If you’re feeling that midweek slump, allow Anna Dine’s poppy new single “anymore” put a little pep in your step. The follow-up to her smashing debut “kind 2 me,” this is feelgood music at its finest, with sparkling synths, vibrant vocals, and alt-rock guitars for a hint of edge. The contemporary lyrics, which celebrate the power of online blocking and setting your own boundaries, are also fantastic.
To celebrate the release of “anymore,” Anna Dine will head off on her first tour tomorrow. She’ll coheadline most shows with Cate Guirguis, except for her solo show at Towradgi Beach Hotel.
Make sure you save the date music lovers because Groovin the Moo is back baby! Australia’s favourite regional festival returns for a very special one-off show in Widjabul Wia-bal Country/Lismore on 9 May.
Way back in 2005, organisers created Groovin the Moo to bring major contemporary music acts to regional centres. That ethos hasn’t changed, so while we don’t know who’ll play this year it’s bound to be big. By focusing on a single show with a single stage, organisers are taking the first steps of a long-term sustainable strategy to return the beloved festival to the regional towns who’ve always supported it.
“This is about bringing Groovin The Moo back in a way that honours what it has always stood for,” said Adelle Robinson, CEO of Fuzzy. “The festival belongs to regional Australia. Returning with a one-off show allows us to focus on doing it with the care and responsibility it deserves while the festival industry continues to navigate rising costs and increased pressure. We are so thrilled to come to Lismore, a place that reflects the spirit and resilience of the communities that Groovin The Moo has supported from the beginning.”
Groovin The Moo will take place at Oakes Oval, Widjabul Wia-bal Country/Lismore from 11 am to 10 pm on May 9. All ages are welcome and $2 from every ticket sold will benefit Our Kids, a vital charity partner that helps children and families stay local when requiring medical care in the Northern Rivers. Stay tuned for the on-sale date and lineup in the coming weeks. The pre-sale sign up is open now, so get on it!
Although I live in Darkinjung Country/Central Coast now, Mulubinba/Newcastle will always be home to me. Those roots run deep, and it’s something you can’t properly understand unless you grew up there too. So it’s warmed my heart to hear music from Morgan Evans’ forthcoming album Steel Town, including the recently released title track. This music pays homage to our shared hometown in such a heartfelt, authentic way.
“’Steel Town’ is about where I come from and why I am the way I am,” Morgan explained. “Newy was a beautiful place to grow up, but also a tough one, and we poured all of that into this record.”
Morgan will release his Steel Town album on March 20 before embarking on the biggest tour of his career in May. American country star and his duet partner on the recently released single “Two Broken Hearts,” Laci Kaye Booth, will join him for these theatre shows. Before that, you can also see Morgan at Meatstock. There’s a Frontier member presale for the Steel Town tour today at 2 pm before the general sale tomorrow at 2.
I get it. It’s Valentine’s Day. That Hallmark holiday celebrating love. And that’s lovely. But if you want love songs, there’s plenty of that around. So I want to do something different and showcase a song for all of my single readers out there. If you’re looking for a feel-good independent anthem today, you’ve found it with “Cowgirl Blues” from Saralyn. This reminds me of those upbeat country floor-fillers Shania Twain used to release in the ‘90s. It’s so much fun, whether you usually listen to country music or not.
“Cowgirl Blues was built around a fun, high-energy recording process that leaned into big country sounds and feel-good momentum,” Saralyn reminisced. “Guitarist Adam Osmanovic (Viper Creek) brought the unmistakable country twang, supported by honky-tonk keys, pedal steel, banjo, and driving drums. The track grew naturally into something bold, playful, and full, capturing the joy of the room and delivering a big, confident country anthem made to be turned up loud.”
The video, shot by Jake Davey Studios in Gringai Country/Gresford, captures that sense of fun.
“The night came together with the pub rallying the local ladies, crackers, cheese, wine, and dancing well into the night. Surrounded by friends & family, the blue 1975 Kombi van became part of the story, with standout moments including the choreographed leg kick, a confetti pop ‘owe!’ moment, and carefree scenes of driving the Kombi turning the shoot into a celebration rather than just a video.”
“Cowgirl Blues” is the first single to drop from Saralyn’s forthcoming debut EP, which we’ll hear a little later this year. While that release celebrates her original music, Saralyn will also pay tribute to one of her idols, Lainey Wilson, with a string of tribute shows next month. Catch her anywhere you can:
Fresh from the release of her sophomore album i feel everything, American alt-punk artist Maggie Lindemann has announced her Australian return. She wowed crowds on her first visit in 2023, and with some incredible new songs in her arsenal, she’s bound to generate just as much buzz.
Personally, I think the material from i feel everything is Maggie’s strongest. It’s powerful but emotionally nuanced, personal but so relatable, with a dynamic, eclectic sound that keeps you guessing. However, don’t stress if you love her earlier music. I’m sure Maggie will deliver all your favourites when she graces Aussie stages in May. Destroy All Lines and artist presales kick off on Tuesday 17 February at 11 am ahead of the general sale at 11 am the following day.
Kate Ceberano’sAustralian Made album went a little under the radar on its release last August. Honestly, I wasn’t aware she’d recorded an awesome album of live Aussie covers until she supported Jimmy Barnes on his Working Class Man shows last year. If you weren’t in the loop when she sold out shows last year, you’ll appreciate that she’s planning an encore tour later this year.
“Last year was an unexpected runaway success,” Kate said. “It ended up being the biggest rock move of my career. Coming back to do it again, and push it further, felt irresistible.”
If you saw Kate’s Australian Made shows last time, this tour is still worth another look. Kate promises to refresh the setlist, expand the arrangements, and tell more stories about her connection to iconic Aussie anthems.
“It’s the same engine, but a different gear,” Kate explained. “The setlist’s been reworked, stretched, and opened up. More stories. More risk. More Australian classics, old and new, and more room to live inside the songs.”
Kate Ceberano’s new Australian Made encore tour kicks off in London in August before the Aussie run commences in Boorloo/Perth in September. Tickets went on sale this morning, so jump on them at the links below!
Pacific Avenue are getting me buzzing their upcoming sophomore album Lovesick Sentimental with the release of another new track, “Things We Wanna Say.” While their previous single “Here We Go Again” was a sweet ballad, this newie is a pure rocker.
“‘Things We Wanna Say’ is an ode to the core friendships that you build in the ‘coming of age’ years of your life,” said Harry O’Brien, Pacific Avenue’s vocalist and guitarist. “So much of our adolescence we’re surrounded by close friends and as [you] grow up together, experiencing the world and new things for the first time, you create bonds that are fundamental to our individual identities, then as you move through your 20s and people start getting jobs or moving away from home, the experience becomes a much more isolated one. We never say the things we want to say. We aim to lift up the meaningful connections that you’ve made and more openly feel like you can express your love for the people who make it all worthwhile.”
We’ll hear more new material from Pacific Avenue when they release Lovesick Sentimental on March 6. You can pre-order it now. They’re wasting no time bringing the new tunes to the stage, with their tour kicking off in Boorloo/Perth the same day and continuing on to Europe and the United Kingdom.
Fancy sharing a stage with Hands Like Houses? The Ngambri/Canberra rockers are giving back to the scene by launching a national search for local acts to support them on their April shows.
“There are a lot of stacked international tours rolling through right now (which is awesome), but real opportunities for local Aussie bands to play bigger rooms are still super limited,” Hands Like Houses said. “So we want to do this properly. We started our career opening for touring shows through Canberra, and we understand the confidence and momentum it can help build for any artist. We’ll check every submission, stats don’t matter, music does. Every selected support band will be PAID. Always. Much love, support local, support Aussie music.”
If you think you have what it takes, apply for one of those coveted support slots via this form. And if you just want to see Hands Like Houses, their already announced support act Dream On Dreamer, and one of the winning bands, get your tickets for the Lótus Tour at the links below:
If you were on the fence about seeing Sarah McLeod and Dallas Frasca on their Green Electric Tour, the release of their latest single “’Til It’s Gone” might tip you over the edge. Hearing these two vocal powerhouses on the one track is an absolute joy. It’s bluesy, edgy, and so incredibly cool.
“The song was inspired by a line in ‘Big Yellow Taxi,’ written more than half a century ago, and it’s confronting how little has changed,” Sarah and Dallas said in a joint statement. “We’re still prioritising profit over care for country, and the climate is pushing back hard. ‘Til It’s Gone’ speaks to the moment we’re in right now, a crossroads, and the responsibility we all share to make better choices before the damage becomes irreversible.”
Sarah and Dallas don’t just pay lip service to the issues. They’ve teamed up with Green Music Australia for their upcoming tour to reduce their carbon footprint through initiatives like plotting sustainable travel routes, using meet-free catering and eco-certified accommodation, and selling merch made from recycled materials. They’re encouraging fans to get in on the act too by choosing low-emission transport options and wearing sustainable fashion to the shows. The Green Electric Tour kicks off on February 19 in Bungambrawatha/Albury. Tickets for all shows are still available but won’t last long!
“You Won’t Be There” was already one of the highlights from Riley Pearce’s 2025 album The Weight of Our Dreaming. But he’s just elevated the track with the help of Irish singer-songwriter Sorcha Richardson, who was last on our shores for Misneach. The artists collaborated remotely on the duet single, “You Won’t Be There (Time Zone Version),” which hit the streaming services today.
“‘You Won’t Be There’ always felt like it could live a double life,” Riley said. “A version where it had a more conversational tone, capturing the two sides of a relationship’s distance that comes with touring. I heard Sorcha’s song ‘Maps of Manhattan’ when I was on tour last year and it instantly became a favourite. I was so impressed with the energy and world she built with her verse – I actually like this version more than the original.”
“When Riley sent me this song, I knew I wanted to write to it,” Sorcha added. “I loved the subtlety he had created within it, and the effortless ebb and flow of the arrangement. The sentiment was something that had been on my mind already; nights spent thousands of miles from home, cinematic and romantic in their own lonely way, but impossible to experience without thinking of somebody you wish could be there with you.”
While I’m not sure when we’ll see Sorcha back in Australia, Riley is preparing to take songs from his The Weight of Our Dreaming album around the country this month. With shows in the capitals and regional centres, there are plenty of opportunities to catch him live.
