NEWS and updates from the local music scene for July 2026.
Punk legends 28 Days are stepping out for more 30th anniversary action with a swag of new dates released for October. Along with a Perth shows, the lads will be ripping it up at some regional centres too. Tickets will be on sale from July 9.
October 2: Torquay Hotel, Torquay
October 3: Pelly Bar, Frankston
October 8: Edge Hill Tavern, Cairns
October 9: The Warehouse, Townsville
October 10: Magnums, Airlie Beach
October 15: The Carine, Duncraig
October 16: Amplifier Bar, Perth
October 17: Dunsborough Tavern, Dunsborough
October 23: Forth Pub, Forth
All-time punk champs Bodyjar kick off their tour celebrating 25 years of How it Works this week. To move things along even more, the band has released a clip for new single “Sound of the Stereo” that maintains their reputation for catchy punk anthems. Get tickets for their shows from here.
July 9: King Street Bandroom, Newcastle
July 10: Crowbar, Sydney
July 11: Waves, Wollongong
July 16: Miami Marketta, Gold Coast
July 17: Crowbar, Brisbane
July 18: Kings Beach Tavern, Kings Beach
July 23: Lion Arts Factory, Adelaide
July 24: Indian Ocean Hotel, Scarborough
July 25: The River, Margaret River
July 31: Sooki Lounge, Belgrave
August 1: The Last Chance 10th Birthday, Melbourne
September 4: Pub Rock Diner, Devonport
September 5: Altar Bar, Hobart
Adelaide newcomers Control the Sun began the year by opening Froth and Fury and releasing their debut single. Now the five-piece have issued their next track, “Pyre”, ahead of appearing at Downpour at Adelaide Uni on August 8 with Mammal, Khan and more.
Suspended Animation is a five piece from Mildura who are working towards a debut album later this year. While we’re all waiting, the guys have released The Three-Track EP to showcase the songs they’ve released so far. Grab it from their BandCamp.
Drawing inspiration from the mountains that share their name, Tasmanian prog band Du Cane has released their debut. Veil of the Abyss was produced by the band and Psycroptic’s Joe Haley and available directly from the band.
On a sad note, members of the Melbourne prog band Branch Arterial have paid tribute to their former singer, Aaron “Nigel” Jackson, who recently died from cancer. Jackson, who was known by the name Nigel, succumbed on June 12 after a year-long battle with his disease. He was originally diagnosed with a form of blood cancer in 2014 and Branch Arterial raised funds for medical research into treatment. The singer later made a full recovery from that diagnosis. Branch Arterial broke up after their performance at the Leprous-headlined Progfest in Melbourne in January 2018. Their album Beyond the Border was released the previous year.
Sydney’s The Strike-Outs, the two-piece garage rock unit of brothers Simon and Adam Vines, dropped their second album Double Negative last week. Featuring a Bored! cover along with a slew of no-nonsense punk rock originals, the album is available on Adam’s label Evil Tone.
Another two-piece with an album set to go is The Coolz, the husband-and-wife duo from Bathurst featuring the prolific now-ex The Neptune Power Federation guitarist Mike Foxall. With a second album already underway (because of course it is), The Coolz is available for pre-orders now.
Last month we reported on the upcoming EP from Darwin metalheads KOH. That EP, Golden Death, is now available for streaming across all platforms, and they will be appearing at Swelterfest on August 29 in Darwin with Sundowner, Burn in Hell and more.
Finally, the Leadbeater Hotel in Melbourne has announced its inaugural Forge Festival of “heavy & diverse music”. The event will be headlined by the recently resurrected Scar the Surface, who will be joined by Transience, Bear the Mammoth, EKOSA, Binary Pulse, Rat Tomb and Matahari. Tickets are through Oztix.