Plenary Hall

Sparks proved at Melbourne's Palais Theatre on 28 May 2026 that great live music does not require giant video screens, elaborate stage sets or theatrical props. With five musicians on stage, standard concert lighting and a catalogue stretching back more than 50 years, brothers Ron and Russell Mael delivered a riveting 100-minute performance that demonstrated how enduring songs and committed musicianship remain the most powerful tools in live entertainment.

A one-night tribute concert celebrating the catalogue of Australian music icon John Farnham will take place at Melbourne's Rod Laver Arena on 20 September 2026, bringing together more than 120 performers, a 38 piece orchestra, choir and Farnham's longtime touring band in support of Head and Neck Cancer Australia. The event, titled The Songs Of John Farnham: A Living Legend The Celebration Concert, will feature Australian and international artists performing songs from across Farnham's career, although organisers confirmed Farnham himself will not perform.

Melbourne band Fancy Weapon, featuring members drawn from several generations of Australian underground music, have released third single "27 Minutes" as the group prepares for its debut album and a run of high profile live appearances.

Jason Donovan will return to Melbourne, the city where his career began, to lead a new stage production of One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest at the Athenaeum Theatre in a limited season beginning in November.

Dom Dolla will return to Melbourne for an Australian exclusive stadium event in September, bringing a new large scale production to his hometown after becoming the first electronic artist to headline an Australian stadium show.

Kingswood have released their seventh studio album Midnight Mavericks, marking the next stage in the Melbourne band's evolution as they continue their shift toward country and Americana influenced songwriting while launching a national tour across Australia.

Beck opened his 2026 Australian tour at Melbourne's Palais Theatre with a two-hour orchestral performance that reimagined material from across his catalogue, before pivoting into a looser encore set with longtime collaborators including Jason Falkner of Jellyfish.