Hives for YELO by Dameeka Middleton.

A new year hits differently when you love a music scene that refuses to quit.

Our live music community has weathered rising costs, seen venues close – including beloved spaces like The Station – and watched festivals disappear. And yet somehow, the music keeps showing up.

So YELO will too.

This year you’ll see some fresh things around here: cleaner gig guides, more regular stories, more ways to support local artists, and The Pineapple Mixtapes – our new Spotify playlist series spotlighting artists from the Sunshine Coast, Brisbane, Gold Coast and beyond.

The Mixtapes are built around one simple idea: local music is not one sound. Every city, coast and region has its own strange little weather system, shaped by the artists, venues, suburbs, beach towns, late-night rooms and local lifers who keep it moving.

Want to hear the sounds of your city? 🍍

Listen to The Pineapple Mixtapes →

A Fresh Look For The Sunshine Coast Live Music Scene In 2026

Cleaner gig guides. More regular stories. More ways to keep connected to the heartbeat of this place.

2026 feels like a reset. A steadier vision. New goals. A bit more colour. More community. And a determination to keep documenting this scene, even when the road gets rough. Especially when it does.

So here’s to louder nights, new bands, local legends, coastal chaos, and every moment that makes this community worth fighting for.

Because music heals, and that’s why YELO keeps showing up, even when the road gets rough.

So here’s to loud rooms, small venues, local bands, and the people who keep showing up even when it’s easier not to. Support live music whenever you can.

It matters more than you think.

And if you want to carry a bit of YELO with you into the year, the new tote is there waiting for you.

Shop The YELO Listen Local ‘Totes Love Music’ Tote

YELO is your home for Sunshine Coast live music news, gig guides, playlists and stories.