Crowded House are a rock band, formed in Melbourne in 1985. Its founding members were New Zealander Neil Finn and Australians Paul Hester (drums) and Nick Seymour (bass). Later band members included Neil Finn's brother, Tim Finn, and Americans Mark Hart and Matt Sherrod. The current line-up includes Finn's sons Elroy and Liam and the American keyboard player Mitchell Froom. Neil Finn and Nick Seymour have been the sole constant members of the group since its formation.
Skyhooks were an Australian rock band formed in Melbourne in March 1973 by mainstays Greg Macainsh on bass guitar and backing vocals, and Imants "Freddie" Strauks on drums. They were soon joined by Bob "Bongo" Starkie on guitar and backing vocals, and Red Symons on guitar, vocals and keyboards; Graeme "Shirley" Strachan became lead vocalist in March 1974. Described as a glam rock band, because of flamboyant costumes and make-up, Skyhooks addressed issues including buying drugs in "Carlton ", sex and commitment in "Balwyn Calling", the gay scene in "Toorak Cowboy" and loss of girlfriends in "Somewhere in Sydney" by namechecking Australian locales. According to music historian, Ian McFarlane "[Skyhooks] made an enormous impact on Australian social life".
Anzac Day is a national day of remembrance in Australia and New Zealand that broadly commemorates all Australians and New Zealanders "who served and died in all wars, conflicts, and peacekeeping operations" and "the contribution and suffering of all those who have served". Observed on 25 April each year, Anzac Day was originally devised to honour the members of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) who served in the Gallipoli Campaign, their first engagement in the First World War (1914–1918).
Mushroom Records was an Australian flagship record label, founded in 1972 in Melbourne. It published and distributed many successful Australian artists and expanded internationally, until it was merged with Festival Records in 1998. Festival Mushroom Records was later acquired by Warner Bros. Records, which operated the label from 2005 to 2010 until it folded to Warner Bros. Records. Founder Michael Gudinski went on to become the leader of the Mushroom Group, the largest independent music and entertainment company in Australia, with divisions such as Frontier Touring.
Michael Solomon Gudinski AM was an Australian entrepreneur and businessman based in Melbourne who was a leading figure in the Australian music industry. Born and raised in Melbourne to Jewish Russian immigrants, Gudinski was mostly known for forming the highly successful Australian record company Mushroom Records in 1972 through which he signed several generations of Australian musicians and performers ranging from MacKenzie Theory, the Skyhooks, The Choirboys, Kylie Minogue, and New Zealand's Split Enz to newer artists such as Eskimo Joe, Evermore and others, forging a string of successful releases by local artists.
Lee Kernaghan OAM is an Australian country music singer, songwriter and guitarist.
David Joseph Campbell is an Australian singer, stage performer and television presenter. He is the son of singer Jimmy Barnes.
5 Seconds of Summer, often shortened to 5SOS, are an Australian pop rock band from Sydney, New South Wales, formed in late 2011. The group consists of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Luke Hemmings, lead guitarist Michael Clifford, bassist Calum Hood, and drummer Ashton Irwin. Originally beginning their career as YouTube celebrities, they rose to international fame while touring with English-Irish boy band One Direction on their Take Me Home Tour. Since 2014, 5 Seconds of Summer have sold more than 10 million albums, sold over 2 million concert tickets worldwide, and the band's songs streams surpass 7 billion, making them one of the most successful Australian musical exports in history.
Queen + Adam Lambert is a collaboration between the active members of the British band Queen and American vocalist Adam Lambert. As with all other Queen performances since 1997, longstanding bassist John Deacon has declined to participate in the project due to his retirement. This is the first long-term collaboration of Queen since the Queen + Paul Rodgers project ended in 2009. Like the previous project, it was made clear that Lambert would not be replacing Queen frontman Freddie Mercury, but rather that he would be featured with the band's active members.
Lime Cordiale are an Australian pop rock group from Sydney, New South Wales, formed in 2009. The band consists of brothers Oli and Louis Leimbach, with additional touring members James Jennings, Felix Bornholt and Nicholas Polovineo. They released their debut studio album Permanent Vacation in 2017. The group have performed at Groovin' the Moo and South by Southwest (SXSW). At the 2020 ARIA Music Awards they were nominated in eight categories and won Breakthrough Artist – Release for their second album, 14 Steps to a Better You.
Toni Watson, known professionally as Tones and I, is an Australian singer, songwriter and record producer. Her breakout single, "Dance Monkey", was released in May 2019 and reached number one in over 30 countries.
The Teskey Brothers are an Australian blues rock band from Melbourne, named after the two brothers who formed the group in 2008: Josh Teskey and Sam Teskey. The band also includes Brendon Love and Liam Gough (drums). In 2019 they signed with Glassnote Records and Ivy League Records. They have released two albums, Half Mile Harvest (2017) and Run Home Slow (2019). At the 2019 ARIA Music Awards, The Teskey Brothers were nominated for seven awards. They won three categories for the album, Run Home Slow, Best Group, Best Blues and Roots Album and Engineer of the Year.
Sophie Katarina Morris is a New Zealand singer, actor and presenter who performs within New Zealand and internationally. She was the first ever female to tour with The Ten Tenors, joining the group on their 'Wish You Were Here' Tour in 2018.
The COVID-19 pandemic in Australia is part of the ongoing worldwide pandemic of the coronavirus disease 2019 caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. The first confirmed case in Australia was identified on 25 January 2020, in Victoria, when a man who had returned from Wuhan, Hubei, China, tested positive for the virus.
One World: Together at Home is a benefit concert that was organized by Global Citizen of New York City and curated by singer Lady Gaga, in support of the World Health Organization. The special was intended to promote the practice of social distancing while staying together during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on the music industry, mirroring its impacts across all arts sectors. Numerous music events, including music festivals, concert tours, and award shows, have been cancelled or postponed. While some musicians and composers were able to use the time to create new works, there were flow-on effects on the many supporting people who relied on performers for their income. Several album releases have been delayed as well. Pollstar estimated the total lost revenue for the live music industry in 2020 at more than $30 billion.
"We Are Warriors" is a song by Canadian singer Avril Lavigne released on April 24, 2020, for digital download by the BMG Rights Management. A re-recording of the final track—originally titled "Warrior"—from her sixth studio album Head Above Water (2019), Lavigne released the song as a charity single to support Project HOPE during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Music from the Home Front is a live album recorded by various Australian and New Zealand artists, released on 19 June 2020 through Bloodlines. The album features performances from the live concert of the same name.
This article documents the chronology of the response to the COVID-19 pandemic in April 2021, which originated in Wuhan, China in December 2019. Some developments may become known or fully understood only in retrospect. Reporting on this pandemic began in December 2019.
Flesh and Blood is the nineteenth studio album by Australian musician Jimmy Barnes, released on 2 July 2021 through Bloodlines. The album was announced on 25 March and features production from Barnes' long-time collaborator Kevin Shirley. Barnes wrote most of the record while in the peak of the COVID-19 lockdown restrictions in 2020.
