Kim Deal opened up to Richard Kingsmill in 1993 about the making of The Breeders triumphant second album Last Splash. The album came six months after the sudden and surprising announcement of the end of her other band, Pixies. Kingsmill wanted to also get Kim’s take on the split of that seminal band, and how she felt about now leading another successful group.
In 2001, PJ Harvey finally made it to Australia, off the back of her award-winning Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea album. The English artist had thrilled music fans all the way through the ‘90s, right from those blistering early singles ‘Dress’ and ‘Sheela-Na-Gig’. Her albums ranged from the austere Rid Of Me through to the gothic textures of To Bring You My Love, with each of them consistently scoring high on end of year album lists. A couple of nights after seeing her live for the ...
On their OK Computer tour of Australia early in 1998, Radiohead’s Thom Yorke gave just one interview while he was here. Richard Kingsmill spoke to the illusive singer about their landmark 3rd album, how he felt about his band getting snubbed by The Grammys that year, and also five songs that changed his life.
In December 1994, Nick Cave spoke with Richard Kingsmill about the five songs that changed his life. Cave reflected on the influence artists like John Lee Hooker, The Saints and Bob Dylan had had on him as a writer and performer. He also spoke about the lengthy Lollapalooza tour he and The Bad Seeds embarked on that year after the release of their 8th album Let Love In. He even touched on the next project he was then thinking about - Murder Ballads....
In October 1995, a few months after the release of the Foo Fighters debut album, Dave Grohl gave his first Australian interview since the death of Kurt Cobain. He spoke to Richard Kingsmill about now being the frontman of his own group, where all these songs of his had come from, and what plans he had for the future. He also reflected on the three Nirvana albums, as well as his memories of recording the Unplugged album.
In September 1993, Robert Smith of The Cure spoke to Richard Kingsmill about the five songs that changed his life. They spoke about Jimi Hendrix, Nick Drake, David Bowie, The Sensational Alex Harvey Band and Sex Pistols. They also spoke about the state of play within The Cure following their massive Wish tour of 1992.
In February 1997, on the release of his 21st album Earthling, and just a few weeks after he celebrated his 50th birthday with a huge concert at Madison Square Garden, David Bowie spoke to Richard Kingsmill. They spoke about his ever-changing career, the weirdness of ‘80s, what it felt like turning 50, and his then passion for Drum ‘N’ Bass.
With her debut album, the Sydney singer/muso/producer Milan Ring has emerged happy and hopeful after some dark times. Milan Ring is a highly regarded talent on the Sydney music scene as a singer/musician and producer. After years of single and EP releases, as well as working overseas with the likes of SZA, The Social Experiment and BJ The Chicago Kid, she’s only now released her debut album. The title I’m Feeling Hopeful suggests there’s been a less positive backstory to get to this point. Milan...
Butchulla MC Birdz has delivered a powerful second album, full of purpose, and one that focuses on the importance of family. Birdz has lead up to the release of his second album with a series of powerful singles, including the Hottest 100 hit ‘Bag-la-m Bargan’. The entire Legacy release now shows his strong sense of purpose as a rapper, sharing his stories from the generations of family around him. Richard Kingsmill speaks to the Naarm-based/Butchulla MC about how fatherhood has shaped his outlo...
Parcels have always had ambition. But they’ve gone sky high with the vision for their epic second album. With their new album Day/Night, Parcels wanted to reach for the stars. Keen to avoid any second album syndrome, they went bigger, wider and more extreme than they’ve ever gone as a band. Exploring the duality of the band, the darkness and light within the group, they arrived at an epic double album called Day/Night. Self-produced at the La Frette studios in Paris, drummer Anatole ‘Toto’ Serre...
Since arriving on the scene at the start of 2020, Sydney’s Azure Ryder has continued to impress. Three from three. That’s pretty much it in a nutshell. Riding high since arriving on the scene at the start of 2020, Ladder To The Moon is the third EP from the Sydney talent Azure Ryder, and it continues the upward trajectory of the singer. Despite the lack of travel and writing opportunities she had pre-COVID, this year has still had plenty of highlights, including a recent performance with the Ban...
At 24, with eight Grammy’s and a game-changing working relationship with his sister Billie Eilish, FINNEAS now has his own debut album. We know FINNEAS has worked alongside sister Billie Eilish every step of the way. It’s resulted in two huge and game-changing albums, as well as numerous awards for the writer and producer including eight Grammy’s. Outside of the sibling connection, FINNEAS has also been working with the likes of Justin Bieber, Selena Gomez and Demi Lovato. The desire to make and...
The London 20yo has blown up on TikTok with her updated take on jungle and 2-step. PinkPantheress had a few fears about launching her music on TikTok. Would people get it, she wondered? But those fears soon vanished when the positive reactions started flowing. The London 20yo is working off the nostalgic sounds of ‘90s and early noughties jungle and 2-step. With her distinct high-pitched vocal on top, she’s cut through fast to become one of the most tagged new names on the music scene. With the ...
Sam Fender’s debut album signalled the arrival of a voice readymade to inspire festival singalongs. On his second album, he now shows his considerable skills as a songwriter, tackling both the personal and political with equal measures of insight and heart. Seventeen Going Under is Fender’s follow-up to 2019’s Hypersonic Missiles. From the working classes of northern England, an unsettled childhood from divorced parents, plus an undisclosed health issue, has given the now 27yo plenty to reflect ...
With Shadows and Shinings, Drapht is back with one of his best and most cathartic albums to date. With five Hottest 100 hits to his name, as well as the platinum selling 2011 album The Life Of Riley, he’s managed to stay in the hip hop game across two decades now. On Shadows and Shinings, his seventh album, he’s never sounded stronger. Centred around working with familiar allies, the return to roots approach of this album hears him collaborating with the likes of Pressure (Hilltop Hoods), Dune R...
In 2018, a new Melbourne band arrived featuring ex-members of The Smith Street Band, The Bennies and Apart From This. With the self-deprecating name of LOSER, they hit the ground running with their debut single immediately added to triple j. Signed to Domestic La La, the label of Violent Soho’s James Tidswell, a debut album from LOSER at the start of 2020 signalled a busy year ahead. Those plans soon disappeared, and in lockdown for much of the year, singer Tim Maxwell started to experience seve...
An album centred around someone’s introversion is the unlikeliest of themes for a hip hop release. Yet, with her fourth album, the UK rapper Little Simz has turned those deepest personal thoughts into one of the most exciting and outward looking albums of the year. Following on from her Ivor Novello winning Grey Area, Little Simz worked closely again with producer Inflo to capture everything from pulsing hip hop beats through to classic Motown as well as grand orchestral arrangements. It all has...
The London duo talk about the new mindset and overall positivity behind their 3rd album. If you’re after an album to escape the times, look no further than Jungle’s latest. Born in the pre-COVID bliss of 2019, Loving In Stereo is a strongly positive and upbeat album. One that captured a fresh personal outlook for the London group. The two guys behind Jungle are Josh Lloyd-Watson and Tom McFarland (J & T for short). Friends since the age of nine, they’ve shared a lot of experiences. One of th...
To mark the 10th anniversary of Gotye’s global smash Making Mirrors, we rewind it back to when Richard spoke with Wally De Backer for the premiere of the album. Gotye’s third album Making Mirrors turned the Melbourne musician Wally De Backer into an international star. After going #1 here and selling double platinum, winning numerous ARIA’s, the J Award for Australian Album of the Year, and being voted the top album of 2011 by triple j listeners, it was time to watch the success of the album rol...
WILLOW is the 20yo daughter of Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith. With her 5th album, she continues to expand her own path in music. In 2010, a nine-year-old dazzled the world with a song called ‘Whip My Hair’. Many saw it as just a novelty, but it was actually the start of a music career that’s now five albums deep. WILLOW is Willow Smith, the now 20yo daughter of Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith. Her latest album is lately I feel EVERYTHING, and it explores her love of punk, rock and emo, hea...
In the lead up to his second EP, the Brisbane-based rapper travelled back to his homeland of Zimbabwe. He found himself in the process. The Zimbabwean-born/Brisbane-based rapper Carmouflage Rose hit the ground running with the single ‘Late Nights’ back in 2017. As he watched the streaming numbers increase million by million, he then dropped ‘Wildflowers’ which continued his ascent on the local hip hop stage. Then come the start of 2020 – with plans in play to work off this momentum international...
Built On Glass was the acclaimed and award-winning debut album for the Melbourne artist Chet Faker. A couple of years after its release, Chet retired. Any new music that followed would be released under the artist’s birth name Nick Murphy. For many, it was a confusing and potentially career damaging decision. But in the years in-between, Murphy came to grips with the two identities, and why the move was so important for him as a musician. From his small studio in New York City where Hotel Surren...
It’s a complete understatement to say the last two years for Tones And I have been extraordinary. When her debut single ‘Johnny Run Away’ was released early in 2019, Mornington Peninsula’s Toni Watson was a busker on the streets of Byron Bay, living out of the back of her van. Today, she’s a worldwide star, breaking all manner of records, winning a stack of awards, and achieving streaming figures into the billions. And she achieved all of this before even releasing a debut album. With Welcome To...
Early in 2020, at an APRA song writing workshop in Melbourne, the three members of Telenova met for the first time. Joshua Moriarty and Edward Quinn had been playing for years in their respective groups, Miami Horror and Slum Sociable, and singer Angeline Armstrong had been pursuing work across both video and music. But none of them had ever met each other. On that first day working together, they came up with a song called ‘Tranquilize’. It was clear, even that early on, that they had something...
She’s keeping tight lipped about what’s to come, but Holly Humberstone looks certain to keep building on the quick start she’s had on the music scene. The 21yo is from the small English town of Grantham. Encouraged by her parents and inspired by the likes of Damien Rice and Radiohead, Humberstone found an audience quickly with her debut EP in 2020. The fact she couldn’t play any of it live didn’t seem to affect her getting her music out to a wider audience. With a new single called ‘The Walls Ar...
Even though it’s only a five track E.P., K.Flay’s latest release requires plenty of unpacking. The American artist has worked with some legendary figures like Travis Barker (blink-182) and Tom Morello (Rage Against The Machine) on her Inside Voices E.P. But it’s what she reveals about her own life that really captures your attention. She’s never really held back in her writing before, but K.Flay (real name: Kristine Flaherty) is totally pushing her emotional content to the limits here on songs l...
With a mix of indie, hip hop and jazz, the English five-piece called easy life have released their debut album after four years of singles and mixtapes. They’ve built a sizeable following at home, but Australia has also picked up early on the band’s charms and knack for catchy song writing, with Sydney rated as one of their top five cities for listeners online. Lead by singer Murray Matravers, who was raised on a farm in Loughborough in the middle of England, you’d think singing about the beach ...
In the late ‘90s, the New York rapper DMX (born Earl Simmons) came to define the sound of hip hop with his run of chart-topping albums. With that rough growl in his voice, he stood apart from the pack, and sounded every bit as tough as the upbringing he had endured. DMX’s successful career though didn’t make life any easier for the man. Prison, drug addiction, and multiple attempts at rehabilitation, all stood in the way of the rapper maintaining momentum in his professional and personal life. H...
Ashe studied at the renowned Berklee College Of Music in Boston. A big fan of the likes of Brian Wilson, Carole King and The Beatles, she fed off those classic writers when creating the impressively grand sounding debut album titled Ashlyn (which is her real first name). In the lead up to its release came the sleeper of a hit called ‘Moral Of The Story’. Co-written and co-produced with FINNEAS, the song took a year to generate interest. However, following its inclusion in the To All The Boys: P....
Over the past four years, since first uploading his songs when he was just 14yo, Alfie Templeman has impressed with his growth as an artist. After getting turned onto music at the age of seven when he came across the ‘70s prog legends Rush and the drumming prowess of the late Neil Peart, he started teaching himself different instruments. Today, with four EP’s and a brand new mini-album to his name, he reckons he has around 1,000 more songs that he’s been working on. Richard Kingsmill speaks to T...
