Interviews

To celebrate 20 years of Ear Of The Behearer, some of the city’s finest and most inventive improvise musicians are coming together to cook up fresh, never-before-heard creations. Kicking off at midnight, join Paul Kidney as he celebrates two decades of noisy free jazz and wild sonic explorations on Ear Of The Behearer.

The nipaluna duo of Amelia Besseny and Cooper Bowman, known as Troth, blur the lines between minimal pop, immersive ambience, and field recording-based abstraction. Key themes in their work include interpreting time spent in natural environments, evoking beauty through elements of ritual, and exploring new ways to express dialogue with one another. Cooper catches up with Claire Dickson on The Breakfast Spread, tune in to hear about Troth’s new album, 'An Unfinished Rose'.

Born far from the tired gaze of the masses, The Neptune Power Federation make their long-awaited return to Melbourne after a period of deep introspection and advanced soothsaying. The band has been hard at work on their seventh album and will need willing acolytes to assess the effects these new hymns may have on human subjects. Chris Pearson catches up with the band ahead of their show at The Bendigo Hotel on September 6, tune in to hear all about their tour.

This week on Burning Bitumen, Kene and Leah catch up with Frankston metal band Nembutolik. Following the release of their new EP 'Southeast Suffering' earlier this year, tune in to hear about their exciting new announcement.

Local band 100 YEARS WAR have just unleashed another slab of raw d-beat death metal with their second studio album, 'ONWARDS TO DEATH'. Featuring seasoned veterans from the darkest corners of Melbourne, tune in to Burning Bitumen as Kene and Leah check in with this underground force.

Local band Body Prison are bringing their relentless yet innovative sound of deathcore to Tyrannocoreus this September for a Studio 5 Live performance. Following their appearance at Good Things Fest last year, the four-piece recently dropped their sophomore album 'Everything You Never Wanted to See' in February. Tune in to hear Ryan chat with the band about their upcoming tour with Gravemind and Melting.

Sydney’s Italo-style dancefloor maestro Touch Sensitive has just dropped his second studio album, 'In Paradise'. Following a sold-out national tour after his 2017 debut 'Visions', 'In Paradise' seamlessly blends Italo disco inflections with piano house influences, featuring guest vocals from Connie Mitchell (Sneaky Sound System) and a special touch from Tony Buchan (Smashing Pumpkins, Mildlife). Tune in to hear tracks from the new album, along with a catch-up with Touch Sensitive.

In the year of his 102nd birthday, a stellar lineup of musicians will celebrate Hank Williams’ extensive catalogue of country classics. Fronted by Chris Jacobs on bluegrass-tinged vocals, the band features roots musician Peter Baylor on guitar, Peter Fidler on steel guitar, Cat Moser on fiddle, and Mike St Clair Miller on double bass. Together, their sound offers a faithful interpretation of Hank’s unique musical legacy. Tune in to hear Peter Baylor chat with Helen about the show on September 7.

It’s time to kick the winter blues and get your dancin’ shoes on for a night of old school live blues and rockabilly. The fabulous Benny and The Flybyniters and the young rockabilly sensation Kid James are double billing what will be a hot night of hipshakin’ grooves at MEMO Music Hall with support from local rockin’ blues stalwarts Mister Sippy. Tune in to Jumpin' The Blues to hear Tom chat with Benny Peters about this special show, taking place on Friday September 12.

Now in its 27th year, the Melbourne International Jazz Festival (MIJF) is Australia’s largest festival of its kind and is internationally recognised as one of the world’s premier jazz festivals. Held over ten days each October, the annual event brings the joy of jazz to the streets of Melbourne. Hadley Agrez, CEO and Program Director of MIJF, chats with Milo about this year’s stellar lineup, featuring over 130 performances and 550 artists.

In 1994, Ashley Naylor formed the indie rock group Even. Now, he's set to release his fifth solo album, 'Alexandria Sunset'. Also known for playing guitar in The Church, The Stems, Paul Kelly’s band, and the RocKwiz Orkestra, Naylor’s new album dives deep into the classic stylings of the late ’60s and ’70s that have always inspired him. Tune in to Radio City as Crispi and Ashley chat about the new record.

An innovative force in the independent music scene since the mid-’80s, Jon Spencer returns to Australia this Spring for the first time in a decade. The underground alt-indie-punk icon and primal rock ’n’ roll preacher will perform with his fantastic new group, as they tear through selections from their 'SICK OF BEING SICK!' mini-LP, along with a heaping helping of Pussy Galore, Blues Explosion, Heavy Trash, and HITmaker nuggets! Tune in to Junkyard as Michael chats with Jon ahead of his tour.

Known for his roaring live shows and true to life songwriting, Jesse Daniel has earned his place among the heavy hitters of today’s country music scene. With a sound that’s uniquely his own, his fifth studio album 'Son of the San Lorenzo' features collaborations with Charles Wesley Godwin, along with instrumentation from Charlie McCoy, Lynyrd Skynyrd keyboardist Peter Keys, and SteelDrivers banjo player Richard Bailey. Tune in to hear Myles chat with Jesse before he tours Australia in October.

Born in Iran and now based on Gadigal land (Sydney), Hamed Sadeghi is a multi-award-winning Persian-Australian tar player and composer. As the founder and lead composer of Eishan Ensemble, Sadeghi has released three critically acclaimed albums and toured extensively across Australia, Asia, and Europe. On his way home after their performance in Hawthorn, Hamed drops into the Global Village to talk about the integration of Persian music and jazz, and the finer points of tar playing.

At the heart of local group Private Mountain, is a 14-year friendship, a collaboration built on trust, shared language, and relentless curiosity. Produced, written, and mixed entirely at home by lifelong friends Tom Atkinson and Tom Pleasance, their debut record 'Heart On Sleeve, 10,000 Better Days' captures the messy beauty of survival. Tune in to Underground Love to hear David Pisker chat with Tom Atkinson about the new record, blending lo-fi indie, folk-pop, soul, and garage sounds.

Since forming in 2017, Northern NSW–based heavy psych rockers Turtle Skull have been carving out their own niche of crushing riffs, stacked vocal harmonies, and dense synthscapes. Hitting like a lightning bolt wrapped in a velvet curtain, they'll be bringing their explosive live set to Studio 5 Live this September. Tune in to Pojama People to hear Chris Pearson chat with the band about their latest album, 'Being Here'.

After quietly dissolving at the end of 2023, Melbourne post-hardcore act Alera have made a surprise comeback with their new single, 'Killing For Something'. Ryan chats with vocalist Hayden Oakley and guitarist Thomas Katgert about the breakup, performing under the pseudonym Cruelty In The Constellations, and what’s next for the band. Tune in to Tyrannocoreus to hear about their upcoming show at The Espy on September 20, along with the digital release of their redux EP, 'Beware The Snake'.

'Out of Sight' is Guy Blackman’s first solo album in 17 years, a long-awaited follow-up to his 2008 release 'Adult Baby'. As a solo artist, Guy has shared stages with artists ranging from Joanna Newsom to Stereolab and Beach Fossils. His songs explore themes of love, sexuality, and commitment, which he brings to life in an intimate, stripped-back performance on The Breakfast Spread. Tune in as Milo catches up with the founder of local record label Chapter Music.

The debut album 'Now Would Be a Good Time' by Folk Bitch Trio tells vivid, visceral stories. These are modern, youthful songs that cut sharply through dissociative daydreams and painful breakups, sexual fantasies and media overload, all the petty resentments and minor humiliations of being in your early twenties in the 2020s. Ahead of their sold-out show at The Corner Hotel on September 13, Crispi catches up with the trio. Tune in to Radio City to hear from these vocal powerhouses.

A collaboration that began when David Bridie visited Papua New Guinea with his band 'Not Drowning, Waving' in the 1980s, this September marks the 30th anniversary of the bands landmark album 'Tabaran'. It’s also the 50th anniversary of Papua New Guinea’s independence. To celebrate, 'Not Drowning, Waving' will take the stage alongside musicians from PNG at the Melbourne Recital Centre’s Elisabeth Murdoch Hall on September 20. Tune in to hear David join Roger on the Global Village.

Aotearoa/New Zealand band Phoebe Rings have shimmered into orbit with their debut LP 'Aseurai'. Singer and synthesist Crystal Choi has titled the album in her Korean mother tongue, encapsulating its themes, as she explains 'Aseurai' translates to "…around you in the atmosphere, hard to reach, fading away." Phoebe Rings join Brooke on Homebrew for a Studio 5 Live performance, tune in to hear their unique dream-pop sound that blends disco and city-pop influences.