Howard is much loved for his gorgeously emotive vignettes, which has seen him amass a large following of fans across Australia over the past seven years. Noonday Dream will be his first release in nearly four years since 2014’s No.1 album, I Forget Where, and is slated to hit airwaves in June 2018 – only a month or so before this anticipated performance.

The new album will boast 10 tracks, of which ‘A Boat To An Island On The Wall’ has already been released. The opening song is a sprawling and ambient seven-minute opus, which carries on the sound we’ve come to love with a fresh perspective. An impressive glimpse into one of the most anticipated releases this year.

Sign-up for pre-sale ticket access by hitting the Secret Sounds mailing list. Tickets will be on general sale 9am Friday 04 May.

Ben Howard Splendour sideshows
TUESDAY JULY 24 – SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE, SYDNEY
THURSDAY JULY 26 – PALAIS THEATRE, MELBOURNE
www.facebook.com/benhowardmusic

As far as debut albums go, 2015’s Badlands couldn’t really have fared any better. Certified Platinum in the US and Gold in Australia, the UK and Canada, it was truly a worldwide phenomenon. Followed up by the international hit Closer with The Chainsmokers, which is now 12X Platinum in Australia.

Immediately after launching itself into the top 10 in 40+ countries worldwide & being the first number 1 album from by female in the US in 2017, hopeless fountain kingdom held a special significance for Halsey’s fans. Singles like Bad At Love and Now Or Never showcase a connection between artist and audience that is increasingly rare in today’s musical landscape. The record’s wild ambition and musical abandon has seen it garner breathless reviews from the likes of Rolling Stone and NME and recently saw Halsey grace the cover of Billboard, Paper & Playboy Magazine.

And if that wasn’t enough, Halsey just released Him & I – a modern tale of rebellion and reckless love with rapper G-Eazy (who is also her boyfriend). Check out the new vid for it here.

Last in Australia earlier this year on a promotional visit, Halsey sent the internet into meltdown when she hinted at a full national run. That day has finally come as huge shows in Melbourne, Perth, Sydney and Brisbane are announced, returning hopeless fountain kingdom to the fans it was lovingly written for, and ensuring Halsey maintains her permanent place in Australian hearts.

Joining Halsey in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane will be special guest acclaimed R&B songstress, Grammy nominated Kehlani – bringing her huge SweetSexySavage album back to Australia. Likened to Frank Ocean, Kehlani, along with right-hand-man producer Jahaan Sweet, shares Ocean’s auteuristic vision and plainspoken eloquence. A distinctive performer owning her own style, that seemingly everyone is attempting.

Halsey 2018 Australian Tour
21 APRIL – MARGARET COURT ARENA, MELBOURNE
24 APRIL – HBF STADIUM, PERTH
26 APRIL – HORDERN PAVILION, SYDNEY
28 APRIL – RIVERSTAGE, BRISBANE
www.facebook.com/HalseyMusic

Moving through arena sized venues, starting at the Adelaide Entertainment Theatre on the 18th November, continuing to the Hordern Pavilion in Sydney on the 1st December and finishing up in her home town of Melbourne at the Margaret Court Arena on the 14th December. She will be joined by likeminded strummers Pierce Brothers and forest ravers Willow Beats for a celebration of musical freedom and instrumental virtuosity.

Tash Sultana has spent the last 18 months collecting fans and selling out shows worldwide in what can only be described as a whirlwind of activity. Riding high on the back of her singles ‘Jungle’, ‘Notion’ and ‘Murder To The Mind’, the accolades have come thick and fast. She landed at number 3 in last year’s triple j Hottest 100 (picking up the Unearthed J Award on the way through), fixed herself in the top 10 of the ARIA chart with her Notion EP and has watched the view count on her YouTube channel rocket into the millions.

Returning home for another victory lap before focusing her attention on that all important debut record, these standalone performances (no extra shows will be added to this tour) will serve as a benchmark to just how much Sultana has achieved since she was first noticed busking amongst Melbourne’s humming CBD. Solo on the stage, as she was on the street, Sultana has a rare ability to create wholly intimate atmospheres, even in the largest of spaces. A diminutive figure equipped with searing confidence and incredible skill, Sultana utilises her self-taught skills on several instruments (guitar, horns, drums) to compliment her powerfully exotic voice and build a truly intoxicating on-stage atmosphere.

Also appearing at these landmark shows are fellow former buskers Pierce Brothers. Forging a similar path to Sultana, this brotherly duo has garnered considerable buzz worldwide for their high energy performances and virtuosic skills. Their latest EP The Records Were Ours came in at #9 on the ARIA chart after topping the iTunes charts across the globe. Opening up will be Melbourne based free spirits Willow Beats, an uncle-niece partnership who will provide glorious, tropical rave pop.

Tash Sultana Homecoming Tour This November/December
November 18 – Adelaide Entertainment Theatre, Adelaide
December 01 – Hordern Pavilion, Sydney
December 07 – Freo Arts Centre, Fremantle
December 09 – 3 Oceans Winery, Margaret River
December 14 – Margaret Court Arena, Melbourne
December 16 – Noosa AFL Grounds, Noosa
www.tashsultana.com

Kicking off on November 28 in Brisbane and playing Sydney, Melbourne, Perth and Auckland throughout December, the tour will see Sheeran playing his biggest venues to date; becoming the first ever musician to perform an Australian and New Zealand stadium tour entirely solo. Every single sound on stage will be produced by his voice, guitar and a series of loop pedals, filling the stadiums with hypnotising layers of sound.

This will be Sheeran’s second tour of 2015 and fifth visit in four years. His sold-out March/April tour saw him perform in front of close to 190,000 fans across Australia and New Zealand to rave reviews:

‘It takes a special kind of courage to walk onto an arena stage with nothing but a guitar, a loop pedal and your voice, but at the age of 24, not only did Ed Sheeran take Rod Laver Arena with the confidence of a veteran songwriter, he single-handedly blew the roof off… surely Sheeran’s most ambitious tour to date, but evidently his best.’ – The Age

‘…seems to get better and better at commanding attention and filling the biggest of rooms, all on his own.’ – Sydney Morning Herald

‘Seeing Sheeran construct each song right before your ears felt like watching someone weaving a musical tapestry.’ – The New Zealand Herald

‘I doubt that that there’s ever been louder screams in the arena or more passionate singing than there was on Friday night.’ – Stuff.co.nz

His November/December tour will follow over a year of relentless touring across the globe in celebration of his best-selling sophomore album x (out now through Warner Music).  The Grammy-nominated Brit’s tour schedule includes more than 170 shows, appearances at Glastonbury Festival, T in the Park and Southside Festival and selling out both London’s Wembley Stadium and New York’s Madison Square Gardens three times over.

x, featuring hits including lead single ‘Sing’, fan favourites ‘Don’t’ and ‘ Thinking Out Loud’ and current single ‘Bloodstream’ (ft. Rudimental), was Australia’s highest-selling album of 2014 and spent six weeks at #1 on the ARIA Album Chart last year.

Adding to the impressive list of achievements and accolades that the 24-year-old performer has received in his four years and two albums, Spotify have named Sheeran the most-streamed artist in the world. In 2014 alone, his tracks garnered over 860 million streams. In the same year he was also named the biggest-selling artist on iTunes in the United Kingdom, Ireland and New Zealand.

Sheeran’s ability to sell out shows across the globe with just an acoustic guitar and a loop pedal to create pitch-perfect harmonies and driving percussion is testament to his prodigious musical talent.

Whether this will be the first or tenth time that you will witness his live show, Sheeran guarantees to have you on your feet and singing along from the first song to the encore. It’s no surprise that the love for Ed Sheeran in Australia and New Zealand is strong and tickets are renowned for selling out almost instantly – be quick to secure yours!

Ed Sheeran 2015 Return Australian Tour
Saturday 28 November – Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
Wednesday 2 December – nib Stadium, Perth
Saturday 5 December – AAMI Park, Melbourne
Sunday 6 December – AAMI Park, Melbourne
Wednesday 9 December – Allianz Stadium, Sydney
Saturday 12 December – Mt Smart Stadium, Auckland
www.edsheeran.com

Having played sold out shows in Melbourne and Sydney to great acclaim in 2014, these will be Marr’s first as a solo artist when he and his band roll in to Perth, Adelaide and Brisbane.

A founding member of cultural institution The Smiths and performer alongside the likes of Modest Mouse, Beck, Talking Heads, The The, Oasis, plus featured on the critically acclaimed album by John Frusciante, The Empyrean – Marr was already rock royalty before releasing his Top 10 debut solo album The Messenger in February 2013.

    ‘Each tune throws up a different style, creating a one-man compilation album that rifles through 25 years of lush or edgy genres, perfecting every one…The Messenger isn’t just a summary of everything worthwhile in contemporary rock music, it’s an insightful and informed dissection of life in 2013.’ – NME 8/10

    ‘One quick listen to The Messenger brings all his signatures rushing back — the intricate, intertwining arrangements, the insistent riffs finding a counterpoint in the elastic yet precise melodies, a romance with the past that doesn’t negate the present.’ – All Music 8/10

In a poll conducted by the BBC, Marr was voted fourth best guitarist of the last 30 years and Phil Alexander, Editor-in-Chief of Mojo magazine described him as “arguably Britain’s last great guitar stylist”.

Nothing if not prolific, Marr had begun writing sophomore solo effort Playland (out October 3 through Warner Music, watch the clip for new single ‘Easy Money’) almost immediately after The Messenger’s release “…I kept on writing. I liked that the band had a momentum going on tour and a connection with the audience, and I thought that energy would be good to capture on the new record.”

Energetic, post-punk song writing complemented by Marr’s characteristic guitar licks, engaging lyrical ideas and poised vocal phrasing. Playland is composed around the central theme that “songs that move at the speed of life” and captures much of the spirit that made his debut so memorable.

Marr collected rave reviews when last in Australia with critics spotlighting his ability to combine the best of his new material with select highlights from his epic back catalogue, including The Smiths and many others.

    ‘This was a man honouring his legacy while still creating in the present. As the T-shirts at the merchandise desk defiantly proclaimed… Johnny Fuckin Marr.’ – The Music

    ‘His playing is visually evocative, often invokes wide-eyed dopamine release and is always impeccably tasteful. Put simply, the man is a goddamn God-like genius.’ – Beat

He’s one the most celebrated guitarists in the world. Armed to the teeth with classics and his own lauded solo works, when Johnny Marr hits Australia and New Zealand in July 2015 the shows promise to be exhilarating displays of talent from a revered virtuoso.

Johnny Marr 2015 Australian Tour
Sat 18 July – Metropolis Fremantle, Perth
Mon 20 July – Enmore Theatre, Sydney
Tue 21 July – The Gov, Adelaide
Wed 22 July – Forum Theatre, Melbourne
www.johnny-marr.com

Having first performed at the Opera House with his neon-explosion The Age of Adz, the 39-year-old artist has become a familiar face to Vivid LIVE – debuting the solar song cycle Planetarium in 2012 with long-term collaborators Bryce Dessner and Nico Muhly.

Now set to open proceedings with an Australian exclusive four-night stand before returning to overseas obligations, Sufjan Stevens will draw from one of the most successful modern songbooks to encompass Christmas classics, regional history, freeways, the rodeo… and the profound intimacies of everyday life.

One small thing. Sufjan likes to keep it in the family. His first band Marzuki was named after his brother, a nationally recognised marathon runner. His step-father and namesake of his new album – Lowell Brams – runs Sufjan’s record label Asthmatic Kitty. He’s also released his own album entitled Music for Insomnia. Sufjan contributes.

Sufjan Stevens
22 – 25 May 2015
Sydney Opera House, Concert Hall
www.music.sufjan.com

Recently returning with an album that is both one of the artistic high points of her storied career and a worthy successor to 2012’s rapturously received How About I Be Me (And You Be You)? Infusing the spirit of funky blues with a fresh exploration the age-old theme of romantic love I’m Not Bossy, I’m The Boss is a tour de force and signals a new confidence in song writing for an artist who was until recently perhaps more renowned as a vocalist.

The truly great songwriters realize that what has already been said is not enough. They create unique emotional snapshots – musical testaments to the indomitability of the human spirit – and challenge the status quo. Most importantly, through their work they give the rest of us heart to go on. 

It seemed so unlikely that the stultifying atmosphere of 1970’s Ireland – dominated by church, patriarchy and tribute bands -would bring forth such an artist, but sometimes the most arid soil produces the most spectacular blooms. When Sinead O’Connor first appeared on the scene thirty years ago nobody could quite believe what he or she were seeing and hearing. Still a teenage waif, nurturing herself on Dylan and Bowie, she nevertheless seemed to have arrived fully formed – possessed of prodigious song writing skills, a soaring, spectral voice and a tragic back-story to draw upon. She was both a connection to her country’s dusty, mystical past – she referenced WB Yeats on her first album and was named after the wife of Ireland’s first president (and delivered at birth by his son) – and a punk iconoclast who seemed like a violent break from that same past. It was her heart stopping voice that really set her apart however. Whether on the crunching new wave rocker Mandinka or her tearstained, multiplatinum-selling version of Prince’s Nothing Compares 2 U – it rang out like a clarion call and won her millions of fans. Throughout the 1990’s and 2000’s she would fearlessly cross musical genres, reimagining standards in classic jazz, Irish folk and Jamaican roots.

Her visceral live performances set new standards of feminine intensity in rock music. She spoke truth to power and paid the price but time brought vindication and as the years passed her lore has only grown. She remains the most iconic Irish artist in history.

A cathartic, uplifting, spiritual note on which to close a collection of pop songs whose simplicity belies their rich emotional resonances. This is Sinead O’Connor at the peak of her powers; a soft girl instead of a warrior queen, an authentic voice cutting through the manufactured dross, a songwriter first and foremost. And still, as she begins her fourth decade in the business, one of the most original, emotional and spirited voices in all of music.

Sinead O’Connor – ‘I’m not bossy, I’m the Boss’ Australian Tour 2015
28 February – Perth Festival @ Perth Concert Hall
4 March – Hamer Hall, Arts Centre Melbourne
6 & 7 March – Port Fairy Folk Festival, VIC
11 March – QPAC, Brisbane
19 March – Sydney Opera House, Sydney
www.sineadoconnor.com

Gone now are most of the comforting folk music embellishments and in their place are foundations of electronically and synthetically created backing tracks. Opening track Futile Devices eases the listener into this new world with remnants of past sounds but from then on it’s a brave new world.

Lacking the sanctuary of warm acoustic backdrops, Sufjan weaves vocals into these eclectic mixes to surround the listener with a human element so not all is zeros and ones. Using this approach actually open the music up. The number of ideas at play (even from someone with as much creativity as Sufjan) is impressive. Weather it’s the mutant Some Where Over The Rainbow choir of Now That I’m Older, the scary monster parade of the title track or even the blips and bleeps of Bad Communication, there are a serious number of ideas at play here.

With new works by much loved artists that represent less than immediate accessibility becoming long term favourites, The Age Of Adz could well become the new standard for Sufjan. It’s been played around these parts insistently for a while now and the results just keep getting better.
Rob Hudson
www.sufjan.com