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•Transcript available on Metacast 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•Transcript available on Metacast 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•Transcript available on Metacast 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•Transcript available on Metacast 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•Transcript available on Metacast One of my favourite artists is Kurt Vile. His music has been a friend to me for years; a familiar voice and drifting guitar that always makes you feel like you’re home. He’s been a frequent visitor to Australia too, and on his fifth visit I asked him to join me to Take 5. Kurt wears his heart on his sleeve, you’ve always been able to hear certain influences in his songs (both in the way he plays and sings) and he’s unafraid of paying homage to his heroes. So the chance to share their songs, was ...
Apr 26, 2019•34 min•Transcript available on Metacast Simon Amstell is a funny guy. That's literally his job; as comedian, TV host, and recent feature film maker. He got his start as the scathing host of UK TV show Popworld, and made a name further afield when he hosted Never Mind the Buzzcocks in the late noughties. But he's been a stage performer his whole life, and in between whippity quick barbs on set, he’s invited audiences into longer and deeper conversations via his stand up. He's known for his sometimes existential, sometimes neurotic, and...
Apr 12, 2019•37 min•Transcript available on Metacast 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. This Malaysian-Australian lawyer had been working in Japan when he decided to enter the Masterchef competition. He became a firm favourite, and after that victory… everything changed. Adam published a handful of cookbooks, became the host of a brilliant cooking show on SBS called Destin...
Apr 05, 2019•38 min•Transcript available on Metacast Lucy Dacus is one hell of a songwriter. Her second album Historian, brought a whole heap of new ears to her songs, it was considered by many as one of 2018's best. Life has been pretty busy for Lucy Dacus. As well as her own music, she collaborated with Julien Baker and Phoebe Bridgers on the boygenius project, and has been recording a new EP of cover songs based around significant holidays. That was the catalyst for her Take 5 theme; I wanted to know what her dream covers would be. From Yo La T...
Mar 29, 2019•Transcript available on Metacast Every now and then I like to dip into the Take 5 archives and share some gold. In the thirteen years I’ve been doing this, I’ve had the chance to speak with some incredible people, many of whom have shaped modern music. One of them is Butch Vig. As a muso, he drums with Garbage. But as a producer, he’s crafted the sound of some of the biggest records of our time. Sonic Youth’s “Dirty”, Smashing Pumpkins’ “Gish” and “Siamese Dream”, and of course “Nevermind". Butch has been in the room at some am...
Mar 22, 2019•40 min•Transcript available on Metacast Jake Shears is a boundary breaker. As frontman for Scissor Sisters he and his band pushed queerness into the mainstream, way before it became the norm. Their flamboyant performance paired with killer pop songs, and with his falsetto voice Jake Shears became bigger than even he himself could imagine. The Scissors called it a day in 2012, and Jake went through plenty of other life changes. He split from his long term boyfriend, moved to New Orleans, and a second life began. One filled with Broadwa...
Mar 15, 2019•35 min•Transcript available on Metacast In 2018 Christine and the Queens broke through. Already a big star in her native France, it was her second album Chris that made her a household name everywhere else; a big, late 80’s and early 90’s pop album full of lyrics about sex, gender identity, and every grey area in between. It was one of the best albums of the year. With it’s success, came finally an Australian tour, and while she was in town I invited Chris in to Take 5. The day was International Women’s Day, one where we push girls to...
Mar 08, 2019•35 min•Transcript available on Metacast Mia Dyson is one of those people I could talk with all day. It’s not just the timbre of her voice, it’s her stories; filled with pinch yourself moments and gratitude for the experiences she’s had. Her last album was recorded at the legendary Muscle Shoals studios in Alabama, a place where Bob Dylan, The Stones, Aretha Franklin and many more have layed down songs. It’s a place where the sound, and soul of the surroundings fill every recording and for Mia, it was a bucket list moment. I wanted to ...
Mar 01, 2019•38 min•Transcript available on Metacast One of my favourite artist discoveries of the past few years, is Gordi. From the get go, her music has always been beautifully textured; she dances with layers and effects and takes you into this sonic quilt with every song. But strip it back, and at its heart is incredible writing, and a perspective that gives each song new light. That’s what we played with, when I asked Gordi to come in and Take 5. I wanted her to choose five songs that, for her, had showed a new perspective – maybe years afte...
Feb 22, 2019•40 min•Transcript available on Metacast Murray Cook is one of the most watched and loved musicians in the world. As a founding member of The Wiggles, he would don the red turtleneck and entertain millions, but his love of music and entertaining stretches way back. Murray played in bands before, and after his time as the Red Wiggle, and when he’s not on stage, he’s in the crowd; constantly out seeing bands and supporting live bands big and small. With that in mind, I wanted to take a trip to Murray’s mosh pit, and hear about some of th...
Feb 15, 2019•29 min•Transcript available on Metacast As soon as Parquet Courts dropped their new album in 2018, I was all ears. The New York band have always been prolific, and political, but this album more than any other was responding very directly to the times. When frontman Andrew Savage joined me for the Take 5, I knew what to do. Spouting strong messages throughout his own music, I gave him the theme “songs to rally around”. Music that, lyrically or sonically, conjured a sense of activism, agency, and creativity in him. From Crass to Tyvek,...
Feb 08, 2019•26 min•Transcript available on Metacast I Love Rock N’ Roll, Crimson and Clover, Bad Reputation. These are the songs that soundtracked 80’s rock and roll and the woman behind them? Joan Jett. She started a band called The Runaways with Cherie Currie, and became an icon in music; particularly for young women who until then, hadn’t seen themselves up there on stage playing guitar. A solo career and the Blackhearts would follow, and for decades Joan Jett has continued to make records, perform, and be an uncompromising force in music. Whe...
Feb 01, 2019•31 min•Transcript available on Metacast Neneh Cherry is an icon. In 1989, this young Swede based in London caught all of our attention with her debut album Raw Like Sushi, and through the 90’s she’d hold it, with 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 York, and when she moved to London a...
Jan 25, 2019•39 min•Transcript available on Metacast 2018 has been a big year for the Take 5. So before I take a little break, I thought it was worth celebrating some of the greatest moments of the last 12 months, and Frankenstein a Turbo co-host. It’s honestly hard to keep the list to 7, but these conversations capture what I love about the Take 5. They can be at one moment hilarious, at another, devastating. What they always reveal, are the musical hearts of artists we love. Songs have a way of triggering and open up people’s memories, and there...
Dec 14, 2018•49 min•Transcript available on Metacast If you grew up in the 90’s, you grew up with The Offspring. The Cali punks may have formed in the 80’s, but it was their 1994 album Smash that helped them break through; quite literally, it holds the record for the highest selling independent album, 11 million copies worldwide. Bad Habit, Self Esteem, Come Out and Play… these are the songs that soundtrack our youth, that we yelled back at when they played on the radio, and that made their mark. When Noodles from The Offspring came in to Take 5, ...
Dec 07, 2018•29 min•Transcript available on Metacast King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard are as prolific with their albums as there are letters in their band name, or shows on their tour run. The seven piece released five albums in 2017, and for much of 2018 they toured through Australia and the world. To cap off Ausmusic Month, I thought we could have some fun. And some pun. King Gizzard and the Lizard of Oz; five songs that make them click their heels and think “there’s no place like home”. Eric and Ambrose repped the band, and chose some incredi...
Nov 30, 2018•34 min•Transcript available on Metacast It’s fair to say that when I mention the name Patience Hodgson, you’re likely to break into a smile. That’s because the front woman for The Grates has always had the kind of energy that’s infectious. Whether you see her live, follow her on social media or hear her chatting on her podcast or in an interview, the joy that radiates from Pae is undeniable. Over more than a decade, Patience has entertained with her powerful voice and energetic presence, often dressed in wild colours and costumes brin...
Nov 23, 2018•51 min•Transcript available on Metacast It takes a strong band to stick together for almost three decades. But through ups and downs, and even near bankruptcy, Northern Ireland trio ASH have done just that. The band got together when they were teenagers; they were still finishing high school when they first got signed. With catchy songs like Girl from Mars, Kung-Fu and Shining Light, they’ve become the soundtrack to every indie rock fan’s life. I’ve never given a “desert island discs” style theme before for a Take 5, but with a new al...
Nov 16, 2018•33 min•Transcript available on Metacast Brendan Huntley is a wild man. As the lead singer for Eddy Current Suppression Ring, many of us first met him as we watched, or heard him spit visceral lyrics and crawl across stages. One of the most exciting bands to see live, his pacing back and forth and the abandon he would approach each show with, made every Eddy Current gig memorable. He plays with Melbourne band Boomgates too, and when he’s not making musical art he’s creating paintings and sculptures – he’s a highly acclaimed visual arti...
Nov 09, 2018•32 min•Transcript available on Metacast If you ever asked me to recommend a live show that you could dance to, singalong with and that’d fill your heart with joy? I’d tell you to go and watch Mama Kin Spender. The duo of Mama Kin and Spender collaborated earlier this year on their debut album; combining rousing, heartfelt songs with group singing and driving drumbeats. They’ve both had a long history of solo music making but in 2018 they decided they didn’t want to go it alone anymore. But even way before they were making music, they ...
Oct 26, 2018•35 min•Transcript available on Metacast It’s fair to say there’s no one in the world like Bruce Dickinson. He’s the long time lead singer for Iron Maiden; a band who have been playing together for 40 years, who’ve sold 100 million albums and who still sell out arena’s worldwide. Being the frontman for one of the world’s greatest heavy metal bands would be enough for most. But over the past four decades, Bruce has dabbled in plenty more. He’s a championship fencer, placing in the Top 10 in the UK. He’s a beer brewer, a broadcaster, and...
Oct 19, 2018•43 min•Transcript available on Metacast If you’re a fan of Australian music then Kevin Mitchell is like a big brother, or best mate. He fronted Jebediah for years, and with them, wrote some of the biggest anthems of the 90’s. Then Kev started making solo music, under the moniker Bob Evans. We got to see a pop and Americana side of him that we’d not witnessed before. And before we knew it, he’d been doing that for almost 20 years. When he came in to Take 5 it was off the back of a Bob Evans “best of”, but he approached the collection i...
Oct 12, 2018•36 min•Transcript available on Metacast 
