Interviews

Tune in to Underground Love this Tuesday as Jordan chats with McKimmie, Nicole Thibault and Lachlan Denton who are playing at Melbourne Popfest '26. Presented by Lost and Lonesome Recording Co, the festival will be taking place at Coburg RSL from April 11 - 12 to celebrate the city's undying love for underground, indie pop music. There will be eighteen bands at various stages in their career – some new, some less new – but all searching for that vital POP moment.

Ashley Davies is a local composer and drummer. He has recorded and produced six albums and created three live theatre shows incorporating his own compositions. He’s a highly sought after session musician having played on over 60 albums, recorded for film and television soundtracks, and performed with various artists in Australia and internationally. Chris Pearson catches up with Ashley, tune in to hear what he's been up to recently.

Formed in the sun-baked deserts of Southern California, Yawning Man make desert rock music, that is hypnotic, instrumental, and deeply atmospheric. With roots stretching back to the generator parties of the early Palm Desert scene, their music blends surf-inflected psychedelia, loose improvisation, and expansive groove, influencing generations of heavy and experimental bands worldwide. Tune in as Mario Lalli chats about Yawning Man's show with Rubber Snake Charmers at Stay Gold on April 2.

Southern California’s Spite, the decibel-and-soul-crushing deathcore unit, are returning to Melbourne this April for their first-ever Australian headline tour, bringing with them Pennsylvania’s Varials and local heavyweights DIESECT. Having released their debut album 'Nothing Is Beautiful’ in 2017, the band are entering the next cycle as they drop their new album, 'New World Killer' via Rise Records. Tune in to Tyrannocoreus to hear about their show at Max Watt's Melbourne on April 30.

Another artist joining Ryan on Tyrannocoreus this Tuesday night is Shane Lyons, the guitarist for Pennsylvania metalcore band Varials. Their 2025 album 'Where The Light Leaves' marks a rebirth, pulling from their heaviest roots and introducing Skyler as the band’s new frontman. Chatting about the reception their new record has received across North America, tune in to hear about their Australian tour in April, supporting Spite.

Anchored by their lead single 'The Deep' - a driving, cinematic statement of intent, Telenova's sophomore album 'The Warning' expands the group's universe into something more urgent and exposed than ever before. They'll be taking their shadowy, sample-driven songs laced with trip-hop and electronica influences to Forum Melbourne on May 2. But first, Telenova stops by PBS to join Milo Eastwood on The Breakfast Spread. Tune in for a live, stripped back performance from Telenova.

Calling the road home and working tirelessly as full-time musicians, the whiskey-drenched Americana and hill-country blues artists Julian James and Beci Kate are true to life troubadours - living out of a bus while enthralling and connecting with audiences across Australia through their performances. Bringing their new record 'Prey to the Crow' to towns across Australia this month, Helen catches up with the duo on Roots of Rhythm to chat about their new album.

Local singer-songwriter Flynn Gurry has released his new EP 'Gold', a heartfelt and energetic collection that captures a defining moment for the rising artist. Led by the gritty folk-rock single 'Bones', the EP finds Flynn expanding his sonic palette while staying true to the warmth, relatability and storytelling that have quickly set him apart. Catching up with Lauren Plant on Down By The River, tune in to hear a live, acoustic performance from Flynn Gurry.

On April 10 at The Corner Hotel, Kim Salmon will be putting on a night of seminal swamp rock with his bands The Scientists and Kim Salmon and the Surrealists. Kim Salmon’s most enduring legacy, though not one he particularly set out to create, will no doubt be that many blame him, or at least The Scientists, for 'grunge.' Tune in to Radio City as Crispi catches up with Kim about the show, which will thematically and dynamically glide through the band's musical evolutions.

At Lulie Tavern on March 29,  Van Walker will be taking to the stage with his band Badlanders. With a new swag of originals to share, Van will be joined by Nick O’Mara (Raised by Eagles) on guitar, Mick Stylianou (Saint Jude) on bass, Dave Rose (Joni Lightning) on drums and Camilla Hodgkins (Boof!) on keys. Coming in to Swinging Doors to play a couple of live, acoustic songs for Ernie, tune in to hear about his upcoming new album 'Healing Descent'.

Texan black metal band Necrofier has released their new album 'Transcend Into Oblivion'. Deploying their modus operandi with more power, conviction, and ingenuity than ever before, the new record squalls of extremity, punctuated by sinister, melancholic and otherworldly melodies. Tune in to Burning Bitumen as Kene catches up with lead singer Christian about the album.

Starting out as a reflective space to explore the sorrows and sharp angles that come attendant with a lifelong diagnosis, Growth aims to find meaningful ways to channel the ugliest and most jarring fragments of the self. Their new album 'Under The Under', expresses emotion, illustrating pathways of recovery while acknowledging the most dread-filled aspects of it. Kene catches up with the local band ahead of their tour with Psycroptic and Rivers Of Nihil. 

Joining Penny for this episode of Passing Notes is Helsinki artist Jeku. His latest release ‘Peyote Trance’, follows Jeku's journey into the 'trip', where mother nature pulls the strings, instead of the tin foil hatted puppet masters that hold the strings to us all. Finding solace in the dance and opting for psychedelic enlightenment over psychological terror, tune in for an energetic guest mix and interview from the Paris based producer. 

Naarm/Melbourne-based sound artist Joel Stern is a curator and researcher with an interest in how sound and listening are part of shaping who we are as people and as cultures. He will be joining Ian this Sunday to talk about his latest release 'Environments 12', which delves into the complex connections and influences between the natural world and sound technologies, and interrogates the questions and uncertainties with which the modern world layers this ambiguous and baffling relationship.

'Sono Una Pera' is an Italian folkloric inspired album by local musician Adam Halliwell. Weaving between improvisations and compositions using old and new forgotten technologies, the album relays stories, fantasies, tales and false experiences inspired by a quasi-Italian life with his grandparents in Diamond Creek. Performed solo and recorded live early last year, Lloyd will be catching up with Adam about the new album. Tune in to find out when it's due for release.

A tango between vintage doom metal and modern heavy rock, Devil Electric's new album 'Tahlia' is a homage to the Latin phrase 'that which nourishes me, destroys me'. Known for their crushing riffs, haunting vocals, and commanding stage presence, the band are coming on to Pojama People for a Studio 5 Live performance. Chris Pearson catches up with the four-piece about their new album. 

Born in post-grunge Collingwood in late 1995, Augie March are celebrating 20 years of their platinum album 'Moo, You Bloody Choir' which saw the band gate-crash the mainstream party in 2006. Playing their third studio album in its entirety at The Croxton on April 9, the record features their hit, 'One Crowded Hour' which topped Triple J’s Hottest 100 at the time. Tune in to Radio City as Crispi catches up with vocalist/guitarist Glenn Richards while he's in town. 

Boasting a collection of high-calibre musicians with an impressive pedigree (The Cat Empire, The Badloves, Ajak Kwai), PSI PHI will be launching their debut album at Shotkickers on April 18. Drawing inspiration from the gatefold-era of 70s prog and psych rock hedonistic excess, PSI PHI evoke the gods and monsters of the golden age of rock with virtuosity and intensity. Members of the group stop by Pojama People, tune in to hear them chat with Chris Pearson about the upcoming show.

This week on Down by the River PBS presents a special delayed broadcast from the 2026 Port Fairy Folk Festival. Join Lauren on stage for live sets and interviews from Irish Mythen (pictured), Svavar Knútur and Charley Castle and the Boys in the Well. Re-live the magic of this concert and feel the energy of this unique live radio event.

Three respected and influential singer-songwriters - Sara Storer, Shane Howard and Shane Nicholson - will join forces in an extraordinary live collaboration, celebrating the craft, power and legacy of Australian songwriting at MEMO Music Hall on May 14. This event will bring together three distinct voices whose songs have shaped the nation’s cultural landscape across generations. The two Shane's join Ernie, tune in to hear an intimate live performance from them.

Coming on to Swinging Doors to perform a couple of live songs for Ernie is US musician Mike Frazier. Hailing from the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia but relocated to Seattle, Washington in 2022, Mike Frazier is carrying on the tradition of record craft with a focus on authentic songwriting and high-quality production. Tune in to hear what brings him to Naarm/Melbourne. 

Joining Kene on Burning Bitumen this Thursday night is US metal guitarist Jack Owen, a founding member of Cannibal Corpse and part of Six Feet Under. Originally a side project formed by Chris Barnes with guitarist Allen West of Obituary, Six Feet Under has released 14 albums, and is listed by Nielsen Soundscan as the fourth-best-selling death metal act in the US. Tune in to hear what Jack Owen has been up to recently.

Formed in Santiniketan, West Bengal, in 2009, The Three Seas grew out of an all-night jam between Australian saxophonist Matt Keegan and local musicians Raju Das Baul and Deo Ashis Mothey, alongside Kolkata-based drummer Gaurab 'Gaboo' Chatterjee. Joining Pradip on Tiger Beats Elephant Grooves, tune in to hear about their new album 'Antahkarana', a luminous meeting of Baul mysticism, Himalayan folk, rock and dub, which they'll be performing at Jazz Lab on April 11. 

Local musicians Patrick Ryan (Cantrips) and Lachlan Stuckey (Surprise Chef) have teamed up to form the new project Blademasters. Their debut release 'King’s Knight' and 'Live By The Blade' features delicate acoustic guitar arrangements in unison, set against a dramatic rhythm section, which is inspired by David Axelrod's bold cinematic jazz works of the 1960s and 1970s. Tune in to Mystic Brew as Mike Gurrieri catches up with the duo ahead of their launch at High Note on April 23.

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.