• Welcome to your weekend serve of The Purge, which we kick off this week with exciting news for Kylie Minogue fans. The Aussie pop princess is stepping back in time to where it all began, returning to the iconic Mushroom Records for her next album release. “Kylie is simply a superstar,” Mushroom Chairman Michael Gudinski said in a statement. “She has repeatedly lifted the bar for pop performers worldwide and I’m incredibly excited to have her releasing music again via the Mushroom Group. She’s family to us and it’s great to have her back home again.” More news on Kylie’s next album is expected in the months ahead.
• Local outfit Augie March will release their first album in four years in February. It’s entitled ‘Bootikins’ and its release has been preceded by the title track as the lead single, a single which lead singer Glenn Richards describes as “a very strange song for very strange times.” Look for ‘Bootikins’ landing at your favourite retailer from Friday February 23.
• Great news for South Australians, with confirmation that RNB Vine Days will swing by McLaren Vale in February. SA fans will get to see Boyz II Men, TLC, Shaggy, DJ Horizon and Yo! Mafia at Leconfield Wines on February 11. Tickets are on sale at 10am this Thursday.
• Boyz II Men and TLC, meantime, have announced a second co-headlining show at the Star Event Centre in Sydney on Thursday February 01. Tickets are also on sale at 10am local time this Thursday. And TLC will play two headline shows of their own; one at HBF Stadium in Perth on February 14 and one at Wrest Point Entertainment Centre on February 08. Tickets are also on sale at 10am this Thursday.
• EMI’s new local signing Odette, who we GOT TO KNOW throughout the week, has added another Sydney show to her upcoming headline dates. After the first gig at the city’s Brighton Up Bar on February 08 sold out, she’s added a second one the night after at the same venue. Tickets are on sale now.
• Country starlet Kelsea Ballerini will play an exclusive all-ages headline show at Sydney’s Metro Theatre in March. Kelsea will be on the ground locally at the time for the CMC Rocks event in Queensland, but she’s found time for a one-off Sydney gig on Tuesday March 20. Tickets are on sale now.
• Ministry Of Sound’s acclaimed ‘Orchestrated’ show will be returning to Sydney on January 25 for a special one-off show at the Sydney Opera House. The show brings together the dance music you’ve grown up with and a live symphony orchestra; combining to create a huge live sound. Frontier members get first dibs on pre-sales from 2pm AEDT this Monday before general public tickets go live from 11am AEDT on Thursday.
• As suspected, the superstar clout of Ed Sheeran and Beyoncé has proved too strong;the reworked version of Ed’s latest single ‘Perfect’ improving a further two places to overtake all comers and claim the No.1 single spot in the UK. In doing so, he’s prevented this year’s UK ‘X Factor’ winner Rak-Su from premiering at No.1 with their winning single ‘Dimelo’, which also features appearances by Wyclef Jean and Naughty Boy. Rita Ora’s ‘Anywhere’ is down from No.2 to No.3, with Camila Cabello tumbling from No.1 to No.4. From there, the charts take a decidedly festive turn, with Mariah Carey’s ‘All I Want For Christmas Is You’ up from No.22 to No.5 and Wham’s ‘Last Christmas’ up from No.29 to No.6. The Pogues’ classic ‘Fairytale Of New York’ (with Kirsty MacColl) also re-enters the top ten (No.55 to No.10).
• Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds were indeed flying high on last week’s UK albums chart, but they’ve lost their No.1 mantle already, dropping to the other end of the top ten in week two. They’re replaced in the No.1 spot by Sam Smith’s album ‘The Thrill Of It All’, which improves from No.2. From there, it’s Ed Sheeran at two, Alfie Boe and Michael Ball at number three, Pink at number four and a No.5 debut for the new U2 album ‘Songs Of Experience’.
• Positions one and two are steady on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart this week; Post Malone holding steady at No.1 with ‘Rockstar’ for week number eight and Camila Cabello steady in the No.2 spot. But it’s the addition of Beyoncé to Ed Sheeran’s latest single ‘Perfect’ that sees it rise two places to No.3 on this week’s US countdown. G-Eazy’s ‘No Limit’ surges from No.11 to No.8 and Halsey’s new track ‘Bad At Love’ makes a run at the top ten, improving three places to No.11. Mariah Carey’s seminal classic ‘All I Want For Christmas Is You’ is also back into the chart mix Stateside, re-entering the countdown at No.21.
• Week three on top of the Billboard 200 albums chart for Taylor Swift’s new album ‘Reputation’ this week. It holds off a spirited fight from Pentatonix’s festive set ‘A Pentatonix Christmas’, which leaps from No.5 to No.2. Sam Smith, Garth Brooks and Ed Sheeran occupy this week’s No.3, No.4 and No.5 positions respectively. Fabolous & Jadakiss score the highest debut of the week… No.10 for ‘Friday On Elm Street’, while Kodak Black’s ‘Project Baby Two’ rockets from No.43 to No.12.
• And that’s another Purge news wrap wrapped. Naturally, we’ll be bringing you the ARIA Chart Watch to the best of our ability at 6pm on the East Coast so you’re up to date with all the happenings on the charts back here in Australia.
TICKETS PLEASE
MONDAY DECEMBER 11 : The Rubens (Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane)
MONDAY DECEMBER 11 : Robbie Williams (Yarra Valley)
TUESDAY DECEMBER 12 : SWV (Sydney, Melbourne)
THURSDAY DECEMBER 14 : Boyz II Men / TLC (Sydney)
THURSDAY DECEMBER 14 : Limp Bizkit (Sydney, Brisbane)
THURSDAY DECEMBER 14 : Orchestrated (Sydney)
THURSDAY DECEMBER 14 : RNB Vine Days (McLaren Vale)
THURSDAY DECEMBER 14 : TLC (Perth, Hobart)
FRIDAY DECEMBER 15 : Taylor Swift (Nationally)
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