Interviews

Way Out West Roots Music Club (WoW) is an institution in Melbourne’s western suburbs, offering a feast of cool blues and roots music on Sunday afternoons. With a new venue for 2026, WoW President Rob Rowe joins Helen Jennings on Roots Of Rhythm to chat about the new venue and the gigs they have coming up.

The eight voices from Grammy-award winning, North American vocal band Roomful of Teeth will fill Elisabeth Murdoch Hall on February 11, revealing an extraordinary sonic landscape distinct from any sounds you’ve ever heard. Presenting works from their 'Rough Magic' album, Roomful of Teeth are known for blending contemporary classical precision with bold experimentation, earning praise for their “consistently yet freshly cutting-edge” sound. Tune in as Cas chats with artistic director Beachamp.

US deathcore group Signs Of The Swarm are about to go on tour, supporting their US friends Born Of Osiris at Max Watt's Melbourne on March 19. Celebrating their decade of dominance with a completely sold out US tour and reputation for being one of deathcore's most ferocious live band, David Simonich from Signs Of The Swarm catches up with Ryan. Tune in to hear about the band's latest album 'To Rid Myself Of Truth'. 

US progressive deathcore group Born Of Osiris are about to embark on their long awaited Australian tour this March, celebrating their 15th anniversary of their breakthrough album 'The Discovery’. Ahead of the tour, Ryan chats to Cameron Losch (drums) and Ronnie Canizaro (vocals) about their most recent album, 'Through Shadows', and how they're navigating the loss of a longtime member. 

Local based DJ and dancefloor curator Jeyson Iza aka Iza's journey began in 2004, rooted in vinyl culture and shaped by Bogotá’s underground scene through the Airbag collective. After developing his craft in Spain with residencies in Madrid and performances across Europe and Latin America, he refined his sound through formal study at Madrid’s Microfusa School and radio work with Radio Círculo. Tune in to Dounya to hear Iza's storytelling approach to the decks, guided by dancefloor energy.

From DJing at Burning Man in the USA and Devconnect in Turkey, to dominating festival main stages around Australia, along with hosting his own show 'Coburg Up Late', Callum aka DJ Be Kind To Other People will be dropping in to Boogie Beat Suite. Tune in to hear about 'Coburg Up Late 50th Episode Live-Recorded Charity Event' at Revolver Upstairs on February 12, along with an up-beat guest mix. 

Brazilian composer and multi-instrumentalist Alcides Neto has just announced his debut album, 'Amu', set for release on February 27. Written over several years, each track carries its own small story, rooted in a shared source of inspiration: his childhood in the countryside of São Paulo state, Brazil, whose landscapes, rhythms  and memories quietly shaped the music. Tune in to Homebrew as Alcides brings in his acoustic guitar to play a few live songs and to chat about the new album.

Joining Claire Dickson for an intimate, live in-studio performance this February 2 is local atmospheric pop trio Hydroplane. Having released their new album, 'A Place In My Memory Is All I Have To Claim' late last year - their first music after more than two decades of radio silence - Andrew Withycombe, Kerrie Bolton, and Bart Cummings return to the gentle, close-quarters musical world they shared around the turn of the century. Tune in from 8am to hear this ambient, electronic performance.

'Homophonic!' is Melbourne's annual celebration of queer composers and a regular part of the Midsumma Festival, and local double bassist and Artistic Director of the event Miranda Hill will join Ian on the show. Now in its 16th year, 'Homophonic!' brings a tremendous array of LGBTQI+ composers to Melbourne audiences, including the annual Pride Prize for a newly commissioned work by an Australian queer composer. As the Festival describes itself, 'Homophonic!' is, "classical music, but gayer".

Joining Milo Eastwood for a Studio 5 Live performance is Adelaide formed, Melbourne-based outfit No News. Following two recent standout sets at Sonder Festival and Strawberry Fields last year, No News will be sharing their genre-blurring, two-piece band blending live jazz with house and breakbeat energy to The Breakfast Spread listeners. Ahead of their show at The Night Cat on February 7, Milo catches up with the band about their biggest headline show to date. 

'The World is not Yours' is the debut album from local blackened grinding death band, MUNT. Across thirteen relentless tracks, the band forges black metal, death metal, grindcore, hardcore, and noise into a dense slab of raw aggression, sharpened by a bitter philosophical edge. Tune in to Burning Bitumen as Kene catches up with the band about the new record.

Tune in to the second half of Sunglasses After Dark as Phil catches up with Japanese/Australian band Mach Pelican to talk about their new 7" vinyl single, 'Remember It?' (Side A) and 'Summer Sun' (Side B). Their first recorded music in 20 years, Mach Pelican formed in Perth in the ’90s before later moving to Melbourne. Tune in to hear about the trio’s show at The Last Chance Rock & Roll Bar on January 31.

Listen in to Sunglasses After Dark this Thursday as Phil MacDougall catches up with Steven Shane McDonald, bass guitarist for US rock band Redd Kross. Two months out from the band’s joint Australian tour with The Hard-Ons, Phil and Steven chat about Redd Kross’ new documentary, 'Born Innocent: The Redd Kross Story'; the new book, 'Now You’re One of Us: The Incredible Story of Redd Kross'; the band’s latest self-titled double album; and their show at The Thornbury Theatre on March 14.

The Sacred Cowboys are about to release their first album in 19 years - 'In The Manifesto'. It’s a complex, atmospheric soundtrack with Gray’s cool delivery over sometimes sparse, sometimes weaving guitars and rich harmonies. Channeling a Sonic Youth ethos and grinding the gears in the engine room of the Cosmos Factory, ‘In the Manifesto’ is as wide and expansive as the Australian desert skies. Tune in as Michael catches up with Garry Gray and Mark Ferrie about their show at The Tote on Feb 14. 

On February 7 at the Coburg RSL club, local group The Wellingtons will be delivering their pop feel goods. Their sixth album 'Baby Moon' follows 2017’s 'End of the Summer', and marks a new chapter for the band - one that embraces getting older, exploring other interests, and raising kids, while still holding tight to their signature blend of memorable melodies and lyrical bite. Tune in to Radio City as Crispi catches up with Zac and Kate about the band's upcoming album launch show.

Ahead of their Victorian debut at Miscellania on January 30th, Sydney trio Th Blisks celebrates a re-issue of their 2022 LP 'How So?' thanks to local label Efficient Space's desire to recirculate this fog-thick dubby and paranoid trip-hop record beyond its original 150-copy confines. Two of the band's three members, Amelia Besseny and Cooper Bowman, join Milo for an unmissable round of Musical Chairs. Tune in early on Thursday morning to hear more.

Since forming out of south London in 2017, Dry Cleaning have captivated audiences worldwide with their quirky lyrics and unconventional pop songwriting. Their new album, 'Secret Love', has just been released, and is their finest expression yet of the profound friendships that underpin Dry Cleaning - between frontperson Florence Shaw, guitarist Tom Dowse, drummer Nick Buxton, and bassist Lewis Maynard. Tune in as Lyndelle catches up with Florence and Lewis about the new album.

Beyond The Sea are Belinda Gibson on uke and Michelle Lewis - guitar, accompanied by Andrew Barcham - double bass, and Mark Pottenger - mandolin. Beyond the Sea has developed a lovely blend of folk and bluegrass tunes, featuring sweet delicate melodies and weaving harmonies. This week they drop in to chat to Jan, and to play an intimate live set on-air.

Since launching in early 2023, metallic hardcore punk band Better Lovers has risen to global prominence at a pace as blistering as their chaotic music. After tearing it up all around the world for the last two years and ripping out their album 'Highly Irresponsible' in 2024, the group will finally make their Australian debut this month. Guitarists Jordan Buckley and Will Putney join Ryan on Tyrannocoreus, tune in to hear about their show at Max Watt's Melbourne on January 28.

Jahred Gomes, vocalist for seminal US nu-metal group (Hed) P.E joins Ryan on Tyrannocoreus. Chatting about the band’s upcoming Australian tour to celebrate the 25th anniversary of their breakthrough album 'Broke', tune in to hear about their 17th studio album and what the band has in store for 2026.