Deb Pelser

3 days ago | backseatmafia.com | Deb Pelser

Tonight at Sydney’s ICC Theatre, ZZ Top bring their Elevation Tour to town – and while time has thinned the original lineup, the Texan titans still deliver the kind of swampy, grease-slick rock that smells of engine oil and old bourbon. Missing from the stage is original drummer Frank Beard, sidelined on doctor’s orders, but standing in is seasoned live gun John Douglas, who previously subbed in 2002 and just wrapped the U.S. leg with the band. The bearded groove doesn’t miss a beat.

3 days ago | backseatmafia.com | Deb Pelser

It’s a Sunday night in Sydney, but inside Qudos Bank Arena it feels like the start of a long weekend. As I’m walking through Olympic Park, I pass a pub where “Song 2” and “Smells Like Teen Spirit” are being blasted so loud they’re echoing off the side of Accor Stadium — it’s clear: tonight is going to be big. Simple Plan are first on stage, taking their cue from pop culture royalty — the Star Wars theme soundtracking their entrance. The crowd roars.

4 days ago | backseatmafia.com | Deb Pelser

Fresh off a Coachella blitz and a global run that’s been part seance, part bar brawl, Sweden’s sleaziest satirists Viagra Boys are crashing back into Australia this January, following their successful tour at the end of 2024 – and for the first time ever, storming across the ditch into Aotearoa. Dubbed the Infinite Anxiety Tour 2026, this run marks their biggest headline venues yet, with sweaty pit stops in Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Fremantle and Auckland’s Powerstation.

4 days ago | backseatmafia.com | Deb Pelser

It’s a Sunday night in Sydney, but inside Qudos Bank Arena it feels like the start of a long weekend. As I’m walking through Olympic Park, I pass a pub where “Song 2” and “Smells Like Teen Spirit” are being blasted so loud they’re echoing off the side of Accor Stadium — it’s clear: tonight is going to be big. Simple Plan are first on stage, taking their cue from pop culture royalty — the Star Wars theme soundtracking their entrance. The crowd roars.

6 days ago | backseatmafia.com | Deb Pelser

The cauldron is bubbling, the riffs are razor-sharp, and the leather is laced — Burning Witches are about to scorch Australian soil for the first time ever. Kicking off on 22 May, the Swiss heavy metal coven are bringing their spellbinding brew of ‘80s-inspired shred and power metal fury to stages across the country.