Anna Buckingham, aka BOI (pronounced boy), released her first single Imaginary Boys on June 21 and it's already attracted almost 600,000 streams on Spotify and received rave reviews from Triple J programmers Declan Byrne, Dave Ruby Howe and Gen Fricker.

Last week BOI's second single Sick Of Loving You debuted on the national youth broadcaster and it's been met with another feverish response. The track will be released on August 30.

You might recognise BOI's neo-soul vocals from her previous collaborations with L D R U, James Crooks and Godlands.

COUNTRY-pop artist Max Jackson has endured a long and winding road.

She's worked with Gina Jeffreys and her producer Rod McCormack and travelled between Nashville, Los Angeles and her Newcastle home on numerous songwriting trips. Finally the fruits of her labour have arrived.

Last week Jackson released her debut original single, Saturday, from her forthcoming album Life Of The Party. It's a dreamy slice of sugary country-pop, which has instantly caught fire by debuting at No.4 on the iTunes country singles chart.

"We started writing this song six years ago with Gina Jeffreys and Rod McCormack and during that time I've taken a crazy trip around the world to figure out who I am as an artist," Jackson said.

"Saturday has had a version in every one of the experiments. It has always felt right and it just had to be my first single."

Jeffreys has been a mentor to Jackson, but the relationship hasn't been a one-way street. The Academy of Country Music graduate co-wrote four songs on Jeffreys' latest album Beautiful Tangle, including the country No.1 Cash.

Jackson is supporting Jeffreys on her upcoming album tour, which includes a hometown show at Belmont 16s on September 13.

NEWCASTLE singer-songwriter Alex Knight, aka Brightness, channels Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness-era Smashing Pumpkins on his latest single Year Of The Goat.

The dreamy mix of alternative rock and new wave is the second taste of Brightness' self-titled sophomore album, due for release on October 25 through Mushroom's indie label I Oh You.

The album was recorded at Spillway Sound studio in upstate New York last September and follows Brightness' acclaimed debut Teething, released in 2017.

Year Of The Goat was inspired by Knight's 2016 move back to Newcastle after six difficult years attempting to kick-start a musical career in London.

READ MORE: Brightness finds inspiration in late-night televangelist for new single Dallas

EXPECT to hear Surf Trash's latest single Friends pumping around venues up and down the east coast this summer.

The Lake Macquarie teen surf-rockers dropped the track on Wednesday, their first since the EP Busy Doing Nothing earlier this year.

It's a typically catchy number that's guaranteed to get buried in your head.

READ MORE: Lake Macquarie teenage rock band Surf Trash ready to ride bigger waves

THE townsfolk of Morpeth will open up their verandahs to the music-loving public on August 31 when it hosts Australia's first Porchfest.

The grassroots mini-festival features a variety of folk, rock, country, jazz, classical and dance acts performing free shows on the porches of Morpeth residents from 12pm to 6pm.

Some of the most notable acts include Maitland folk-rocker Dave Wells and jazz-pop musician Jason Paris.

The Porchfest concept kicked off in 2007 in Ithaca, New York with 20 musicians and has since grown to 100. It's also expanded to other cities and towns across the US and Canada.

IF you were partying in the club scene in 2010, it was almost impossible to avoid the squiggly synth riff of Kickstarts, the massive hit by English producer and rapper Elliott Gleave.

The man best known as Example has also found success with the singles Changed The Way You Kissed Me and All Night.

Earlier this year Example and his Australian wife and model Erin McNaught and their two children left the UK and settled in Brisbane.

Example will explore his new country this spring when he tours Australia and New Zealand. The tour includes a October 12 gig at the Shoal Bay Country Club.

IT'S been 40 years since Pink Floyd delivered their legendary double album, The Wall, that explored a jaded rock star's descent into self-imposed alienation.

The album's singles Another Brick In The Wall - Part 2, Hey You and Comfortably Numb have since become rock classics.

Tribute act Echoes Of Pink Floyd will revisit the 1979 masterpiece by performing the album in full, plus an encore of other hits, at the Cessnock Performing Arts Centre on September 21.