Interviews

The Port Fairy Folk Festival has expanded its line-up, with more artists joining the seaside celebration taking place from March 6 - 9. From its humble beginnings in 1977, the festival celebrates its 49th year in 2026, featuring a huge multi-venue main arena with four stages, family-friendly entertainment, excellent food, and more. Director Justin Rudge joins Lauren Plant, tune in to hear him discuss some of the artists to watch in the global folk scene.

Written largely on autoharp, local singer/songwriter Georgia Knight has announced the release of her much anticipated debut album, 'Beanpole'. The album weaves moody dark-pop with trip-hop pulses and synth-washed layers, unfolding into an avant-garde landscape that coaxes listeners into a world of musically dark terrain and cinematic breadth. Georgia Knight will pop in to Radio City to chat with Crispi.

Off the back of the London album launch for 'The Second High', Liz Stringer is back on home soil for the 'To Survive Tour', a campaign that brings awareness to the housing crisis and raise much-needed funds for Australia’s most vulnerable. Audiences will be given the opportunity to donate their chosen amount to a local community support organisation using QR codes at each show, to which Liz will also donate personally. Tune in to Radio City as Crispi catches up with Liz about this tour. 

On November 22, Alison Ferrier and the Upshots and Tanya-Lee Davies and her band will each launch a new single into the atmosphere at the Lomond Hotel. Singer-songwriter Tanya-Lee Davies is a heart-seeking missile, specialising in dreamy pop country psychedelic folk sounds, and Alison Ferrier is a country punk, rock and blues artist, with a dash of double denim '70s sweetness. Tune in to hear Ernie catch up with them before the show that weekend.

Tune in to Fang It! to hear Ruari catch up with Toody Cole and Her Band, the co-founder and mainstay of iconic Oregon group Dead Moon and the godmother of raw DIY rock 'n' roll. Returning to Australia for the first time fronting her own band, after three decades of performances here with Dead Moon, Pierced Arrows, and as a duo with her late, great husband Fred Cole, tune in to hear an exclusive Studio 5 Live performance, the day before Toody Cole's show at The Tote on November 21.

Tune in to the Ports Of Paradise to hear a live performance from the electrifying ensemble, Johnny Fuego and The Heat. Featuring the powerhouse vocals of Loretta Miller, the 9-piece will share with Palmtree Paddy their unmistakable swagger of the 007 theme to Shirley Bassey’s 'Goldfinger', Tom Jones’ 'Thunderball', and deep-cut gems from Bond’s legendary back catalogue, ahead of their show at The Night Cat that night.

'Mango' is the new LP from local producer, Jacky Winter. A sideways breakbeat record, Winter works sample heavy MPC jams into classic song form, where melody is King. Joining Richie 1250 on Stone Love, tune in to hear about Jacky Winter’s LP launch party at The Railway Hotel Ballroom on November 29, with guests Stefan Blair (Good Morning) and vinyl DJ's Stuckey (Surprise Chef) and Lady Love Potion.

With vivid lyricism and a voice that soars with a disarmingly honesty, folk artist Leah Senior returns with her new single ‘People Pleaser’. Written during an online workshop with Adrianne Lenker (Big Thief), the song is a call to step away from external pressures and noise, to come back to your own small world. Tune in to The Breakfast Spread as Claire Dickson is joined by Leah Senior for an intimate, acoustic performance, and to hear about Leah's upcoming new album.

Improvising multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, composer and educator SOLUNE (Selene Messinis) is the recipient of the prestigious Melbourne International Jazz Festival Take Note initiative. A major outcome of this initiative is the performance of a brand new suite of works at the 2025 festival, and PBS was there to record this world premiere. Tune in to Black Wax this Monday to re-live MAD VANTAGE at the Night Cat and to hear Selene chat to Adam about this major work.

Tumbleweed founder and frontman Richie Weed will be joining Chris Pearson on Pojama People this Tuesday. Stepping into a bold new territory with his debut solo album 'Strays', the album captures raw honesty and spirit, marking a powerful new chapter in his career. Tune in to hear about his upcoming shows in Melbourne, including George Lane on November 28, and The Tote on November 30.

Music label Bird’s Robe will wrap up their 15th anniversary celebrations in Melbourne with a massive show at Max Watts on Saturday, December 13. Headlining the last of three Melbourne events are post-rock band sleepmakeswaves, playing their first shows of 2025, alongside USA alternative rock icons …And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Dead, returning to Australia for the first time in over a decade. Tune in to hear Chris catch up with the label founder Mike Solo.

Mork was created by Thomas Eriksen in the town of Halden in Norway during 2004. Both then and now, the band functions as a one-man-band, much like many others within the black metal-genre. Primarily a side-project for Eriksen from the inception until the debut album was made in 2013, Mork are coming over to Australia next year for a nationwide tour. Burning Bitumen catch up with Thomas Eriksen, tune in to hear about Mork's show in Melbourne on January 22 at Central Club.

'The Fate Of All Life' sees local band IRREPARABLE weave together industrial black metal, goth and darkwave to create a sound that is both haunting and cathartic. The album is a monument to the reality of the human condition, exploring themes of cyclical suffering and death. Kene catches up with the band, tune in to hear about their new album, along with their show at The Leadbeater Hotel on November 29.

One of Australia's longest-running black metal bands, Pestilential Shadows have been building a towering canon of work since 2003. Whereas many of their native land's extreme metal exports either tend toward the chaotic or too clean, the shadowy collective led by founding vocalist / guitarist Balam consistently create compelling swathes of drama and darkness, all-enveloping emotion and regal-yet-gritty grandeur. Tune in to Burning Bitumen to hear about their new album ‘Wretch’.

Local nu-metal band Bad Juju have just released their new EP, 'Simulacra'. Blending gritty alt-rock with raw emotional intensity, guitarist Abe Miller joins Ryan Evans on Tyrannocoreus to chat about the band’s latest release. Tune in to hear why Bad Juju shifted their sound from emo to nu-metal, and what it was like to work with Sam Bassal from nu-metal band Ocean Grove.

Jesse Barr, the vocalist for local heavy hitters Hate Complex will be joining Ryan on Tyrannocoreus. Having just released their new single ‘SILENCE’, tune in to hear Hate Complex's upcoming debut album ‘DISSONANCE’, and what we can expect to see from the band in the not too distant future.

Tune in to The Modernist as Cas talks to David Rowdon, artistic director of the Omega Ensemble. They'll be chatting about the upcoming 2026 season and the ensemble's 21st; a season which once again champions Australian composers, both young and slightly older, and features three Australian premieres and six world premieres of chamber music.

Joining Tom on Jumpin' The Blues this week is Steve Purcell from Belmar Records. Specialising in original roots, blues, jazz, and soul recordings, Belmar Records aims to introduce music lovers around the world to some of the incredible musical talent Melbourne has to offer, one track at a time. Tune in to hear about a brand new Belmar Records release; a limited edition vinyl and CD - 'The Jumpin' the Blues Allstars Live on the Radio Vol.1’.

Local singer-songwriter Charlotte Le Lievre returns with 'Tamworth Lights', a deeply personal and moving new single. Following on from the success of her debut album, 'Songs from the Barrier Line' - 'Tamworth Lights’ marks the first release from Charlotte’s forthcoming sophomore album, 'Grief Knows No Borders', due in Spring 2026. Tune in to 5ft High and Rising to hear about her upcoming show at Cactus Room on December 3.

On Roots of Rhythm this December 3, Helen Jenning will interview Nigel Bourn from Adelaide based band The Honey Badgers. Having placed sixth in the International Blues Challenge in Memphis in 2023, their debut album, ‘Shakin’ peaked at #1 on the ABARAC charts. Tune in to hear about this blues, soul and funk band’s upcoming tour across Victoria.

Mornington Peninsula songwriter Emily Jane Pritchard is set to release her debut EP, 'Never Ending Holiday', launching the new record at the Wesley Anne on December 6. The four-track collection of guitar-driven indie-folk features songs straight from the heart, decorated with touches of soul and pop, delivered with a voice that drifts seamlessly between heart-achingly sweet and ruggedly raw. Bringing her guitar into Down By The River, tune in to hear Emily perform a few live songs.

Local power-pop group Icecream Hands have emerged from the depths of winter with a very special gift – a new album, 'Giant Fox Pineapple Tree'. This year’s traditional pre-Christmas Icecream Hands show will become a full-blown album launch celebrating the release of their eighth record. Charles Jenkins and Doug Lee Robertson join Crispi on Radio City to chat about their new album that’s brimming with pop-rock melodies, tune in to hear about their Northcote Social Club show on December 20.

Local post-punk band screensaver has just launched their third album ‘Three Lens Approach’, and they're coming in to Junkyard to chat with Michael Mulholland about the record. Taking cues from the late 70’s and early 80’s, screensaver’s new album is propelled forward by a more than danceable rhythm section, weaving through polyrhythms of classic synth sounds and frenetic guitars. Listen in to hear how the new record builds on its predecessors.