Sydney singer Ngaiire is a powerhouse. I remember the first time I heard her voice, I was a goner. The way her voice curled around every lyric was one thing, but her songwriting craft showed a promise that would pay off in the EP’s and albums that would follow. Music has always been a big part of Ngaiire’s life. As a child of the 90’s, she grew up listening to pop songs in Papua New Guinea and New Zealand, then Australia. She would find a connection particularly to Janet Jackson and Talib Kweli;...
Mar 26, 2020•32 min
There’s a family tree of modern music and one of its biggest branches is New Order. The Manchester band, formed in the wake of Joy Division’s untimely end, have fed into the sound of almost every band and artist you’ve loved for, for forty years. Even if you’re not a fan, you can trace their blueprint across all you hear. Their transformation from post punk to electronic music, swept up kids who would go on to become techno DJ’s, rock bands, pop acts, and everything in between. In the 80’s, they...
Mar 19, 2020•37 min
I still remember the first time I heard Hot Chip, and I distinctly remember the yellow sleeve their first album came in. It didn’t reveal much about the band, except that they made this comforting electronic music, they seemed like nerds with a heart of gold, and their lead singer’s voice was an instant friend. By their second album Hot Chip had added a whole lot more party to their sound, and from then on they’ve been part of so many of our memories. Whether on record, or live, these geeks beca...
Mar 12, 2020•33 min
It’s Girls to the Front on the Take 5 podcast! A Frankensteined special of some of my favourite recent conversations with incredible women. Celebrate International Women’s Day with some incredible humans, sharing their favourite songs by some amazing creators over the past decade. Yumi Stynes on Janelle Monae - ‘Pynk {ft. Grimes}' Eleanor Dixon from Kardajala Kirridarra on Emily Wurramara - Lady Blue Jen Cloher on Camp Cope – The Opener Kimbra on Anohni - ‘Drone Bomb Me’ Kasey Chambers on Beyonc...
Mar 07, 2020•36 min
If you came of age in the 2010’s, the sound of Hayley Mary’s voice would have been a tonic. As the lead singer of The Jezabels, she soared over big, dramatic pop songs, and drew a dedicated fanbase from all over Australia. In early 2020, Hayley stepped out on her own with her debut solo EP; and while the sound of it showed another side of her, one thing remained the same. That voice. Always cutting through, always lifting us up when we needed it the most. Carving out blocks of time is a tried an...
Mar 05, 2020•32 min
American artist Natalie Mering didn’t always sing folk music. Back in the day she was into noise rock; she played bass with the kind of heavy bands you see late at night before she re-emerged as Weyes Blood. Once Natalie got on the mic, we all melted. It’s not just her incredible 70’s pop-folk vocal, but the worlds she takes us into; whether on her breakthrough album Front Row Seat to Earth, or last year’s incredible Titanic Rising. It was after speaking to her about the latter, that I knew I wa...
Feb 27, 2020•31 min
Leigh Whannell is a guy who likes to scare you. Back in 2004 he wrote and starred in Saw; it was a horror movie done on a budget, it’d go on to make millions, and it got Hollywood’s attention. Pretty soon, Leigh and his mate James Wan were on a role; they’d make sequels and new horror films, and these two guys from Melbourne were all of a sudden the talk of the town. Fast forward to 2020, and Leigh is writing and directing his take on the classic HG Wells story, The Invisible Man. It’s a modern ...
Feb 20, 2020•28 min
It’s been almost 20 years since we first met Clare Bowditch. Back in 2003 she grabbed our attention with her brooding debut single “Human Being”. This writer was one we wanted to hear more from, and over the years we’d hear Clare craft many more beautiful songs, star on TV in “Offspring”, and become a leader in the music community as a collaborator and mentor. Until now though, we didn’t really know what came before that first song. But last year Clare Bowditch wrote her memoir, Your Own Kind of...
Feb 13, 2020•37 min
Pennywise are Cali punk legends. From backyard parties in Hermosa Beach, to touring the world over the past quarter of a century, the band have built a huge fan base; particularly in Australia. So when they came back again to celebrate the 20th anniversary of their “Straight Ahead” album, I asked the guitarist Fletcher Dragge, to Take 5. Fletcher has always been a good chat, as up for a party as he is a solid dive into politics and punk. And it’s clear that the latter, in both genre and ethic, h...
Feb 06, 2020•28 min
Norman Cook is a legend. Under the moniker Fatboy Slim the British producer and DJ has been making us dance for decades. His breakthrough album “You’ve Come a Long Way Baby” gave us ‘Right Here Right Now’, ‘Gangster Trippin’, ‘The Rockafella Skank’, and of course ‘Praise You’. Twenty years ago that song came in at #4 in the Hottest 100, but his popularity has never waned, and when he visited Australia to play massive outdoor shows, I asked him to Take 5. Norman’s background is textured; in the 8...
Jan 30, 2020•34 min
Norman Cook is a legend. Under the moniker Fatboy Slim the British producer and DJ has been making us dance for decades. His breakthrough album “You’ve Come a Long Way Baby” gave us ‘Right Here Right Now’, ‘Gangster Trippin’, ‘The Rockafella Skank’, and of course ‘Praise You’. Twenty years ago that song came in at #4 in the Hottest 100, but his popularity has never waned, and when he visited Australia to play massive outdoor shows, I asked him to Take 5. Norman’s background is textured; in the 8...
Jan 30, 2020•34 min
It’s been a massive year for the Take 5. Since 2006 I’ve been having conversations that go well beyond music, but in the last couple of years I feel as though these co-hosts have gone deeper than ever. In 2019 alone, I had so many pinch myself moments, so I wanted to share them with you here in a frankensteined best of: a Take 10 to cap off a big year. Over the next little while you’ll hear why this segment is so special. And if this is your first time listening, it’s a great smorgasboard to fea...
Dec 13, 2019•1 hr 7 min
Ever since we first met American duo Best Coast, they’ve worn their love of California on their sleeves. Bethany Cosentino & Bobb Bruno have visited our coastal country a few times too and in 2012 they did the Take 5. The theme was “west coast is the best coast” and after listening to this, you’ll be convinced. Get ready for some California love, as the charming Best Coast take you on a holiday to LA. Randy Newman - ‘I Love LA’ Tupac - ‘California Love’ The Mamas & The Papas - ‘Californi...
Dec 05, 2019•20 min
Spiderbait are no strangers to triple j and Double J. They’re part of the fabric of Australian festival culture, they’re Hottest 100 champions, and drummer Kram has recently popped up again on stage in our annual One Night Stand gig in Lucindale. In 2012, when Kram did the Take 5, Spiderbait were gearing up to play a greatest hits set at Splendour in the Grass. He took us on a trip down memory lane, through some of the band's most amazing moments. Metallica - ‘Whiplash’ The Breeders - ‘Cannonbal...
Nov 29, 2019•28 min
The story of Refused is an interesting one. The Swedish hardcore punk legends had a strong fanbase and released three albums, the final of which was a modern classic. In 1998, The Shape of Punk to Come was just that: a forecast for how the scene would change, mashing genre and all the while bringing the fire they’d had from the get go. Soon after, they split up. Some members would go on to form The International Noise Conspiracy, and Dennis Lyxzén continued to rule as a wild and energetic frontm...
Nov 21, 2019•27 min
Through the early to mid-noughties, Amanda Palmer’s voice cut through as frontwoman for the Dresden Dolls. Their cabaret pop filled the airwaves, and when she went solo fans were just as curious. Palmer is a woman of great conviction; she speaks often about the communities that form around art, and is unrelenting in her commitment to her own vision. She’s also great company. When she did this Take 5 in the Summer of 2011, she had just got married and was about to release her album Amanda Palmer ...
Nov 14, 2019•25 min
Elbow are one of those bands who hold a place in your heart. Maybe it’s the timbre of Guy Garvey’s voice or the stomping emotion they bring to their music. They’ve long been visitors to Australia and in 2011 made the trek to play Splendour in the Grass. When Guy Garvey and Pete Turner from the band did the Take 5 they’d just been nominated for the Mercury Music Prize for the third time and had a solid history behind them already. They shared their songs of nostalgia. Japan - ‘Ghosts’ Public Enem...
Nov 07, 2019•20 min
Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros landed into the scene with their song ‘Home’. It was all over the radio, on soundtracks to films, you still hear it on TV advertisements. It was in 2012 that I asked Jade Castrinos and Alex Ebert from the band in to Take 5. They were wrapping up a huge tour with Mumford & Sons, and made some time to come by and share their songs from the road. Their song list was brilliant, so get ready for a perfect road trip soundtrack. Alabama Shakes - ‘Hold On’ JAY-Z ...
Oct 31, 2019•21 min
There are certain bands that are part of the fabric of Double J and triple j. Powderfinger is one of them. As we trek through the Take 5 archives, I want to take you back to summer 2015, when triple j was celebrating our 40th birthday. It was such an amazing time: we got to connect to dots between the original Double Jay to triple j to our new Double J family. Former presenters jumped on air, we played heaps of wonderful memories across our networks, and we celebrated with a massive concert in S...
Oct 24, 2019•20 min
Julia Jacklin now has two brilliant albums behind her, but three years ago she was just starting to get traction as a solo artist with her debut album. We’d known her as a member of the band Phantastic Ferniture, but her solo work stopped us dead in our tracks. As the Take 5 dips into the archives here’s one from May 2017, when Julia Jacklin was back in Australia for a minute between a US and European tour. Jack White - ‘That Black Bat Licorice’ Erykah Badu - ‘Otherside of the Game’ Grimes - ‘Ar...
Oct 17, 2019•17 min
For so many of us, My Chemical Romance soundtracked our angsty youth. Their theatrical music was mirrored by the wild shows, and Gerard Way was at the centre of it all. He wasn’t just a musician - he was an illustrator, a comic book author, and most of all a fan. In 2015 he was in Australia performing at the Soundwave festival off the back of his debut solo album Hesitant Alien and supporting the Smashing Pumpkins so I grabbed the chance to Take 5. Supergrass - ‘Caught By The Fuzz’ David Bowie -...
Oct 10, 2019•24 min
The Finns are a musical bunch. Neil has fronted the legendary Crowded House, sons Liam and Elroy play, and brother Tim led Split Enz and has made a heap of solo records. Back in 2011, Neil’s wife Sharon joined him on a record too. They called themselves The Pajama Club and together with Alana Skyring from The Grates on drums, they made an album. It was around then I asked them to Take 5. I remember wanting to move in with Neil and Sharon after this chat; they’re both so warm and laidback, and la...
Oct 03, 2019•22 min
Tony Visconti is a living legend. For more than 50 years he’s been behind some of the most iconic albums of our time. His career began with T Rex, and later on he’d record with everyone from The Dandy Warhols, to Iggy Pop, The Damned to Angelique Kidjo. But his most enduring relationship was with David Bowie. They met in the late 60’s, both of them finding their way through music and the sounds, and people, they wanted to be. Visconti would produce Bowie’s most loved work of the 70’s; Young Amer...
Sep 27, 2019•49 min
It’s been a big time for Tool fans. They just released their first album in 13 years; it’s fair to say that anticipation was at an all time high when Fear Inoculum dropped. For the faithful, it’s been worth the wait, celebrating the precision and epic sound the American band have be known for. But even though it took a while for them to get around to new recordings, they continued to tour between this and 10,000 Days. It was back in 2013 that I roped them in to Take 5. They were doing big shows ...
Sep 19, 2019•19 min
Kasey Chambers is a living legend. Five number one albums, fourteen ARIA Awards, she recently became the youngest woman to be inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame. Kasey grew up with music. As a kid she’d travel across the Nullarbor with her dad, at the end of each day the family would always gather around the campfire to sing songs. She’d end up playing with the family band, but it was her 1999 debut album The Captain that was her breakthrough to a solo career that has been rich and rewarding. T...
Sep 13, 2019•41 min
Have you ever met a professor of punk? I didn’t even know such a thing existed, before I met Vivien Goldman. She lectures at New York University but way before she was an educator, Vivien was in the thick of it. She was writing about the scene back when it began; in fact she was one of the first people to explore the parallels between punk and reggae. And she lived in that realm too; Vivien was Bob Marley’s first UK publicist and formed a strong bond with him. She made friends with The Slits, an...
Sep 06, 2019•32 min
If I told you to 'put a bird on it', you’d know immediately what I meant. This iconic sketch from Portlandia is the work of Fred Armisen. He’s a comedian who has filled our screens for almost 20 years; as a cast member on Saturday Night Live, alongside his best friend Carrie Brownstein co-creating Portlandia, and more recently on the mockumentary series Documentary Now. Music has been central to Fred’s comedy the whole way through, and that makes sense when you know that he started his creative ...
Aug 30, 2019•36 min
Waleed Aly is the smartest guy in the room. Whether hosting The Project, writing editorials for major newspapers, or completing his PhD, it feels there’s nothing he’s not good at, and the Australian public agrees; he won the Gold Logie in 2016. We’re used to seeing Waleed dissect and make sense of the news every day, but sometimes you get a glimpse into his musical heart and you can see that it beats so strong. When I finally got Waleed to Take 5 I gave him the theme “Songs We Should Talk About"...
Aug 23, 2019•49 min
Back in 2004, Andrew Stafford published a book called Pig City. It captured the Brisbane music scene, the politics that fuelled this artistic reaction and so much more. From the Saints to Savage Garden, it became a bible in music history. Fifteen years passed, and Staffo finally returned with his follow up. This time a personal memoir, taking us through the life of a quiet fan who always felt on the outside, until he found music. Something to Believe In is it’s title, and when I heard it was bei...
Aug 16, 2019•40 min
Jessica Mauboy is a ray of light. We met her on a singing show more than a decade ago and since then she’s been flat out being a renaissance woman with a helluva big voice. I’ve wanted to do a Take 5 with Jess for years; she’s one of those people you just want to spend time with. Her beautiful energy sucks you in and charms the heck out of you. She’s also always struck me as incredibly grounded; through all of the twists and turns in her life as a pop star, Jess has kept her feet on the ground. ...
Aug 09, 2019•42 min
