Los Angeles. Doja Cat first teased her new track “Jealous Type” in her Summer ’25 campaign with Marc Jacobs. “Jealous Type” will appear on her highly anticipated fifth studio album, Vie, which is slated for release on September 26th. Pre-save album HERE.
Most recently, Doja Cat headlined the 2025 Outside Lands Music Festival in San Francisco, CA. During her electrifying set, she surprised fans by debuting “Jealous Type” live on stage. Following her performance, she hosted a surprise album listening after-party at San Francisco’s legendary drag venue, Oasis, where a select group of fans received an exclusive first listen to tracks from her forthcoming album, Vie.
Last year, Doja Cat released her deluxe album Scarlet 2 CLAUDE. The deluxe featured previously released hits such as “Attention”, “Paint The Town Red”, “Agora Hills”, alongside a collection of brand-new tracks and features. Doja Cat’s hit single “Paint The Town Red” spent three weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, becoming the first rap song to reach the top spot in 2023. The track also held the No. 1 position on the Billboard Global 200 chart for four consecutive weeks. Additionally, her fan-favorite track “Agora Hills” reached No. 1 on Top 40 Radio in February 2024, marking her eighth No. 1 at the format. “Agora Hills” also peaked at No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
MA VIE WORLD TOUR 2025 DATES
NEW ZEALAND AND AUSTRALIA
Tuesday November 18 Auckland – Spark Arena
Saturday November 22 Perth – RAC Arena
Tuesday November 25 Melbourne – Rod Laver Arena
Saturday November 29 Brisbane – Brisbane Entertainment Centre
Monday December 1 Sydney – Qudos Bank Arena
General tickets onsale Thursday, August 28 at 11amat http://dojacat.com/tour
Artist Presale: Monday, August 25 at 10am – Thursday August 28 at 10am
One NZ: Monday August 25 at 10am – Wednesday August 27 at 10am
Mastercard NZ: Monday August 25 at 10am – Thursday August 28 at 10am
Vodafone AU: Monday August 25 at 10am – Wednesday August 27 at 10am
Commbank Yello Mastercard AU: Monday August 25 at 10am – Thursday August 28 at 10am
Live Nation: Wednesday August 27 at 10am – Thursday August 28 at 10am
All times are local.
MA VIE WORLD TOUR 2025 – INTERNATIONAL DATES
Dec 07 – Manila – SM Mall of Asia Arena
Dec 10 – Singapore – Singapore Indoor Stadium
Dec 13 – Seoul – Kintex Hall 10
Dec 15 – Tokyo – K-Arena Yokohama
Dec 18 – Bangkok – Impact Exhibition Hall 5-6
Dec 21 – Kaohsiung – Kaohsiung Arena
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