Is it just me, or does New Years’ have a way of sneaking up on you? With so much focus on Christmas, it’s all too easy to enter the final week of December without any plans to kickstart the year right. So let me make it easy on you, Sounds of Oz readers. Field Day is celebrating 25 years in Eora/Sydney with a massive New Years Day bash.
The likes of Carl Cox and Jamie Jones, The Presets, Deborah De Luca, Bag Raiders, Kölsch, and Patrick Mason will make sure the anniversary celebrations are the ultimate party. New for 2026 is CAMP GROUND, a fresh stage celebrating local queer talent.
“Field Day has always been a space where LGBTQIA+ communities are welcome and celebrated,” organisers Fuzzy said in the presser. “Queer artists and revellers have been a big part of Field Day’s 25 years of success. We’re thrilled to honour that by introducing CAMP GROUND to the festival in 2026 – curated by and for LGBTQIA+ communities, spotlighting some of Sydney’s best.”
Field Day will take over the Domain on January 1. General admission and VIP tickets, along with Fast Forward passes and a fantastic Double Trouble New Year bundle, are all available now from Moshtix.
Photo credit: Jordan Munns
I honestly can’t remember the last time we saw Aussie acts on top of the albums and singles charts. But this week we’ve been supporting our own, keeping 5 Seconds of Summer at number one on the singles charts with “Youngblood” and propelling Sheppard to number one on debut with their sophomore album Watching the Sky. This is 5SOS’s fourth consecutive week at number one with their new album’s title track. That album dropped on Friday. Expect it to make a big impact on the charts next week. Meanwhile, Watching the Sky is Sheppard’s first number one album, and the fifth Aussie album release to top the charts this year.
How does kicking back on Rottnest Island while you see some of the country’s best bands sound? It doesn’t need to be just a fantasy though, as Zaccaria Concerts & Touring and Hotel Rottnest have joined forces to launch Rotto Live. This Sunday session series will see some killer artists playing in this beautiful part of the country, starting with 
We have seen some impressive album debuts by up and coming local acts though. The Rubens’ self-titled album has rocketed in to the charts at number three, while Aussie hip hopper Seth Sentry is sitting at number six on debut with This Was Tomorrow.
Another week brings a brand new Aussie number one. While Guy Sebastian’s “Battle Scars” has remained steady at the top of the single charts, Gympie hard rockers The Amity Affliction have claimed the number one album with their third release Chasing Ghosts.
