“He’s actually not an industry plant,” Radke said.
He did not stop there.

Radke praised Yungblud as a “phenomenal singer”, particularly live, and spoke positively about him as a person. His criticism was aimed instead at the business and PR machinery around the artist.

Radke speculated that some of the people surrounding Yungblud, and some of the corporate positioning attached to his career, have helped create the impression that the whole thing is more manufactured than he believes Yungblud himself actually is.

That is a much more interesting argument than simply deciding whether Yungblud is authentic or fake.
Radke is not pretending there is no machine.
He thinks there is one.

His point is that the machine and the artist inside it are not necessarily the same thing.

That becomes particularly relevant when you look at the “future of rock” label. Radke suggested that kind of framing can come from publicists, business people and the wider operation around an artist, rather than from the artist themselves. Yungblud has already made almost exactly that point from his side, saying in May that he does not like being called the future of rock and does not like people assuming he gave himself the title.

New ASIC filings show The Amity Affliction Pty Ltd has paid $392,950 to buy back and cancel 50 shares previously held jointly by Joel Birch and Ahren Stringer.

Before the transaction, Joel held 25 shares, Ahren held 25, and another 50 were held jointly. Those jointly held shares have now been cancelled, leaving Joel and Ahren with 25 shares each.

So despite Ahren no longer performing with the band, and now stepping down as a company director, ASIC records still show him owning 50% of the company. Joel is now the sole director, which simplifies who runs the business, but the ownership remains evenly split.

The documents describe the transaction as the “Tranche 1 Buy-back”, which may suggest another stage was considered, although there is currently no public filing showing Ahren has sold his remaining shares.

Just days after pulling out of Norway’s Tons of Rock festival due to recurring tonsillitis, Yungblud has made one of the most eye-catching arrivals of his career, touching down at BLUDFEST aboard a fully Yungblud-branded Boeing-style VIP aircraft.

Just days after being forced to pull out of Norway’s Tons of Rock festival due to recurring tonsillitis, Yungblud has made one of the most eye-catching arrivals of his career.

Ahead of BLUDFEST in Hradec Králové, Czechia, the singer shared a series of photos and videos showing himself arriving aboard a striking black Boeing-style VIP aircraft carrying a giant Yungblud logo across the fuselage.

The branding didn’t stop there.

Inside the aircraft, custom Yungblud-branded headrests could be seen throughout the cabin, while another image showed the singer sitting in the cockpit alongside the flight crew.

Whether it was a one-off festival stunt or something we’ll be seeing more of in the future, it’s one of the boldest pieces of artist branding we’ve seen for a while. I took a second look because I thought maybe this was a brand partnership and the other side of the plane would have a big logo or something, but no its all Dom.

The first Bluesfest stories were about debt.

This one is about what the liquidator is actually investigating.

• Possible insolvent trading
• $6.8m transferred to Bluesfest Tours
• More than $500k in payments lacking supporting documentation
• A $950,000 annual site licence arrangement

The newly filed reports reveal far more than just who is owed money.

Option 1 (straight news):

Evanescence have announced an Australian headline tour with shows locked in for Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth in early 2027. Amy Lee and co. will be touring behind new album Sanctuary, with tickets expected to move quickly given how long it’s been since their last headline run down under.

EVANESCENCE
Australia and New Zealand 2027
Australian dates presented by Triple M
* *
Perth – RAC Arena
Friday 5 March
** **
Adelaide – AEC Arena
Sunday 7 March
** **
Melbourne – Rod Laver Arena
Tuesday 9 March
** **
Sydney – Qudos Bank Arena
Friday 12 March
** **
Brisbane – BEC
Tuesday 16 March
** **
Auckland – Spark Arena
Saturday 20 March
** **

Blunt attended Ahren Stringer’s sentencing hearing at Benalla Magistrates’ Court this week following the dangerous driving matter first reported earlier this year.

The court heard Stringer was detected travelling at 191 km/h in a 100 km/h zone before later pleading guilty to dangerous driving and refusal charges. No conviction was recorded.

During sentencing, the former Amity Affliction member told the court that working as an undertaker alongside Queensland Police had changed how he viewed some of the reckless decisions from earlier in his life.

We’ve put together a full report from the hearing covering the sentencing outcome, the charges that proceeded and the broader context around where life has taken him since leaving the band.

Hot Milk on politics, backlash and saying what they actually think

We talked politics in heavy music, getting unofficially blacklisted from mainstream radio, Manchester culture, genre labels, and why Hot Milk refuse to stay in one lane.

“There was stuff we had to say on that record.”

Hot Milk Australian tour dates:

• May 20 — 170 Russell, Melbourne
• May 21 — Metro Theatre, Sydney
• May 23 — Crowbar, Brisbane