X-Press Magazine celebrates 40 years with Rewind book launch event

X-Press Magazine is celebrating its 40th anniversary with the release of a special coffee table book that chronicles the history of the magazine alongside the story of Perth’s music, arts and culture from 1985 to today.

To celebrate the book’s launch, X-Press is hosting a one-night-only event at the Astor Theatre on Wednesday, March 18, featuring live music and special guests. The evening will toast the past, celebrate the present and rock into the future with a showcase of performances, stories, interviews, and archival photos and footage spanning four decades of this iconic West Australian publication.

Titled Rewind – 40 Years of X-Press Celebration, the event will feature a line-up of legendary local artists, including Kav Temperley (Eskimo Joe), Gyroscope, Donna Simpson (The Waifs), Cal Kramer (Southern River Band), Dave Hole, and Dom Mariani (The Stems/DM3), with more to be announced.

Adding to the celebrations, a limited-edition coffee table book, Rewind: 40 Years of X-Press Magazine, will be officially launched on the night. Attendees will have the opportunity to purchase signed copies, along with exclusive, never-to-be-repeated 40th anniversary merchandise. Audiences can expect an immersive journey through WA’s music and arts history, told through stories, interviews, archival photos and footage that celebrate the magazine at the heart of the action.

Written by former X-Press editor Bob Gordon, the 200-page commemorative edition charts the gigs, artists and moments that defined Western Australia’s arts culture from 1985 to 2025. Signed copies will be available for purchase exclusively at the event.

“X-Press Magazine has been the entertainment lifeblood of thousands upon thousands of Perth readers for 40 years,” Bob Gordon said. “This event will honour X-Press’ legacy and its mission to support local talent and keep Perth’s live music scene thriving.”

The book’s release coincides with X-Press Magazine undertaking the major task of opening its vault and digitising more than 1,500 print editions, taking the X-Press story into a new era.

Rewind – 40 Years of X-Press Celebration takes place at the Astor Theatre on Wednesday, March 18, 2026. Tickets are on sale now via ticketek.com.au. Rewind: 40 Years of X-Press Magazine is available to preorder now as both a $50 Soft Cover or $75 Hard Cover edition. For more information and updates, head to X-Press Mag’s Rewind page, or join the Facebook group.