Bri Lee is an author, journalist, and activist. You’ve probably seen her pop up on telly, in panels, and online, because in just over 5 years Bri has carved out an acclaimed career, publishing the bestselling Eggshell Skull and another two books of non-fiction. Her work has interrogated how the legal system deals with sexual crimes, the realm of eating disorders, and the class structures within education, and all of it is written through a personal prism. In 2024, Bri turns her hand to...

Dave McCormack has one of those voices. As lead singer of Custard, his husky tones and the band’s playful indie rock beamed out of Brisbane in the 90s. They were a happy haven from the angsty guitar scene of the time. In 1999, after 5 albums and tonnes of shows as one of Australia’s favourite live acts, Custard called it a day. Dave McCormack would go on to play in other bands, he began composing soundtracks for film and television, and his voice would become familiar to an entirely new...

Adrianne Lenker feels things deeply. You hear it in every one of her songs, whether solo, or with her band Big Thief. Lucky for us, she shares it all, and over the past few years has become one of the most promising and prolific songwriters around; making 6 albums on her own and 5 with her band.   Her latest is “Bright Future” and it’s another stunning record of genius songwriting, and the inspiration for me to head back into the Take 5 archives and share this wonderful conversation from...

Well I hope you’re up for a laugh, cos this Take 5 is a special one. As comedy festival season kicks it around Australia, I’ve dug into the Take 5 archives and pulled out some of my favourite chats with comedians. Unsurprisingly, they’re great storytellers. And as we know from almost 20 years of Taking 5, everyone has a connection to music. There’s another throughline to these tales too, they all speak to adventure; to shifting to a new place for a new perspective, and often a whole new...

Laurie Anderson is bucket list. The artist, violinist, and poet has been exploring the world in her unique way for decades. She caught our breath releasing O Superman, and has continued to bring play, humour, and curiosity into all she does. Laurie was also the yin to Lou Reed’s yang, as a life and creative partner; putting on concerts for dogs, and most recently feeding her and his writing into a supercomputer to see what AI would spit out, in their voice. That was the catalyst for me...

Jack Antonoff is one of the most celebrated producers working today. With 10 Grammys under his belt, including three in a row for Producer of the Year, he has shaped the sound of pop music over the last decade. Taylor Swift, Lana Del Rey, The 1975, Lorde… these are just some of the names he’s produced and co-written with. And within the industry, he’s known as a brilliant collaborator – opposite to the classic Svengali directing himself into the story. Jack listens, guides, and celebrates...

It’s fair to say, boygenius’ debut album was highly anticipated. But did you know that it was an Australian producer that helped bring it to life? Catherine Marks was born and bred in Melbourne, but made her way to the UK where she’s been working with everyone from PJ Harvey to Foals, The Killers to, yes, boygenius. Her work is lauded across the world, winning awards and fans as one of the rare women to celebrated in the field. And while home in Australia for a hot minute, Catherine joined...

In the early 00’s The Streets burst onto the scene. Original Pirate Material was like nothing else around, combining garage beats with everyday stories from a geezer we could all relate to. Mike Skinner wanted to literally push things forward, taking the garage genre in a new direction and using his lyrics to talk about what was really going on inside the hearts and minds of people in the clubs. It struck a chord, and The Streets got a lot of attention. Over five albums Mike Skinner would...

Comedian Cameron James loves music. For years he’s been telling his stories through song, ploughing through personal history with a hook and a melody. You would have seen him pop up on funny panel shows, or heard him in hit podcast Finding Drago. Cameron’s latest comedy show is called Mixtape, and it’s a love letter to the songs that shape our lives. Which is why he’s the perfect person to Take 5. From Silverchair to Gladys Knight & the Pips, settle in for some ripper stories and the art...

Zoë Coombs Marr has been making us laugh for years. You might have seen her doing award winning stand up comedy, often doing meta shows that twist our brains. Maybe you caught her alter ego Dave, or have seen Zoë pop up on The Weekly, The Project and watched her brilliant 3 part series Queerstralia. Zoë is one of my favourite creators; she always keeps me guessing with what she’ll do next, and she always does it differently to everyone else. Her 2024 comedy show seems to be her most...

It’s been a big week for Kylie Minogue. 20 years after she won her first Grammy, she backed it up; grabbing Best Pop Dance Recording for "Padam Padam". It caps off one of the biggest recent peaks of Kylie’s career, and that’s saying something. Since most of us were little kids, Kylie has been in our lives. As an actor who became a pop star who became an icon in Australian music. She’s a chameleon, a stayer, and she fills every dancefloor with her magic. I love Kylie Minogue, and I thought...

We’re kicking off the 2024 Take 5 season with an absolute legend. He’s a star of the small screen, a comedian, a children’s book author, he’s part of the very fabric of Australian life, and 20 years ago he won the Gold Logie. As we celebrated the Hottest 100 of 2003 on Double J, I jumped into the time machine to relive it ALL with the brilliant and delightful Rove McManus. And from pop stars to drummers to nerds, he shared the songs that were gold, to him.    Ben Folds Five - One Angry Dwarf...

It’s fair to say 2023 has been a year for Caroline Polachek. Her second solo album soared into our hearts on Valentines Day, and stayed there. It solidified her place as one of the most remarkable musicians operating today; her voice as one of the most incredible of our time, and her output an unflinching celebration of art in all forms. Sonically, visually, and spiritually, Caroline Polachek defies genre and time. She’s just a marvel. Desire, I Want To Turn Into You has topped many best of...

Spoon are one of those bands that are quiet achievers. Over 25 years they’ve put out 10 albums and toured all over the world… they’ve weirdly never become super famous, but have a very dedicated bunch of fans. And I say weirdly, cos frontman Britt Daniel knows how to write a hit. He’s one of my favourite songwriters, and you can hear in Spoon’s songs and their curiosity that there’s a deep love for music and melody. From Sinatra to Prince to Gambino, this is a fall down the rabbit hole of a...

If you’re like me and came of age in the 90’s, then Supergrass loom large. The UK band exploded into the Brit Pop scene like a firecracker, with a song that captured the cheeky charm they’d come to be known for. Six albums followed, before they called it a day. And a few years later, lead singer Gaz Coombes went out on his own. In the last decade or so, Gaz has released a handful of critically acclaimed solo albums, and despite the madness of the era he came up in, remains one of the more...

Rhys Nicholson grew up making people want to laugh. As a kid in Newcastle, they were supported every step of the way, with a family of wild creatives and even an uncle in a famous Australian band.  Over the past few years, Rhys’s star has shone brighter and brighter. Winning major comedy awards, becoming a judge on Ru Paul’s Drag Race Down Under, and now writing their first memoir Dish.  But did that broke teenager moving to Sydney to give comedy a crack, have any inkling about how life...

For more than a decade now, Flight Facilities have been bringing the party. Starting life as DJ’s in Sydney’s club scene, they began making their own original music with “Crave You”, and from the get go were onto a winner. But that love of DJ-ing and deep cuts was always central to their foundations, and when not performing on big stages they were stitching together Decades Mixes, capturing ten years in a musical time capsule. These mixes became the stuff of legend, and as they clock fifty...

Liz Stringer is one of Australia’s finest songwriters. And she’s been doing it for years, honing her craft across six albums and countless stories. Her latest is a beauty, the critically acclaimed First Time Really Feeling. It’s one of those albums that floored me when I first heard it, and continues to, two years on. Liz is about to play it live one last time, stripped back and in solo mode, before she enters a new chapter in making a new album. So I thought this would be a perfect time to...

For more than 20 years, Pendulum have been at the top of the D&B game. Hailing from Perth but breaking through to the London scene, their massive sound has seen them play big stages, drop huge hits, and blend their love of heavy guitar and electronic music in all they do. But their musical palette is broad, which you’ll discover when founding member Rob Swire Takes 5 with the whole shebang. From Spiderbait to Empire of the Sun to Karnivool, this is a capture of the many sides of one of...

Over the last few months, a steady murmur has been building about a film called Past Lives. It’s the story of childhood friends, sweethearts even, who part ways when they’re 12 in South Korea and reunite many years later. And it’s the directorial debut of playwright Celine Song. It just opened in Australia, and lucky for us, the writer and director came out recently to share its story. While in town, I asked her to Take 5 with her past and present. And from Grizzly Bear to Leonard Cohen to...

If you’ve watched any Australian telly over the past 20 years, then you’re well acquainted with Julia Zemiro. She’s charmed us as the host of RocKwiz, visited famous people’s childhood’s in Home Delivery, and been a theatresports champion. She’s Roz in the TV series Fisk, and she brought a local connection to Eurovision when hosted the Australian telecast. Above all she loves music, and it was high time I invited Julia to Take 5. I always love chatting with her, but I didn’t expect some of...

August 11, 2023 marks 50 years to the day since hip-hop was born. It’s a genre, a scene, a philosophy that has changed the world; not just in music, but in culture, communication, and how we see ourselves. Over the years I’ve had the great pleasure of chatting with a ton of hip-hop legends, so I’m dusting off the crate and digging into Take 5’s past to share some of my favourites on this big anniversary. You’ll travel to Queens with Mike D, hear Neneh Cherry shout out a pioneer in the game,...

This year, 2023, marks the 50th anniversary of hip-hop. On August 11, 1973, a party went down in New York City. DJ Kool Herc was there, and he’d been playing around with a technique where he’d play the break from one record, then another, looping them and creating something new. On this night in the Bronx, b-boys and girls danced, then Herc and his friend Coke La Rock started speaking, rhyming over the music. Hip-hop was born. The foundations of a sound and scene that would change the world...

Sydney band Body Type draw us in with their pop hooks, before chewing us up and spitting us out with their visceral take downs. They’ve got a knack for that sweet and sour, writing songs that are trojan horses and pack a punch. With two albums under their belt, they’re proving themselves as one of Australia’s best new bands, and I love their work. So I asked them to Take 5. From Fiona Apple to Princess Nokia, this is an eclectic mix of subversive sounds. Fiona Apple - I Want You To Love...