We kick off your midweek edition of The Purge with news that pop princess Dannii Minogue has quit ‘The X Factor’ judging panel (boo) to refocus on her music career (hoorah)! The Aussie icon took to the stage in her hometown Melbourne late last week for her first shows in the city in 18 long years, delivering mash-ups and the hits, along with a new track entitled ‘Holding On’, a collaboration with 2014 ‘X Factor’ favourite Jason Heerah, who recently released his own new album ‘Chasing Love’. Iggy Azalea has been named as Dannii’s replacement on the judging panel.
• Kanye West, Desiigner, Travis Scott, Big Sean, Gucci Mane, Yo Gotti, 2 Chainz and Quavo have all teamed up for a brand new single entitled ‘Champions’. The track, released on Friday, is set to appear on a new compilation album, which is due later in the year.
• Among the new tracks doing the rounds at media this week are The Veronicas’ new tune ‘In My Blood’, that awesome Slumberjack/Daniel Johns collaboration ‘Open Fire’, Jack Garratt’s ‘Surprise Yourself’ and the Belly/The Weeknd track ‘Might Not’. We bring you a comprehensive list of the new songs battling it out for airspace on our FACEBOOK page each Thursday.
• Legendary US outfit The Monkees will tour Australia on their 50th anniversary tour later this year. Though original lead singer Davy Jones passed away four years ago, original members Micky Dolenz and Peter Tork are continuing the legacy, recently releasing the band’s new album ‘Good Times’ and touring the world. That tour will pull into Australia in December this year, kicking off with a show at QPAC in Brisbane on Friday December 02, before visiting Tweed Heads, Hobart, Melbourne, Canberra, Sydney, Adelaide and Perth. Micky and Peter will be performing the hits that made the band famous, including ‘I’m A Believer’, ‘Pleasant Valley Sunday’, ‘Daydream Believer’, ‘Theme From The Monkees’, ‘Last Train To Clarksville’… the list goes on. A pre-sale kicks off at 9am today, before general public tickets go live from 9am tomorrow.
• The Yours & Owls Festival will return to Wollongong in early October, with a mammoth line-up of big name talent ready to entertain the masses. auspOp favourite Ladyhawke appears on the list, but so too do Client Liaison, KLP, Nicole Millar, Remi, Tkay Maidza, Vera Blue, The Living End, DMAs, Little May, Ball Park Music and many more. Pre-sale tickets for the October 01 and 02 event (to be held at the city’s Stuart Park) are on sale this Friday from 9am, with general public tickets live from 9am on Monday June 20.