Peter Hook is an architect of modern music. As bass player and founding member of Joy Division and New Order, his melodic high playing style changed the game. Hooky’s bands influenced countless other artists from all across the musical map. From the branches of post punk and electronic music, these two groups changed the game for all of us. Plenty of bands lifted from that blueprint too: Radiohead, Interpol, Arcade Fire, the list goes on. But what are the songs that are unknown pleasures for Pet...
Aug 02, 2019•39 min
Adrianne Lenker feels things deeply. You hear it in every one of her songs; whether solo, or with her band Big Thief. Lucky for us, she shares it all. Over the past few years she's become one of the most promising and prolific songwriters around. Adrianne got her start early though, and it feels as though music has always helped her better understand the world. When she speaks about music everything slows down. She has a way of articulating what is often intangible, and she draws you into a beau...
Jul 26, 2019•35 min
In the early 00’s The Streets burst onto the scene. Original Pirate Material was like nothing else around. Combining garage beats with everyday stories from a geezer we could all relate to. Mike Skinner wanted to literally push things forward, taking the garage genre in a new direction and using his lyrics to talk about what was really going on inside the hearts and minds of people in the clubs. It struck a chord, and The Streets got a lot of attention. Over five albums Mike Skinner would tour A...
Jul 19, 2019•22 min
In the early 00’s The Streets burst onto the scene. Original Pirate Material was like nothing else around. Combining garage beats with everyday stories from a geezer we could all relate to. Mike Skinner wanted to literally push things forward, taking the garage genre in a new direction and using his lyrics to talk about what was really going on inside the hearts and minds of people in the clubs. It struck a chord, and The Streets got a lot of attention. Over five albums Mike Skinner would tour A...
Jul 19, 2019•22 min
Where do you begin with Mark Ronson? 7 Grammys, an Oscar, and so many hit records over 15 years of writing and producing music. He may not sing, but he’s topped the charts in every other way; crafting 'Uptown Funk', co-writing 'Shallow' with Lady Gaga, and collaborating with musicians from right across the genre map. Ever since that debut album back in 2003, I’ve been a fan. The way he scooped up hip-hop, soul, and funk into perfect pop packages grabbed my attention and kept it. Over the years M...
Jul 12, 2019•38 min
Jen Cloher is a beacon in Australian music. She’s one of our best songwriters, and a great champion of her peers. Whether it's running management workshops, or co-founding Milk Records, her sage advice and keen ears propel others. But what about the artists who light a path for her? From Patti Smith to Gareth Liddiard, Camp Cope to PJ Harvey, this is a conversation about so much more than music. Adalita - ‘Free Money {Live}’ The Drones - ‘Taman Shud’ Camp Cope ‘The Opener’ PJ Harvey - ‘The Words...
Jul 05, 2019•45 min
Warren Ellis’ music has been the soundtrack to my adult life. I remember when I first heard Dirty Three, they were like nothing else around; an instrumental band with a violinist who played like Hendrix, and epic songs that tore at the very fibre of your being. I listened to their albums and like many others put my own meaning into those wordless songs. In the mid 90’s we started seeing him more in the Bad Seeds. He found a friend and collaborator in Nick Cave, they would form Grinderman togethe...
Jun 21, 2019•55 min
There are times when I like to take the Take 5 on the road; heading to places where creative people gather, and the conversations around art and music are part and parcel of daily life. Dark Mofo in Hobart is one of those places. A festival set in the middle of winter, in the southernmost city in Australia. When the wind blows, it’s coming from Antarctica. The streets light up with red crosses each night to signal some sort of curiosity you should explore within, there are open fires and pagan f...
Jun 14, 2019•28 min
It’s fair to say, Kirsha Kaechele has lived a life less ordinary. The American artist and curator lives in Hobart, but Australia is just the latest home for a woman who has sought out experiences her whole life. As a teenager, she left home and travelled to 50 countries in 7 years – a self-education in the furthest corners of the world. She lived with the Sannyasin cult, she dropped ayahuasca in the Amazon, and set up shop in a derelict part of New Orleans, bringing art projects to some of the p...
Jun 07, 2019•30 min
Megan Washington is one of my favourite people to talk to. Ever since we first met her ten years ago, she’s been an open book, who has an incredible perspective on creativity. On and off air, a conversation with Meg is never small talk, and you always feel richer for it. Washington’s music career began as a jazz singer, she morphed into a pop artist, and explored avant garde experiments in the years that followed. Her latest work is textured, synth filled pop music, with the lyrical weight of a ...
May 31, 2019•34 min
It’s not overstating it when I say Jimmy Barnes is a national treasure. Everyone can sing along to a Cold Chisel song, you’ve undoubtedly seen him or them live at some stage of your life, and the harrowing story of his childhood has connected him to people who may have never even engaged with his music before. He also electric; the energy that comes off him is insane. Throughout this Take 5 I just held on for dear life and went along for the ride. Even when the songs played, he was air drumming ...
May 24, 2019•37 min
Kacey Musgraves is the woman of the golden hour. At the Grammy’s she won every category she was nominated in, including Album of the Year. Her live shows, and candour, have made headlines. And her journey from Nashville country singer to crossover pop artist with that acclaimed album, has won her a whole lot of new fans. Whether speaking plainly about small town life, being open about doing drugs, or singing out for those who love who they wanna love, Kacey Musgraves is a straight shooter, a wom...
May 17, 2019•35 min
For around a decade now, New Zealand artist Tiny Ruins has been singing stories to us. Across three albums, Hollie Fullbrook has sketched beautiful pictures of the world around her, and taken those tunes on the road. Hollie is the songwriter behind these tales, and these days she spends a lot of time trekking around. Whether it’s the US, UK, Europe, or across the pond in Australia, she’s built a dedicated live following. But travel has been a big part of her life forever, and has given her plent...
May 10, 2019•32 min
Vika and Linda Bull are legends of Australian song. Whether they’re backing Paul Kelly, or singing out front on their own, the sisters have brought warmth, and devastating harmonies to us for decades. It’s high time they did a Take 5. So I asked them, and before I had a chance to give them a theme, they picked their own. Sibling songs. Tunes that brothers and sisters harmonised together with… and from The Andrews Sisters to the Bee Gees, it was the perfect backgrounder to the singers Vika and Li...
May 03, 2019•46 min
