Hans Zimmer will take it to the next level in Australia later this year, for the superstar screen composer’s second arena tour of these parts in 18 months.
The German-born Oscar and Grammy Award winner will go coast-to-coast on his The Next Level production, which starts Oct. 12 at Perth’s RAC Arena, then heads east for shows in Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney.
Presented by Presented by Frontier Touring, Semmel Concerts and RCI Global, Hans Zimmer Live – The Next Level will see Zimmer “push the boundaries of sound, staging, and scale, marking his boldest live chapter yet,” reads a statement announcing the tour.
Zimmer will travel with his 19-piece band and featuring various vocalists, including Lisa Gerrard, singer with Australia’s Dead Can Dance, and a newly designed, “striking architectural stage concept” that’s said to blend electronic sound design with powerful orchestration.
The Interstellar composer, arranger and multi-instrumentalist wants the experience to feel something like a party, at a fun park. “I want fans to feel like they’re at a rave party or riding a roller coaster,” he explains in a statement. “For me, every show is a new voyage of discovery. The greatest challenge is the status quo – you have to do everything in your power to leave it behind and find and create something new.”
Australia clearly loves Zimmer and his deep catalogue of compositions, from Gladiator to Pirates of the Caribbean, The Dark Knight, Interstellar, Mission: Impossible, F1, The Lion King, Black Hawk Down, The Last Samurai, Dune and many others. He was last in the market in April 2025, for five east coast arena shows.
Hans Zimmer Live – The Next Level has been a blockbuster in his native Europe. By April 2026, reps say, the tour had completed 50 sold-out shows in 17 countries, shifting more than 600,000 tickets.
All up, Zimmer has scored more than 500 projects across all mediums, which have grossed more than $28 billion combined at the global box office. His treasure chest includes two Academy Awards, three Golden Globes, five Grammys, and an American Music Award.
When Glen Matlock published his memoir I Was A Teenage Sex Pistol in 1996. he “thought I’d never have to talk about (the story) again.”
But 30 years later, he’s doing it again.
The Sex Pistols‘ founding bassist — who co-wrote 10 of the 12 songs on 1977’s seminal Never Mind the Bollocks, Here’s the Sex Pistols before parting ways with the band that year — is now the subject of a documentary also titled, wait for it… I Was a Teenage Sex Pistol. Based on the book, of course, the 94-minute film begins streaming May 26 on Apple TV and Prime Video. It’s directed by Andre Relis (Randy Rhoads: Reflections of a Guitar Icon) and Nick Mead (Who Do I Think I Am? ).
Amidst its reams of vintage footage and images is commentary from Matlock and a wealth of friends and associates, including Billy Idol; Blondie members Debbie Harry, Chris Stein and the late Clem Burke (Matlock’s been touring with the band since 2022); the late Wayne Kramer of the MC5; Spandau Ballet’s Gary Kemp; Rat Scabies of the Damned; Slim Jim Phantom of Stray Cats; Kenney Jones (the Faces, the Who); Cheetah Chrome (the Dead Boys, Rocket from the Tombs; L.A. Guns’ Tracii Guns; and members of the Vandals, Bazooka Joe, Doctors of Madness and more.
Sex Pistols frontman John Lydon (aka Johnny Rotten), the band’s late manager Malcolm McLaren, and the late Sid Vicious, who replaced Matlock during February of 1977, are represented via archival footage and audio clips.
“It’s no real kind of MGM, the big lion thing,” says Matlock, who co-produced the film. “It’s a little bit more of a DIY project. People have been interested over the years; it didn’t come together, and then I met Nick Mead, who introduced me to Andre Relis a couple of years ago, and we slowly went about piecing it all together. I think it’s come together really well.”
He adds that, “I think what’s quite good about it is Andre… is sort of a bit late to the punk rock thing. So he asked people questions that may be a bit naive, but he gets a more straightforward answer out of them than somebody who knows it already and asks some tricky question instead.”
The point of the I Was a Teenage Sex Pistol documentary is much the same as the book — essentially restoring Matlock’s somewhat obscured contributions and his place in the band’s groundbreaking legacy. “I thought this might make a slightly different take on the Sex Pistols story,” he explains. “I’ve always felt I’ve been passed over a little bit in the public eye. People like to paint me as the guy from the Sex Pistols that nobody knows; there were so many people involved that they’ve all got their own take on the story. This is mine.”
That notion is certainly supported throughout the film. As Joe Escalante from the Vandals says on camera, “We’re kind of fed a Sid Vicious story, that Sid Vicious was punk rock and Sid Vicious is the Sex Pistols. And we found out Sid Vicious could not play bass, did not play bass, and there’s some other guy named Glen Matlock. And we’re like, ‘Who’s he?’”
Matlock — who’s long contended that he chose to leave the band while others have maintained he was fired — says that he’s “really pleased with the quantity and the caliber of people who stood up to pick me up a little bit — friends, acquaintances, work colleagues. That can only boost your confidence a little bit, and it’s interesting to hear the slightly different takes on things.”
What …Teenage Sex Pistol does make clear is the key role the bassist played in the band’s formation and its music, including its first single, “Anarchy in the U.K.,” and the equally iconic “God Save the Queen.” In the documentary Matlock demonstrates show they came about, playing the chord progressions on his bass for the camera. “I always tried to get Steve (Jones) doing something on the root (progression), which he’d pick up on and lay around with a little bit,” Matlock explains. “Then I’d give it a bit more color, like what (John) Entwistle did on (the Who’s) ‘My Generation’ — nowhere near as good as that, but counterpoint rhythms and things like he does.”
The documentary also explores the roots of punk rock in the United Kingdom, with observations from the figures such as Alex McDowell, an acclaimed production designer who booked what was to be the first Sex Pistols concert, at the Central School of Art and Design, and Mike Thorpe, a record executive who signed the band to its ill-fated first contract with EMI. “I did subscribe to the socio-politico kind of thing myself,” Matlock says now, “but that could be misconstrued because everybody in the band had totally different ideas about it. Paul (Cook, drummer) might have been more along my lines. (Jones) couldn`t give a s— as long as he got paid and there were some girls involved. And John ended up more on the sort of (politically) right end of things, which I’m certainly not. I’m not an out-and-out socialist, but I’m leaning that way. So there was a big split in the camp.”
After leaving the Sex Pistols, Matlock formed Rich Kids with a then-unknown Midge Ure, then went on to the short-lived Vicious White Kids with Sid Vicious, Spectres and the all-star International Swingers. He also worked with Iggy Pop, the Damned and the reformed Faces before his tenure with Blondie.
Cook and Jones appear in …Teenage Sex Pistol, their relationships with Matlock largely repaired since he rejoined the band for its 20th anniversary Filthy Lucre tour in 1996 and continues working with them. “Me, Steve and Paul have always gotten on enough,” Matlock notes. “They always blame (McLaren) for what happened. We’re not the best of friends, but we’re not the worst of enemies. We sort of hang together and enjoy each other’s company when we do that.”
But Matlock remains unhappy with Pistol, the 2022 British TV miniseries which was based on Jones’ memoir Lonely Boy: Tales from a Sex Pistol, and executive produced by the guitarist. “I did tell Steve, I said, ‘Mate you got a shocking memory,” he says. “I wasn’t that happy with it, but that’s not why I made this movie.”
Matlock says there were “a few people I did ask” to be interviewed for the film but refused. “They were maybe more in the John camp,” he notes, “so probably said ‘no’ because it could’ve been awkward. Lydon was not approached, under the assumption he “just wasn’t interested. He’s moved on from (the Sex Pistols) now. But good luck to John; he’s got the Public Image (Ltd.) thing going. People say we’re a tribute band without John, but there’s three of us, and he’s the only Public Imager. I think he’s painted himself into a corner of a very big hallway.”
Asked if he’d be open to having Lydon back in the Sex Pistols if he wished, Matlock is silent for a moment before saying that, “It’s just not gonna happen.”
Matlock, Jones and Cook are happy enough with the current incarnation of the Sex Pistols, however. British singer Frank Carter began fronting the band during 2024, at the suggestion of one of Matlock’s sons; the group will be going on a 50th anniversary Jubilee tour this year, starting June 11 in Europe — with several festival appearances — with U.S. dates beginning Sept. 11 in Dallas to make up for shows canceled last fall after Jones broke his wrist.
“Frank has given us a new lease on life,” Matlock says. “It’s a bit like the beginning in the band, when we first started out, before John got his face in the papers. Jenny, (Cook’s) wife), came to see us and said, ‘Y’know what; that’s the first time I’ve ever seen you guys come off stage with a smile on your face.” And he predicts that bonhomie might even lead to some new music from the quartet.
“I’d like to,” Matlock says. “I’ve got some tracks; they’re not finished songs, just sort of earmarked if that (opportunity) comes up. I think Frank would like to. The only thing is Steve lives in L.A., I live (in London), Frank’s out of town. When we get together (to tour) we have enough time to do what we need to do. There’s not a lot of hanging around. But who knows. We’re beginning to run out of time a little bit, but never say never, right?”
T.O.P knows exactly what he was doing when he opens his first-ever solo album with a baby voice cooing, “I may be 99 percent angel, but that one percent gets me in trouble.”
It’s unexpectedly disarming, slightly devastating, but also funny, and ultimately sets the tone for TOP SPOT – ANOTHER DIMENSION. Despite the innocent intro, the opening track “SELF CRUCIFIXION” brings a boom-bap beat and a sampled soul singer pleading to “set me free,” before a torrent of news clips, pulled from Korean and English broadcasts, discuss highs and lows throughout 20 years in the entertainment world.
While T.O.P’s voice is temporarily buried beneath the headlines and as others step forward to define him — marijuana charges, a hospitalization following a medication overdose, being named the first Korean civilian for a lunar mission — the audio drops out and he reclaims the mic by the song’s end: “What am I doing these days? I make my music. Our music.”
It is rare for any artist to deliver a full account of their lowest moments, especially one raised in the K-pop scene. Yet, T.O.P approaches it as an artistic act of empowerment instead of an apology.
Debuting with the stage name T.O.P as a member of BIGBANG in August 2006, Choi Seung-hyun became one of K-pop’s most recognizable global figures as he and his band mates broke new ground for the Korean-pop scene after accepting the inaugural best worldwide act trophy onstage at the 2011 MTV Europe Music Awards, beating out the likes of Britney Spears for the honor. With that, the act became the first K-pop group to send an album to the Billboard 200 (when 2012’s ALIVE reached No. 150) and showing their live prowess with two world tours (hitting multiple U.S. arenas in 2012 and 2015).
To date, BIGBANG have five No. 1s on Billboard‘s U.S.-based World Digital Song Sales chart, and even scored their first Top 10 hit on the Billboard Global 200 with the special 2022 reunion single “Still Life” that marked T.O.P’s final release with the group.
While he was a key songwriter and rapper for the group, T.O.P ended his contract with BIGBANG’s YG Entertainment in 2022 and formally left the band the year after as part of a retreat from the spotlight after a series of personal and legal issues and controversies.
But 15 years after T.O.P earned one of the very first K-pop albums to bow on World Albums with his collaborative GD & T.O.P record in 2011 with BIGBANG band mate G-Dragon, the star is back on the music scene — and the charts — after constructing what he has described as “a gift to my fans.” With a digital-only release in the States, TOP SPOT – ANOTHER DIMENSION debuted at No. 20 on the April 18, 2026-dated World Albums chart, marking his debut solo appearance via the first-ever release from his newly created independent label, TOP SPOT PICTURES.
“This album is especially meaningful to me because it’s my first full-length solo album,” T.O.P shares in an exclusive interview with Billboard. “So, being able to enter the Billboard World Albums chart with this record, as a solo artist, truly means a lot to me. The members of BIGBANG and I make very different kinds of music now, but I’ll always support and respect their music…it’s been such a long time since I returned with music, so I sincerely thank everyone for the overwhelming response and love you’ve shown me.”
T.O.P
Courtesy of TOPSPOT PICTURES
T.O.P
Courtesy of TOPSPOT PICTURES
Co-producing and writing every track, T.O.P shared that he spent a decade working on a collection that isn’t just his 11 best songs, but “a 37-minute film that freely crosses different genres according to my own taste” and “an album built from multiple perspectives.” The connection to cinema seems particularly important as T.O.P only fully returned to the promotional spotlight for his role in the second season of Netflix’s Squid Game, playing the failed, drug-addicted rapper nicknamed “Thanos,” who lost his wealth in a cryptocurrency investment. With his TOP SPOT PICTURES boasting a Hollywood studio-esque name, T.O.P is approaching his new work with a director’s eye that needs to consider all aspects of the production.
Inspired by Notorious B.I.G., Tupac and other ’90s hip-hop greats, T.O.P’s longtime influences are present within the record, as are references to his time with BIGBANG, but DIMENSION also uncovers new sides of T.O.P’s talents. “THE GIANT” lets T.O.P the vocalist take center stage with a controlled, pop-star-quality that recalls early Adam Levine. His lyrics also touch new personal parameters where T.O.P, a noted art collector, compares his work to South Korea’s Leeum Museum on “SEOUL CHAOS” while seemingly making comments on fame via the aptly titled “A SMALL, FILTHY SHOW WINDOW.”
“For many years, my goal with this album was to create something with a truly original composition, like an art exhibition, and present it as a gift to my fans,” T.O.P explains. “I wanted it to reflect my personal taste — not just as an auditory experience, but as something visually memorable as well, almost like a collectible work of art. I wanted everyone who owned this album to feel that it had real value as an object to keep and treasure…the album turned out exactly in line with my taste, and now that the music is finally out in the world, I’m happy that so many people are able to hear it.”
For as personal and special as the process has been for him, T.O.P wasted no time sharing his favorite online reviews and unboxing videos from YouTube to his 20 million Instagram followers. He adds, “When I watch fans unboxing the album and sharing those videos online, it feels as though pieces of the dream I once imagined are finally coming true one by one. I’m incredibly grateful that my new music is allowing me to reconnect with my fans again after such a long time.”
Looking ahead, T.O.P shares that more DIMENSION trackswill soon have music videos released beyond the singles “DESPERADO” and “Studio54,” with visuals created using a “completely different approach from anything I’ve done before.” While he laughs when he says that his future acting plans “are still a secret,” he also notes that his ambitions expand beyond singing and acting.
“TOP SPOT PICTURES will continue to be the label through which I release my new music,” he confirms. “In the future, I naturally hope to nurture the next generation of artists as well and, eventually, I also dream of producing films.”
Although his mission to visit the moon aboard a SpaceX Starship as part of the DearMoon lunar tourism project was ultimately canceled in 2024, T.O.P remains keen on visiting the site of one of his greatest inspirations: “Themes related to the moon and outer space have now become deeply connected to my music and, personally, they’ve become incredibly important motifs in my artistic world as well. Because I sincerely hope that the music I continue to release in the future will keep drawing inspiration directly from the moon, I truly believe that one day, I’ll make it there,” he says with a laugh at the end that boasts an undeniable sense of determination.
T.O.P
Courtesy of TOPSPOT PICTURES
One of the album’s last tracks, “FOR FANS,” sees T.O.P speaking to supporters not via a throwaway thank-you cut typical of K-pop records, but a vulnerable letter of admission he’s been worried they’ll leave him. It’s the overarching point T.O.P returns to several times while discussing ANOTHER DIMENSION: the decade of work is ultimately in service of refusing to let his relationship with fans go cold.
“There’s also something I’ve wanted to say to my fans for a long time that I wanted to share my new music with you even a little sooner,” T.O.P adds. “Starting with this album, I will continue to give back to you through music and I’ll keep striving to be an artist who always brings sincerity and something new to my work.”
Twenty years in, it truly sounds like T.O.P has shared the artist he has always known himself to be. Even if T.O.P is 99 percent angel — as he hints to at the very beginning of the LP — the rest is up to him to create whatever kind of art — or trouble — he wants to express himself.
Rise Against will return to Australia and New Zealand this November and December for their first headline run in the region since 2018, bringing Dropkick Murphys along for the ride on what will be the largest shows either band has played in the region.
The seven-date tour opens in New Zealand with shows at Christchurch’s Wolfbrook Arena on Nov. 21 and Auckland’s Spark Arena on Nov. 24, before the Australian leg takes in Melbourne’s John Cain Arena (Nov. 26), Brisbane’s Riverstage (Nov. 29), the Sydney Opera House Forecourt (Dec. 1) and Perth’s Red Hill Auditorium (Dec. 4).
Both bands will also appear at Meltdown Festival at Gosford’s Entertainment Grounds on Nov. 28 alongside The Living End and Jebediah. Mastercard presale opens Wednesday, May 27 at 12 p.m. local time, with general on sale Friday, May 29 at 1 p.m. local time.
The news comes following Rise Against frontman Tim McIlrath teasing the return in a 2025 interview with The Music. “We are currently conspiring to get down and bring the show to Australia,” he said. “This is a place that has supported us for so long, so we are definitely coming back.” The band last visited Australia in early 2024 as support for blink-182’s arena tour.
The tour supports Rise Against’s tenth studio album Ricochet, released Aug. 15, 2025 via Loma Vista Recordings and produced by Grammy winner Catherine Marks — her first collaboration with the band. The Chicago quartet have placed five consecutive albums in the top 10 of the Billboard 200, with their most recent pre-Ricochet effort, Nowhere Generation (2021), debuting at No. 9.
Dropkick Murphys join behind their thirteenth studio album For the People, released July 4, 2025 on their own Dummy Luck label. The Boston Celtic punk stalwarts have scored three Billboard 200 top 10 entries, with 11 Short Stories of Pain & Glory (2017) debuting at No. 8 and topping both the Top Rock Albums and Alternative Albums charts simultaneously — the first time the band had reached No. 1 on either chart. Their signature track “I’m Shipping Up to Boston” remains one of the most recognisable songs in American sports, having become synonymous with the Boston Red Sox following the team’s 2007 World Series run.
Rise Against with Dropkick Murphys — Australia & New Zealand Tour 2026
Nov. 21 — Christchurch, NZ — Wolfbrook Arena Nov. 24 — Auckland, NZ — Spark Arena Nov. 26 — Melbourne, AUS — John Cain Arena Nov. 28 — Gosford, AUS — Meltdown Festival, Entertainment Grounds* Nov. 29 — Brisbane, AUS — Riverstage Dec. 1 — Sydney, AUS — Sydney Opera House Forecourt Dec. 4 — Perth, AUS — Red Hill Auditorium
An American Music Awards show where Taylor Swift doesn’t win a thing? Where KATSEYE, HUNTR/X and Sombr, who were little-known just a year or two ago, win three awards each? Where Morgan Wallen is passed over for favorite country album…again? (He has yet to win in the category.)
There were surprises galore at the 2026 AMAs, which were presented at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on Monday (May 25). The show, hosted by Queen Latifah, aired on CBS and streamed on Paramount+.
The show included numerous short clips from past AMA ceremonies, most likely to remind the audience that the show has been around a really long time. Richard Nixon was president when the first AMAs were presented in February 1974. (Okay, not for much longer. He was forced out of office six months later.) Presidents come and go, but awards shows seem to go on forever.
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Here Are the 2026 American Music Awards Winners: Full List
The AMAs now covers a much broader range of music than it did in the early years. In the first five years of the show, awards were presented in just three broad genres – pop/rock, soul/R&B and country. This year, there were awards in each of those categories, but also hip-hop, Latin, rock/alternative, dance/electronic, K-Pop, Afrobeats and Americana/folk.
Here are some of the biggest snubs and surprises at the 2026 American Music Awards.
The American Music Awards are produced by Dick Clark Productions, which is owned by Penske Media Eldridge, a joint venture between Eldridge Industries and Billboard parent company Penske Media.
There was no one big winner at the 2026 American Music Awards, which were presented at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on Monday (May 25). Instead, seven acts tied for the lead with three awards each – Bruno Mars, BTS, Cardi B, KATSEYE, Sabrina Carpenter, HUNTR/X and Sombr.
But one artist had a notably off night – Taylor Swift, who led the nominations with eight nods but didn’t win any of them. Despite her disappointing showing this year, Swift remains the artist with the most AMAs in the show’s history – a whopping 40.
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BTS won artist of the year for the second time. The K-Pop superstars first won in the category in 2021. BTS is one of just four repeat winners in the history of the category. Swift leads all artists with seven awards in the category. BTS is tied with Justin Bieber and One Direction with two wins each. BTS is thus tied with 1D as the group with the most wins in the category.
BTS also won song of the summer for “Swim” and best male K-Pop artist. These three awards bring their career tally of AMAs to 14. Among groups or duos, they are second only to Alabama. The country titans won 23 AMAs.
Bieber won best male pop artist, which brings his career tally of AMA awards to 19. That puts him in a tie with the late Kenny Rogers for the second-most wins among male artists. (The late Michael Jackson leads among men, with 24 awards.) This obviously makes Bieber the living male artist with the most AMA wins.
KATSEYE won new artist of the year. The global girl group was nominated for the Grammy for best new artist in February but lost to Olivia Dean, who was among the nominees here. KATSEYE is the seventh consecutive female act to win in this category. The last six winners were female solo artists: Camilla Cabello, Billie Eilish, Doja Cat, Olivia Rodrigo, Dove Cameron and Gracie Abrams. The last male winner in this category was Niall Horan in 2017. KATSEYE also won best music video and breakthrough pop artist.
HUNTR/X’s “Golden” won song of the year, continuing its winning streak at award shows. It won best song written for visual media at the Grammys and best original song at the Oscars. HUNTR/X also won AMAs for best vocal performance and best pop song.
Sombr won three awards – best rock/alternative song for “Back to Friends,” best rock/alternative album for I Barely Know Her and breakthrough rock/alternative artist. Sombr’s win in the song category was no surprise, but even he expressed surprise at his win in the album category. The album reached No. 10 on the Billboard 200; all of the other nominees climbed higher. Sleep Token’s Even in Arcadia, Twenty One Pilots’ Breach and Zach Bryan’s With Heaven on Top each reached No. 1. Tame Impala’s Deadbeat climbed as high as No. 4. This shows the power of a smash single with universal appeal.
Of the three other three-time winners on the night, Mars won best male R&B artist, best R&B song and best R&B album; Cardi B won best female hip-hop artist, best hip-hop song and best hip-hop album; and Carpenter won album of the year, best female pop artist and best pop album.
Swift wasn’t the only artist with a large number of nominations who was shut out. Also going winless were Dean, who had seven nods; and Warren and Lady Gaga, with six nods each.
Karol G‘s Tropicoqueta won best Latin album, beating, among others, Rosalía’s Lux. Lux is expected to be a major player in next year’s Grammy Awards. Tropicoqueta was nominated for best Latin pop album at the 2026 ceremony. Karol G also won the international artist award of excellence.
Zara Larsson won two awards – collaboration of the year and breakthrough album of the year. This is another sign of how the Swedish star is levelling up in her career. She received her first Grammy nod at the 2026 ceremony – best dance pop recording for “Midnight Sun.”
Twenty One Pilots won best rock/alternative artist for the second year in a row and the fourth time overall. Only one act has won more times in this category, which was first presented in 1995. That’s Linkin Park, which won has won six times (and was nominated this year).
The Black Eyed Peas’ “Rock That Body” won in the new category of best throwback song. The song was the fifth single from the group’s Billboard 200-topping 2010 album The E.N.D. It was the most recently released song among the nominees. The other nominees were 4 Non Blondes’ “What’s Up” (1993) and Goo Dolls’ “Iris” (1998).
Queen Latifah hosted the 52nd American Music Awards, which aired on CBS and streamed on Paramount+. The AMAs, the world’s largest fan-voted award show, was created by legendary producer Dick Clark and first awarded in 1974.
The 52nd American Music Awards nominees are based on key fan interactions, including streaming, album and song sales, radio airplay and tour grosses. These measurements are tracked by Billboard and Luminate, and cover the data tracking eligibility period of March 21, 2025 through March 26, 2026.
The American Music Awards are produced by Dick Clark Productions, which is owned by Penske Media Eldridge, a joint venture between Eldridge Industries and Billboard parent company Penske Media.
