Irish singer CMAT has been taking the world by storm. Shortlisted for the Mercury Music Prize and counting Elton John as a fan, her country-twinged songs capture heartbreak with a healthy dose of humour. A couple of albums in, and an Australian visit on the way, I thought it was high time we got to know the woman from Ireland, born Ciara Mary-Alice Thompson. After listening to this, you'll want to be her bestie. With an extraordinary music knowledge and plenty of craic, dive into CMAT's suckerpu...
Sep 27, 2024•48 min
Michelle Brasier is a comedian, actor, writer and singer. You might have seen her on Aunty Donna, Mad As Hell and Thank God You're Here, or caught one of her award winning stand-up shows. Michelle has also just published her first book; it’s a memoir titled My Brother's Ashes are in a Sandwich Bag, and it’s beautiful, it’s funny, and it's filled with hope. It reminds us of the little moments in life that make it shimmer. And from Bonnie Tyler to Bo Burnham, Michelle will share the right song for...
Sep 20, 2024•48 min
Dan Kelly is one of our best songwriters. He's whimsical, charming, and with indie-pop hooks for days. Almost 10 years since his last album, he’s now back with GOLDFEELS, and a decidedly more serious outlook. But Dan still knows how to draw you into a yarn and make you smile. He also looks to some heroes for inspiration, grounding, and to follow their arrow. So dig into his 'story time' Take 5 with five incredible songwriters. Joni Mitchell – 'Carey' The Pogues – 'Medley: The Recruiting Sergeant...
Sep 13, 2024•45 min
Noel Gallagher is just like you. Putting aside the fame and fortune, the hit records and the very public family issues, at his heart he's a big music nerd. As a kid he idolised the songs on the record player and worshipped the legends who wrote them. His Take 5 theme was 'escape', and growing up in a council estate in The North, music was Noel’s escape. He’d be transported by older kids' records and dance till dawn at the infamous Haçienda nightclub. But even as his fame grew and he moved to big...
Sep 06, 2024•41 min
A special little treat for you in the feed this week; a conversation with Nick Cave. After years away, he's returned to doing interviews, and Zan Rowe was lucky to get the only Australian radio interview with him. They spoke about Wild God, the legacy of the Bad Seeds, people lost, and things found. About frogs. Settle in for a beautiful conversation with one of the greatest artists and poets of our time. A fella who has been through it, and emerged with new purpose. The one and only, Nick Cave....
Aug 30, 2024•40 min
Emily Wurramara is one of my favourite Australian musicians. The Warnindhilyagwa woman writes from the heart, sings with the smokiest voice around, and has a laugh that is truly infectious. This is a glorious Take 5. Settle in for some beautiful energy, lots of laughs, and real insight into the songs that tell her story of new beginnings. It’s been six years since Emily’s debut album, a lot has changed in her life but now she’s back with NARA, and on the day she released it I invited her to Take...
Aug 23, 2024•37 min
In 2004, a rock doco came out that was pure chaos. Dig! captured 7 years in the life of The Dandy Warhols and Brian Jonestown Massacre as they tried to break it big. Made by a young first-time filmmaker called Ondi Timoner and her brother David, it's a wild story about growing up, art vs commerce, friendship and bust ups. 20 years later it's been re-cut as Dig! XX, with over 40 minutes of never-before-seen footage, and shown for the first time in Australia at the Melbourne International Film Fes...
Aug 16, 2024•42 min
Ever since I first heard them, Middle Kids have been a favourite. Exceptional songwriting, brilliant playing, and Hannah Joy’s beautiful voice. They’ve now got three albums under their belt, the latest of which is called Faith Crisis Pt 1. I’ve wanted to invite Middle Kids in to Take 5 for a while, and when Hannah said yes, and sent her songs back, I knew we’d be in for a treat. Strap in for a beautiful wander across some incredible songs, and a heartfelt chat about finding faith again. Radiohea...
Aug 09, 2024•43 min
You know that feeling when you’re watching a movie or TV show and the perfect song hits at the perfect moment? Think Lost in Translation when ‘Alone in Kyoto’ by Air comes in, or the visceral scenes from The Bear soundtracked by Refused’s ‘New Noise’. You don’t just see films, you hear them. Such is the power and responsibility of the music supervisor who carefully selects the right song for the right scene and has it hit at just the right moment. It's Jemma Burns' job to make that magic. From t...
Aug 02, 2024•47 min
Dylan Alcott is a deadset legend. A former Australian of the Year, multi-gold medallist, and disability advocate, but before all of that, he sat down to Take 5.
Jul 25, 2024•27 min
Sarah Blasko has a voice that never lets you go. Her debut album The Overture & the Underscore was released 20 years ago, and she’s been a constant presence ever since. Always pushing the boundaries of her art and anchoring everything she does with that transcendent voice. Two decades on from her debut, and 6 years since her last album, Sarah Blasko is back with new music. It's the perfect excuse to revisit a wonderful conversation from 2018, when she’d pushed through a rough period of write...
Jul 19, 2024•25 min
There's no other artist quite like DOBBY. The proud Filipino and Murrawarri artist (real name Rhyan Clapham) is a composer, rapper, producer and drummer. He's been performing and releasing music for years, but only just released his debut album.It’s called WARRANGU; River Story, and it’s about the plight of the Murray-Darling river system. The artistry on this album is magnificent. DOBBY expertly weaves together his own compositions with field recordings and stories from elders, all while docume...
Jul 12, 2024•35 min
Who knew cooking competitions would take over Australian television?Back in 2010, the finale for the second season of MasterChef became the most watched non-sporting event of that year. And the winner? Adam Liaw. He'd been working in Japan when he decided to enter the TV cooking comp, and he quickly became a firm favourite. After his win, everything changed. He published cookbooks, became the host of Destination Flavour on SBS, started a family, took people on foodie tours, and now hosts The Coo...
Jul 05, 2024•36 min
If you don’t know Susan Rogers by name, you’ll know her work. A female producer and sound engineer in an industry dominated by men, her drive and commitment landed her side by side with Prince as his star soared. She was his audio technician right before he started recording Purple Rain, and was his sound engineer through his commercial peak – capturing Parade, Around the World in a Day, The Black Album, and Sign o' the Times. Susan had a front row seat to the creative genius and intense work et...
Jun 28, 2024•57 min
Vika and Linda are national treasures. We first met the Bull sisters alongside the Black Sorrows, doing backing vocals for Paul Kelly, and then bursting out on their own with their debut album. That record turns 30 this year, and to celebrate, I’m taking you to a glorious Take 5 from the archives with Vika and Linda. The year was 2019, and their theme was “sibling songs”. They picked it too, and you’ll see why. Families singing together is the very backbone of what they do. The Andrews Sisters -...
Jun 21, 2024•31 min
Adam Hills has lived an extraordinary life. From getting his start in stand up comedy to beaming out to millions on The Last Leg and Spicks and Specks. He's been awarded an MBE and even been immortalised on an Australian postage stamp. When he’s not on stage and screen, Adam is out on the field playing disability rugby, or smashing a tennis ball. He has a boundless energy and passion for living life. On Spicks and Specks each episode, he asks his panellists to share stories. But no one ever asks...
Jun 14, 2024•55 min
Back in 1989, Neneh Cherry released her debut album. Raw Like Sushi was a smash in the UK and here in Australia. This young Swede based in London caught all of our attention, and through the 90’s she’d release two more albums before taking a breather from music. But her creative life began way earlier. With an artist mother and jazz legend Don Cherry as her stepfather, Neneh’s childhood was a life less ordinary. She split it between commune-style living in rural Sweden and loft apartments in New...
Jun 07, 2024•33 min
Can you remember when Ill Communication first came out? If you came of age in the 90’s like me, it was a huge album. Bursting outta the gates with 'Sure Shot', with hits like 'Get it Together' and 'Sabotage'... it’s one of Beastie Boys most varied and loved albums, and in 2024 it turns 30 years old. The sound of this album is as fresh as it was in 1994, and to mark this big anniversary I dug into the archives to dust off one of my favourite conversations of all time. The one and only Mike D. Tak...
May 31, 2024•32 min
Brooklyn band Grizzly Bear helped shaped the sound of modern indie music. Across their five albums they layered intricate and nuanced guitar music with choirboy vocals and a whole lotta heart. They broke through in 2006 with their second album, Yellow House, but it was 2009’s Veckatimist which took Grizzly Bear to a whole new plane and became one of the most loved albums of the decade. To mark its 15th anniversary, I’m throwing back to a brilliant chat I had with frontman and founding member, Ed...
May 24, 2024•30 min
Kasey Chambers is a living legend. Five number one albums, fourteen ARIA Awards, she is 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 Nullabor with her dad, at the end of each day the family would always gather around the campfire to sing songs. She would go on to play 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. That debut t...
May 17, 2024•42 min
Angie McMahon is one of those artists that stops you in your tracks. She caught my attention back in 2017 with 'Slow Mover' and immediately I was asking, who is this? A debut album followed, then a few years later the follow up. And her second album has taken Angie into another realm, selling big iconic rooms like the Sydney Opera House and Melbourne’s Forum several times over. I’ve wanted to Take 5 with Angie for a while, and the ideas around her latest album seemed perfect for exploration. Lig...
May 10, 2024•38 min
It’s a special Take 5 this week, as we mark 10 years of Double J! To mark our birthday, I thought it’d be fun to invite one of our biggest listeners on to Take 5. And he just happens to know about the power of radio to connect, and create a place for people no matter where we are. Ryan “Fitzy” Fitzgerald is in radio himself, for almost 20 years he’s been with Nova, most of it in the primo Breakfast spot. And for most of Double J’s life he’s been sliding into our DM’s to let us know how much he l...
May 03, 2024•47 min
You know that question about who you’d invite to your dream dinner party? Beth Ditto is always at the top of my list. This sassy icon from the deep south grabbed my attention more than 20 years ago fronting the Gossip, and has held it ever since. From punk beginnings, to big hit bangers, gracing catwalks and the small screen, and carving out a space for those without that huge, powerful voice, she is legendary. From day dot, Beth Ditto has been out and proud. A queer woman whose body positivity ...
Apr 26, 2024•41 min
Bri Lee is an author, journalist, and activist. You’ve probably seen her pop up on telly, in panels, and online, because in just over 5 years Bri has carved out an acclaimed career, publishing the bestselling Eggshell Skull and another two books of non-fiction. Her work has interrogated how the legal system deals with sexual crimes, the realm of eating disorders, and the class structures within education, and all of it is written through a personal prism. In 2024, Bri turns her hand to fiction f...
Apr 19, 2024•43 min
Dave McCormack has one of those voices. As lead singer of Custard, his husky tones and the band’s playful indie rock beamed out of Brisbane in the 90s. They were a happy haven from the angsty guitar scene of the time. In 1999, after 5 albums and tonnes of shows as one of Australia’s favourite live acts, Custard called it a day. Dave McCormack would go on to play in other bands, he began composing soundtracks for film and television, and his voice would become familiar to an entirely new generati...
Apr 12, 2024•33 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, and over the past few years has become one of the most promising and prolific songwriters around; making 6 albums on her own and 5 with her band. Her latest is “Bright Future” and it’s another stunning record of genius songwriting, and the inspiration for me to head back into the Take 5 archives and share this wonderful conversation from 2019. At ...
Apr 04, 2024•37 min
Well I hope you’re up for a laugh, cos this Take 5 is a special one. As comedy festival season kicks it around Australia, I’ve dug into the Take 5 archives and pulled out some of my favourite chats with comedians. Unsurprisingly, they’re great storytellers. And as we know from almost 20 years of Taking 5, everyone has a connection to music. There’s another throughline to these tales too, they all speak to adventure; to shifting to a new place for a new perspective, and often a whole new beginnin...
Mar 28, 2024•44 min
Laurie Anderson is bucket list. The artist, violinist, and poet has been exploring the world in her unique way for decades. She caught our breath releasing O Superman, and has continued to bring play, humour, and curiosity into all she does. Laurie was also the yin to Lou Reed’s yang, as a life and creative partner; putting on concerts for dogs, and most recently feeding her and his writing into a supercomputer to see what AI would spit out, in their voice. That was the catalyst for me asking La...
Mar 21, 2024•46 min
Jack Antonoff is one of the most celebrated producers working today. With 10 Grammys under his belt, including three in a row for Producer of the Year, he has shaped the sound of pop music over the last decade. Taylor Swift, Lana Del Rey, The 1975, Lorde… these are just some of the names he’s produced and co-written with. And within the industry, he’s known as a brilliant collaborator – opposite to the classic Svengali directing himself into the story. Jack listens, guides, and celebrates the so...
Mar 14, 2024•43 min
It’s fair to say, boygenius’ debut album was highly anticipated. But did you know that it was an Australian producer that helped bring it to life? Catherine Marks was born and bred in Melbourne, but made her way to the UK where she’s been working with everyone from PJ Harvey to Foals, The Killers to, yes, boygenius. Her work is lauded across the world, winning awards and fans as one of the rare women to celebrated in the field. And while home in Australia for a hot minute, Catherine joined Zan R...
Mar 07, 2024•46 min
