Interviews

Naarm punk-rock heavyweights Press Club join Claire on Firewater to talk all things ‘To All the Ones That I Love’ – their brave, energetic and emotionally charged fourth album, released May 2. Known for their electrifying live presence and DIY ethos, Press Club have spent the better part of a decade pushing boundaries in Australia’s punk scene. On their latest record, they fuse the raw intensity of their early work with a more mature, textured sound, showcasing Natalie Foster’s soaring vocals.

This week on the Dounya show, Sista Sara chats with Gazan based Palestinian rapper, Mahmoud Salman. Mahmoud has been making music for over a decade, writing lyrics that convey a powerful message. He talks to Sista Sara about his music, including his new single 'Truce', his musical inspirations, life under siege, collaborations with other Palestinian artists, and about art as resistance. 

Naarm's folk-tronic act Amaru Tribe are embarking on an exciting journey to Colombia to complete production of their next EP, featuring collaborations with local and international artists. Before they depart, they're inviting the community to celebrate at an intimate farewell music gathering. Joining the line-up at The Night Cat on August 1 is multi-instrumentalist producer MOONTIDE, DJs Otorongo (Chile) and Musicaya (Columbia), plus Chinese-Australian artist QiQi. Tune in for all the details.

Coming through to Homebrew is Gareth Liddiard (guitarist, vocalist) of genre-bending four-piece Tropical Fuck Storm. In conversation with Brooke, he speaks about the band's highly anticipated recent release 'Fairyland Codex' filled with well-schooled social anarchy, snarling guitars and pulsing rhythms. The national album tour begins in November, covering Torquay, Archies Creek, Castlemaine, Adelaide, Perth, Sydney and Newcastle.

Associate Lecturer in Crime, Justice and Legal Studies and a PhD candidate at La Trobe University, Janelle Johnstone comes in to Homebrew to chat with Brooke about her research that explores gendered participation in Naarm's live music community, focusing on mid career and established artists who work in DIY and punk traditions. Tune in to hear about her research that aims to better support women and gender diverse practitioners.

Influenced by Brian Eno, John Hassell, The Necks, and swathes of electronic music, TL;DR (Too Long; Didn’t Read) creates hypnotic, minimal, groove-based music that is fresh and distinctive, spinning these influences into a sound that defies categorisation. Led by Peter Knight and featuring bassist/vocalist Helen Svoboda, guitarist Theo Carbo, and 20-year-old drummer Quinn Knight, Peter and his son Quinn come in to play some live tunes for Greg on Stars In The Static.

Hailing from Naarm, Body Maintenance sounds like a band you would hear in a club in 1980s Manchester. While taking inspiration from the likes of Sisters of Mercy, The Sound and Echo and the Bunnymen, their sound is unique and unlike any other bands in the realm. Recently, the otherworldly outfit released 'Far From Here', their new project which launches at the John Curtin on August 1. Tune in to hear more from Mike, Riley Stafford (vocalist, guitarist) and James Kane (guitarist).

CONVERGE presents a night of experimental live electronic music, DJs, and performance art to celebrate the launch of electronic artist Three Mothers’ self-titled album. Showcasing some of Naarm’s most innovative, visceral, and cutting-edge musicians and performers, CONVERGE invites audiences to transform, expand, and transcend. Tune in to Club It To Death as Pete catches up with Three Mothers ahead of the show at Miscellania on July 25.

Acid Chess Club Presents: 'Chesstivus' - Melbourne’s most unorthodox winter chess tournament at CY Venue. Taking place as part of Leaps and Bounds Festival, the tournament will be held with 64 players, each going head-to-head for a night full of feats of strength (over-the-board chaos), with live music from Wrong Way Up, DJ Possum, Adam Halliwell, and the Acid Chess Club DJs. Tune in as Benji from Chesstivus stops by The Breakfast Spread to chat about the event, taking place on July 24.

Sophie Hutchings talks to Cas about intending to record an EP, and ending up with an album’s worth of ambient piano solos that became her new album, 'Become the Sky'.

Ryan Kirby, vocalist for Texan metalcore titans Fit For A King speaks to Ryan about their upcoming eighth album, Europe and North America touring schedule, and their impending plans for Australian shows next January with The Plot In You. What’s a king to a god? That’s a question the band are chewing on through their heavy-as-hell new album, 'Lonely God' out August 1 via Solid State Records.

An intuitive art project born from raw passion; musical ecstasy fueled by impulsive composition and enactment, Swiss band BØLZER describe their own stage experience as a form of spiritual rapture. With a name that closely translates to something like 'smasher' or 'bulldozer', the duo will be in Melbourne on August 16, playing at Max Watts. Tune in as Leah and Kene catch up with the band ahead of their Australian tour.

Credited as being one of the first death metal groups to write songs about Viking/Scandinavian history and heritage, instead of more typical subjects like death and gore, Swedish band Unleashed are back with a new album 'Fire Upon Your Lands'. Kene and Leah catch up with founder of the band Johnny Hedlund, tune in to hear them chat about all things death metal.

Fiery five-piece all-girl rockers Hot Machine join Chris on Pojama People ahead of Arockalypse Now, returning for its fourth year on August 2 at the Westernport Hotel, San Remo. Formed in 2023, the Naarm-based band burst onto the scene with their debut single ‘She’s on the Money’, and haven’t slowed down since—bringing their blazing rock and roll to stages across the country. Listen in as Hot Machine talk riffs, rebellion, and getting loud at one of Victoria’s wildest regional festivals.

From electric jazz to ambient, experimental, house, and funk, Cory Champion is a versatile musician who has just made Melbourne his new home. His Aotearoa-based group Clear Path Ensemble channels the expansive and astral elements of electric jazz with an introspective dynamic, and he also features on The Circling Sun’s new cosmic jazz record, 'Orbits'. Tune in to Mystic Brew to hear Cory play some tracks with Mike Gurrieri.

Combining Carl Theodor Dreyer's 1928 French silent film The Passion of Joan of Arc with a spellbinding original score, LA composer Julia Holter presents an immense sonic tapestry performed live at Melbourne Recital Centre with musicians Corey Fogel, Sarah Belle Reid & Tashi Wada, and singers of The Consort of Melbourne. Ahead of this event in August, Annika Priest catches up with Holter for a riveting conversation on The Breakfast Spread.

Committed digger, dancefloor filler and celebrated BBC6Music broadcaster Deb Grant is one of this year's key international guest speakers at BIGSOUND. Ahead of her trip down under in September, Deb has a captivating conversation with Elle Young about her journey of discovery and deep love for emerging artists.

Creating honest art that touches audiences is the drive behind Ella Ion's music. Hailing from Kaurna land, Ion is a is an alternative folk-rock singer/songwriter who has been playing in an array of local bands since she was 15, and was inspired after picking up classical guitar at 10, by world, folk, post-rock and jazz music. Drawing on influences of indie-rock, folk and country, her eloquent lyricism and masterful musical control delivers a cacophony of raw emotion, anchored by grit and heart.

Tune in to The Sound Barrier this weekend to hear composer, conductor, violist, and programmer Aaron Wyatt, and composer-percussionist Louise Devenish chat with Ian Parsons about their work. In collaboration with composer Kate Milligan, the live performance ‘Dark Oceanography’ explores the life of vulnerable oceans through immersive percussion and electronics, premiering at the Monash Performing Arts Centre on Sunday, 27 July.

Australian composer Wally Gunn and Homophonic! artistic director Miranda Hill join Ian on The Sound Barrier to chat about the Australian premiere of Wally’s oratorio 'Moonlite', taking place at Fitzroy Town Hall on Saturday, July 26. Scored for voices, percussion, and viola, the work tells the queer love story of 19th-century bushrangers Captain Moonlite and James Nesbitt.