CHUCK SICS SET TO GRACE THE STAGE AT OLD BAR TONIGHT FOR GOOD MUSIC THURSDAYS
Sydney-based indie rock artist and multi-instrumentalist Chuck Sics lands at Old Bar tonight as part of the venue’s beloved ‘Good Music Thursdays’ series, delivering an intimate and electrifying live show fresh off the release of his brand new single, Arms. Joined by local supports The Pearlies and Camomile, the night promises a stacked lineup of emerging talent and raw, guitar-driven energy.
A 00’s-influenced indie rock anthem for all the anxious lovers, Arms marks Chuck Sics’ first release of 2026 and his first new music since the arrival of his debut EP Slipstream in September 2025. Written, produced and mixed by Chuck himself – with contributions from frequent collaborators Blake Wares and River Langford, the track continues his signature blend of crunchy, volatile sonics and deeply introspective lyricism.
“Arms is a song about falling in love, and letting love win you over when you’re afraid to lose it,” Chuck shares. “It’s easy to get swept away in the fear that nothing lasts forever… I wanted to remind myself, and hopefully others, to be present – hold your loved ones and let them hold you. That’s all you need.”
Following a breakout 2025 that saw him amass over 100,000 streams across Slipstream, showcase at SXSW Sydney, sell out his debut headline show and support the likes of The Tullamarines, Chuck Sics continues to build momentum both on record and on stage. His live performances have quickly become a cornerstone of his artistry – immersive, emotionally charged, and driven by his dynamic musicianship.
Tonight’s performance at Old Bar offers Melbourne fans a chance to experience new and unreleased tracks in their full, visceral form, alongside some fan favourites, With support from jangly indie outfit The Pearlies and dream-tinged newcomers Camomile, the lineup captures a snapshot of Australia’s thriving underground scene.
From picking up the trumpet in primary school to crafting lush, guitar-led soundscapes as a solo artist, Chuck Sics’ journey has been one of constant evolution. Now in 2026, his music stands as a testament to vulnerability, growth and creative independence, and tonight, that journey unfolds live on stage.
WILL SPARKS ANNOUNCES ‘CLASSICS: WHERE IT ALL STARTED’ TOUR ALONGSIDE NEW SINGLE TEARDROP – RELEASED TODAY
Celebrating 15 years of sound, legacy and the tracks that defined a movement, Australian dance music heavyweight Will Sparks has announced his CLASSICS: Where It All Started tour, with exclusive headline shows locked in for Selina’s Coogee Bay (Sydney) on May 30 and The Timber Yard (Melbourne) on June 12. The tour announce comes paired with the release of his new single Teardrop (out today), continuing his hot run of rapidly released new tunes across 2026.
An artist presale will begin at 9:00am AEDT on Tuesday 24 March, and tickets will go on sale to the general public on Wednesday 25 March at 9:00am AEDT, register for presale from www.teamwrktouring.com/tours/will-sparks-classics.
Marking a defining moment in his career, the Classics tour is a one-night-only tribute to the records that built Sparks’ unmistakable sound and global reputation. Spanning music from across his entire career, the shows will dive deep into his catalogue, bringing early releases and fan-favourite cuts back to life on stage.
“This tour represents over 15 years of dedication and effort,” says Sparks. “It’s about highlighting the music that often gets overlooked. Even though some of it will be older catalogue, it’s actually the foundation of the sound people know me for today.”
In a first for the artist, these performances will be entirely dedicated to his classic records. “This is my first-ever tour dedicated exclusively to classics, offering a completely unique sonic experience,” he explains. “Many of these tracks have never been included in my sets before.”
Fans can expect a high-energy, nostalgia-driven journey through Sparks’ evolution, from his early days producing in his Melbourne bedroom to becoming one of Australia’s influential electronic exports.
“I’m thrilled to deliver a set that evokes nostalgic memories for my longtime fans while giving newer fans a glimpse into where it all began for me, which was starting in my bedroom in Melbourne and here I am still pursuing my passion all these years later.”
Looking ahead, 2026 is shaping up to be one of Sparks’ biggest years yet. Alongside an influx of new releases, a collaboration with Melbourne mainstays Orkestrated, international touring across major markets, and a return to Tomorrowland in Belgium, Sparks is only just getting started.
For more information and ticket updates, visit www.teamwrktouring.com/.
CLASSICS: WHERE IT ALL STARTED TOUR DATES
SAT 30 MAY | SELINA’S, COOGEE BAY HOTEL, NSW
FRI 12 JUNE | THE TIMBER YARD, MELB
JUSTIN DAVIES AND THE TORTURED SOULS SHARE AFFECTING SINGLE AND VIDEO ‘UNFORGETTABLE DAYS’
Perth singer-songwriter Justin Davies makes an instantly memorable debut for his new project The Tortured Souls with the release of his poignant new single Unforgettable Days, out today. The single lands alongside the announce of The Tortured Souls’ show opening for Ron Sexsmith’s Hangover Terrace Tour, set to play The Rosemount Hotel on April 26.
Soaring piano melodies blended with rousing percussion and string arrangements sees this new single as an affecting, emotional, and powerful debut. Produced, mixed, and mastered by award-winning, two-time GRAMMY nominated, producer/engineer Rob Grant (Tame Impala, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Josh Homme) and featuring backing from a stellar lineup of Perth-based musicians including drummer Malcolm Clark and bassist Jay Cortez (both formerly of Aussie alt-rock heroes The Sleepy Jackson) and members of the internationally acclaimed West Australian Symphony Orchestra, the track heralds Davies’ deeply emotional full-length debut album, arriving later this year.
“‘Unforgettable Days’ is about lost love, but maybe more importantly, the beauty and magic and foreverness that seems to surround you on certain days or at certain times in life,” says Justin Davies. “The wonderful feeling that envelopes and fills you and is ever-present, long after those days have passed. It is a song of longing and loss, but it makes me feel a sense of promise and hope and nostalgia, maybe not in the lyrics, but in the way it ‘lifts’ in the chorus. And I guess I’m feeling that although life can be sad, there are times when it is also uplifting and overwhelmingly beautiful. The song reflects on someone I loved a long time ago, a young love, and how overwhelmingly wonderful our days were together. The reflections within ‘Unforgettable Days’ are also connected to words in the song ‘Promises.’ I remember the day when the light ‘was soft’ in the afternoon and laying on the grass in the middle of a farm paddock. I remember, too many times, kissing away tears when she felt she had been unloving toward me and was sorry. In the early years we would lay together and fall asleep humming and singing songs together. In later times, I did often reach for her to stay with me during the night and her kissing me goodbye, and how empty I felt. And although she left me, I regret not trying harder to keep her from leaving. But within all of that, I can still feel those beautiful, magical moments, like the afternoon laying in the setting sun in the middle of a farm paddock, and the preciousness of those days lives on.”
Accompanying the track is an introspective music video, produced and directed by Patrick Pierce and Dara Munnis from Dead As Disco (Jimmy Barnes, The Paper Kites, The Cat Empire), that blends stunning visual story telling with incredible production value. Balanced between spectacular arial shots, intimate studio lighting, and projected personal memories behind Justin’s performance, the music video effortlessly ruminates on the track’s subject matter of days gone by.
Justin Davies did not set out to become a singer and songwriter, but the lasting effects of a tragic personal loss and some serendipitous cosmic intervention set him on a hitherto unforeseen path towards extraordinary artistic creation. The youngest member of a musical family that includes ARIA Award-winning musician/composer Ashley Davies and acclaimed singer-songwriter Tanya-Lee Davies, he had spent much of his adult life as a successful entrepreneur and businessman in his native Western Australia. Outside of his professional work, Davies also found time to devote himself to a wide range of philanthropic activities, instigated numerous fundraising events supporting local charities and a variety of national and international nonprofit organizations. But sadly, the untimely passing of a loved one to a fatal overdose more than two decades ago continued to haunt him, colouring his busy life with a bruising heartache and crushing disillusionment he simply couldn’t shake.
Whilst visiting a local music shop in 2023, Davies found himself overpoweringly drawn to “the most beautiful guitar I had ever seen, resting there like it was waiting for me.” Despite little more than a rudimentary ability to play the instrument, he put down a deposit and took the guitar home with the idea of writing a song that would perhaps release some of irrevocable sadness and still-burning love he felt inside. Davies’s fingers intuitively found their place on the fretboard, taking him to the sounds he needed, admittedly without him actually knowing what chords he was playing. Lyrics came just as naturally, emerging from a place of truth and reflection as well as how he hoped others may have felt living through similar longing and regret. Music became his sanctuary, with songs flowing effortlessly until he found himself with more than enough material to consider making an album.
Davies reached out to renowned producer/engineer Rob Grant, thinking the vintage analogue equipment at his Poons Head Studio on the West Coast of Australia would yield a sonic authenticity ideally suited to his classic pop songcraft. Taken with Davies’ intimate, evocative songs, Grant helped enlist a gifted assortment of local musicians who he believed would more than do justice to the purity of the material. The arrangements soon took shape from Davies’ original guitar-and-vocal compositions, with all involved falling into a place of genuine friendship and commitment to the project. Nothing was forced or expected, everything simply flowed from the essence or groove of where or how each song should be in its final form. Together, Davies and his collaborators forged a timeless yet idiosyncratic collection rich with organic spontaneity and emotional depth, with songs like the country-inflected “Never One To Love” and the grooving, Hammond-driven “No Tomorrows” each unfolding with collective harmony and ingenious spirit.
Just one year after his surprising musical journey truly began, Davies is now poised to shared his soulful creation with the world beyond. With Unforgettable Days– and more new music to come, Justin Davies proves himself an exceptionally reflective singer and songwriter of the first order, weaving vulnerable melancholia and wistful resilience into a bittersweet, empathetic baroque pop all his own.
“It’s time and meant to be,” says Justin Davies. “It gives some sort of purpose and meaning to years of starting the days below zero. Without the sadness and searching, I wouldn’t have found my peace within the songs and the songs would never have made their way to the surface. The feelings which had a hold of me would’ve held their grip, and the words and music would never have arrived. Thank goodness to be releasing the song, it’s not an incredibly intricate or an overly complicated song, but it’s the best thing I have ever done.”
Unforgettable Days is out today.
SUN 26 APR | SUPPORTING RON SEXSMITH | THE ROSEMOUNT HOTEL, NORTH PERTH