Interviews

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.

Tune in to Underground Love as Mparntwe-based folk-pop singer Elsie Lange joins Jordan Oakley. Having just released her new album 'The Normal Discontents of Living', she'll be launching the record at Northcote Social Club this Wednesday. ​Listen in to hear Elsie Lange perform a few live, acoustic songs from 3.30pm. 

'Weather Report' is the third album from local group, Hobson's Bay Coast Guard (HBCG). The 14 track LP is a comically cynical ode to this dying planet, with each song presenting a different natural disaster and its physical and metaphorical relationship to the human experience. Tune in to Underground Love as Jordan catches up with Chris and Erik from the band about their show at The John Curtin Hotel on Saturday, November 29.

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.

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’.

'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.

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.

Formidable Sydney musician Pat Powell and Melbourne’s own Kerri Simpson will be getting their roots music groove on for an intimate, once only show at George Lane on December 7. Keeping it 'fonky' will be the soul searing, sheer brilliance of Shannon Bourne on guitar, Tim Neal on the keys, Andrew Swann playing the hard hitting swing on drums, and mythical Mark Ferrie on bass. Tune in to Roots of Rhythm as Helen Jennings catches up with Pat ahead of the show.

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’.

Named after an aviation term describing skies so clear that the endless visibility is too much to take in, the new record 'Severe Clear' from Emily Ulman just dropped last month. With four singles already lighting up the airwaves, the album has been warmly embraced by listeners for its heart, honesty and haunting beauty. Tune in to The Afterglow Radio Show as Lyndelle chats to Emily about her show at Brunswick Ballroom on November 27, along with AusMusic T-shirt Day happening the next day.

'Rose City', the first taste of The Silversound's forthcoming second album, is a sonic love letter from the band to Rose City Band from Portland. A swirling psychedelic paean and produced by the band's Shane O'Mara, it is a euphoric 10-minute devotional offering of Krautrock groove, blissful harmonies from sublime Loretta Miller, snaking guitar, and cosmic country flourishes. Tune in to Radio City as Crispi catches up with Shane, chatting about their show at The Union Hotel on December 13.

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.

The new album 'Dust' from compelling contemporary composer Rose Riebl has just been released, exploring loss, renewal, and transformation with striking intimacy and cinematic scope. Written between the death of her brother and the birth of her daughter, 'Dust' reflects Rose’s unique creative philosophy - minimalist, intentional, and deeply attuned to life’s turning points. Tune in to Deeep Space to hear an exclusive live performance from Rose Riebl.

On Saturday December 6, The Tote and Desert Highways will present the 6th annual of 'A Celebration of Chris Cornell'- a night of celebrating the music of the late Chris Cornell (Soundgarden, Audioslave, Temple Of The Dog). With a vocal range and a style that was exceptional and second to none, all of the money raised on the night will be proudly supporting Beyond Blue. Tune in to hear Chris Pearson catch up with Anthony Moore about this fundraiser. 

Sammy, the vocalist from Californian hardcore punk band DRAIN will be joining Ryan on Tyrannocoreus this Wednesday morning, chatting about their new album '...Is Your Friend'. Writing music which features sharp riffs and catchy hooks, tune in to hear tracks from their new album, along with why the band has a love affair with Australian audiences. 

Ethan Downey-Parish, bassist from hardcore band Amanaki joins Ryan for the second half of Tyrannocoreus. Blending melodic elements and musical competency, with in-your-face breakdowns and the traditional hardcore ethos, the New Zealand/ Aotearoa based group has just released their new EP 'Vices'. Tune in to hear about Ethan's social media alter ego, 'New Music Ethan'.

In the early ‘80s Joe Camilleri and friends started up a new band, The Black Sorrows. Originally a ‘just for the fun of it’ outfit, The Sorrows have released 18 albums over three decades and sold over two million albums world-wide. And now, The Black Sorrows are releasing the compilation, 'The Quinessential Black Sorrows 2025'. Tune in from 9.30am as Helen Jennings catches up with Joe Camilleri.

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.

This week on Pojama People, Chris Pearson catches up with local band SPAWN about their new album. Forged over nine years, SPAWN’s record 'Light Rite' is a radiant rite of transformation. From the heavy mire of stoner doom to the celestial expanse of psychedelic rock, this odyssey embodies raw authenticity and quiet humility. Tune in to hear about their show at The Tote on December 12.