Interviews

Located in the heart of Melbourne's creative epicenter, Marios Cafe has been a touchstone for counter-culture, art and music in Melbourne's inner north for four decades. Now celebrating their 40th anniversary, the two Marios - De Pasquale and Maccarone - drop into The Breakfast Spread to share stories about the music, art and cultural scene that has exploded around them since opening their doors in 1986.

Grammy Award–winning vocalist and guitarist Ruthie Foster returns to Australia this April and May. Frequently likened to Aretha Franklin for her emotional depth and vocal power, Foster blends blues, gospel, folk and soul with remarkable authenticity. Her masterful guitar playing is as celebrated as her soulful voice. Helen Jennings catches up with Ruthie while she's in Perth, tune in to hear about her string of shows across the country, including Brunswick Ballroom on May 8.

The Big Boogaloo is Sam Linton Smith on vocals and guitar, Chris Pascoe on keys and Steve Purcell on double bass. Featuring an eclectic repertoire of blues-based, harmony-driven RnB, funk and reggae influences, The Big Boogaloo make time this week to drop into PBS to play an exclusive live set on Jumpin' the Blues.

This year, Chewin’ The Fat celebrates seven years of connection and dancing together for mental health. With the collective on track to reach $100,000 in charitable donations supporting mental health and community wellbeing, the event is taking place at Fairfield Amphitheatre on April 25. Benji comes on to The Breakfast Spread for a round of Musical Chairs with Milo Eastwood, tune in to hear tracks from the line up, which includes Harvey Sutherland, Supa Kameleon and Kuzco, to name a few. 

Solo artist of the year from the 2021 'Australian Folk Music Awards', Ruth Hazleton is taking her darkfolk album 'Heronbones' to Brunswick Ballroom on Sunday, April 29. A collection of stories (both traditional and composed), Ruth draws from deep wells of folklore and trad song, reshaping these narratives through a darkfolk lens, blending electronic sampling and sound design with guitar and banjo. Ruth Hazleton joins Lauren Plant on the show to chat about the upcoming album launch.

From busking on Bourke street in 2014 to headlining sold out venues around the world, twin brothers Jack and Patrick Pierce aka the Pierce Brothers will be joining Lauren Plant on Down By The River. Having just played at Port Fairy Folk Festival, their album ‘Moonrise’ debuted at #1 on the ARIA album charts in December, and the indie folk outfit are taking their fourth studio record on tour this month. Tune in for a live set from the duo, and to hear about their show at 170 Russell on May 1.

Formed in 2019, Cult of the Night is an 80's speed metal attack duo based here in Naarm/ Melbourne. Joining Kene on the show, the band will be performing at Burning Bitumen's Birthday Bonaza '25 Years of Evil' on May 9 at The Bergy Bandroom. Tune in to hear what the first wave of black metal band has been up to recently.

The beginnings of Khazurvaal stem from the late 80s, where an encounter with Bathory's seminal album 'The Return' ignited a fascination with metal's dark soundscapes. Khazurvaal joins Kene on the show, tune in to hear about his solo black metal project, and about his upcoming show at The Bergy Bandroom to celebrate '25 Yeas of Evil' on May 9.

A collective dedicated to all things deep, underground and psychedelic, Terri and Bec from Spincycle Records will be coming on to Audio Vitamins. They'll be sharing an insight into their local label, talking about their past releases and doing a special guest mix for Jonny Alexander. Tune in to hear about their upcoming party at Collingwood Basement on April 25.

Tune in to Jazz On Saturday for a modern, soul-jazz Studio 5 Live performance from the Jake Mason Trio. Launching their new album 'The Modern Ark' at The Jazzlab on May 8, the band features hammond organist and composer Jake Mason (Cookin’ On 3 Burners), alongside James Sherlock (guitar) and Danny Fischer (drums). Tune in to hear Andrew Young catch up with the ARIA-nominated group about their new album.

This Saturday on Electric Sunset, tune in for a live guest mix from Bleak Droids. Performing bent electronica, fractured rhythms, there will also be a live in-studio machine séance. Hosted by DJ Ides, don’t miss this special edition of the show this weekend, 10pm - midnight. 

Boundary-pushing, alternative band Fan Girl are about to release their new EP, which they’ll be chatting to Brooke about on Homebrew. Known for their explosive live shows, emotionally unpredictable and artful songwriting, the band are rapidly growing an international audience - championed by the likes of BBC Radio 6, BBC Radio 1, and KEXP. Tune in to hear about their upcoming international tour, and where we can next see them play locally. 

LA-based, alt-R&B and soul artist Rochelle Jordan is bringing her genre-defying sound to 170 Russell on May 28, showing audiences what it means to be a pop artist today. Her third album 'Through The Wall' is a rich, emotionally charged blend of polished house, alt-R&B and pop, underscored by a clear sense of personal resilience and artistic growth. Dropping in to Headhunters to chat with Elle Young about her upcoming Australian tour, tune in to hear from the London-born, Toronto-raised artist. 

Local fantasy-psych eight piece Fomora are releasing their new album ‘The Trial of Syla’. Launching the record at Bar 303 on May 1 with support from Fairtrade Narcotics, Toqui and Lunic, the band consists of Ebi Nori (Narration), Yael Zamir (Flute), Nicolaas Schroder (tenor saxophone), Eugene Stone-Marques (guitars), Oscar France (keyboards, solina), William Base (bass), Samuel Hunt (drums) and Lucky Pereira (percussion). Tune in to Mystic Brew to hear tracks from Fomora's new album.

Psych-rock, free-jazz band Brown Spirits are about to embark on a UK/Europe tour in May, stopping off at Freak Valley Festival (Germany) and Fuzztival (Denmark), plus a string of club shows in support of an upcoming LP reissues on Soul Jazz Records.  In celebration, Brown Spirits will be playing a special farewell show at the Bergy Bandroom on May 8, whilst also launching a strictly limited edition private press vinyl EP. Tune in to Pojama People to hear how they're doing ahead of the big tour.

The new album 'The Singer' from local artist DC Maxwell comes out on May 22, and Crispi will be catching up with DC on April 30 to chat about the new record. A sharp songwriter and a wild live performer, 'The Singer' is a collection of songs about singing and dancing while the foundations of the world tremble. Tune in to find out where you can next catch DC Maxwell perform live. 

After their crushing Studio 5 Live performance, Kene will be catching up with local band Carcinoid. Embodying suffocating doom elements while forging their sound by incorporating a plethora of sludge, punk and hardcore stylistic influences, Carcinoid is known for bringing intensity to all of their performances. They'll be playing at the Burning Bitumen Birthday Bonaza, '25 Years of Evil' show, tune in to hear about the celebrations going down on May 9 at the Bergy Bandroom.

Tune in on May 4 from 3pm for a special Studio 5 Live performance from Steady Weather, followed by an interview with Homebrew host Brooke Kymberley. The Fitzroy group has a new single ‘Best One’, taken from the forthcoming EP 'Golden Child'. Delivering a fresh take on the disco sound, Steady Weather fuse contemporary club sounds in a live setting with jazz sensibility, capturing the unique essence of the local club scene. Find out when they’ll next be performing live in the city.

Across May, Seedy Jeezus will take over Nighthawks each Saturday night for a run of European tour warm-up shows - each week diving into a different side of the band. The 60s psychedelic/ 70s rock group found its feet in 2015, and now boasts numerous studio albums, records, and EPs. Catch the band on Pojama People with Chris Pearson ahead of their European tour. 

Stepping into Pojama People this Tuesday to celebrate their debut album is Junkyard Wizards. With a wonderful night of music; cosmic, wacky, psychedelic and otherwise, playing along side the wizards at their album launch at Cactus Room on May 8 are interstellar synth-jam pioneers Sweet Nothing and the irresitibly unhinged psych-rockers Black Wattle Witches. Tune in to hear tracks from Junkyard Wizards' new album 'The Sky As We Know It’.

Two-piece alternative pop project Lover is made up of long time friends Will Morris and Johnny Bullen. Known for their dynamic, textured sounds that blend heartfelt songwriting with bold, layered production, the duo have made waves across Naarm since their relocation from Aotearoa/ New Zealand. Combining personal reflective themes with experimental sonic elements, Lover drop in to The Breakfast Spread for a round of Musical Chairs with Milo Eastwood. Tune in to hear about their debut album.

Prepare yourself this week on Burning Bitumen as Kene is joined by sludge doom monsters Whitehorse. Delivering pulverising, churning, crushing, and devastating sludgy doom, their new collaborative album 'The Dissolution of Eternity' with UBOA is heavy with chest-bursting intensity. Tune in to hear about their upcoming shows and to catch tracks from the new record.

Local band Oceanlord will be bringing their stoner-gloom-rock energy to Pojama People this May 12. Playing a unique mix of psych and doom, the group will be opening for Devil Electric on May 23 at Northcote Social Club, in support of their new album release. Chris Pearson catches up with the musicians, tune in to find out what Oceanlord has planned for the rest of 2026.

Broadcaster, occasional poet and all 'round music nut Brian Nankervis drops into PBS this week to chat to Crispi about RockWiz's return to its spiritual home, The Gershwin Room at the Espy. Tune in to hear some of the best stories from Australia's favourite rock and roll quiz show, and learn what's coming up as RockWiz returns to the Espy for the first time in a decade.