A Journey Through Aussie Pop

As important as the fictional story of The Takeaways was to the success of Sweet And Sour , an equally crucial factor was the show's soundtrack. Johanna Pigott and Graham "Buzz" Bidstrup (formerly of The Angels and The Party Boys ) talk us through the process of reaching out to the cream of Australia's songwriters for material to include in the show. Both Johanna and Buzz also...

At 6pm on July 2, 1984, a new ABC series debuted and would go on to become one of the most popular shows aired on the national broadcaster all decade. Created by Johanna Pigott and Tim Gooding , both former members of punk band XL Capris , Sweet And Sour depicted the rise and fall of fictional group The Takeaways . In this first episode in a two-part special, Johanna shares her memories of being i...

In this special podcast crossover event, the teams behind A Journey Through Aussie Pop and A Journey Through Stock Aitken Waterman unite to discuss the legacy of Tania Lacy , who went from dancer on Countdown and choreographer of Kylie Minogue 's "Locomotion" music video to maverick presenter on spin-off series The Factory and Countdown Revolutio n. Tania talks about being co-host o...

As the '90s became the 2000s, two bubbly teenagers came seemingly out of nowhere to score back-to-back top 5 singles, "Sister" and "What's A Girl To Do", but Christine and Sharon Muscat had been preparing for that moment for years. First, growing up with their musician father, Joe , helping them to develop their talents and then, being spotted by Tina Arena on TV and...

With every one of their four singles reaching the ARIA top 10, dance duo Madison Avenue had a perfect chart strike rate. Formed by DJ/producer Andy Van and singer Cheyne Coates , the pair crossed over from the clubs to the top 50 in 1999 with "Don't Call Me Baby" — a song Cheyne was never meant to sing. Andy tells us about how that track came together — from the sample he based the...

In 1983, Australian synthpop exploded with a surge of new bands hitting the ARIA chart, Front and centre was Melbourne's Real Life , which had been plugging away since forming in late 1980 through a couple of newspaper ads. Electronic anthem "Send Me An Angel" was a massive success locally and took off overseas, becoming a hit in North America and Europe. Singer David Sterry talks a...

She might have taken the well-worn path from soap opera to pop music, but former E Street actress Toni Pearen actually turned down the first record deal that was offered to her. The singer, actress, presenter and reality TV favourite talks about why she waited to sign with Mushroom Records and the process of putting together her back-to-back top 10 hits, "In Your Room" and "I Want Y...

Following solo success at home in New Zealand, Tina Cross relocated to Australia in the early '80s, eventually teaming up with singer/songwriter Leon Berger , who was born in Russia but had also made the move down under. Together, they formed the foundation of synthpop band Koo De Tah , whose debut single, "Too Young For Promises", was a top 10 smash in 1985. Tina and her former ban...

Their album ...ish remains one of the all-time best-selling debuts in Australian music history, but no record company wanted to sign 1927 . Lead singer Erik Weideman talks about putting that multi-platinum album together after he was spotted on Hey Hey It's Saturday talent quest Red Faces by former Moving Pictures member Garry Frost and how it was producer Charles Fisher who took a chance on...

In the early '90s, there was no hotter Australian pop music label than Westside Records, who pounced on Radio Freedom , a project fronted by Paul Snashall . Fresh off an appearance on talent show Star Search , the singer otherwise known as Pehl put together a track called "I Can Feel It", an infectious mix of dance, Latin and hip-hop that stormed the ARIA top 10. In our interview wi...

In 1989, four young, energetic performers crashed onto the Australian chart with their debut single, "Say Goodbye" — an instantly catchy piece of synthpop that took them into the top 10. One of the first signings to Molly Meldrum 's Melodian Records, Indecent Obsession had the good looks that saw them regularly in the pages of Smash Hits and the killer hooks that made for some great...

We continue the story of Australian girl group Girlfriend , with Melanie Alexander , Jacqui Cowell , Siobhann Heidenreich and Robyn Loau telling us about the promotional trips they made overseas, especially to the UK and Japan, in an attempt to break internationally. Back in Australia, the group moved on to second album It's Up To You , although "Heartbeat" and "Wishing On The...

Exactly 30 years ago, Melanie Alexander , Jacqui Cowell , Siobhann Heidenreich , Robyn Loau and Lorinda Noble burst onto the pop scene with their debut single, "Take It From Me". The all-singing, all-dancing girl group were like nothing Australia had seen — and they were ahead of their time internationally with their girl power message (the words were literally in the lyrics of their sec...

They were at the forefront of Australia's synthpop scene and Pseudo Echo were rewarded for toughing it out on the rock-dominated live music circuit with a string of hits, including debut single "Listening", which the band played an early version of as an unsigned act on Countdown . Lead singer and principal songwriter Brian Canham tells us about that breakthrough appearance and the...

From his pioneering work on Australia's dance music scene in the 1990s to becoming a pop star in the 2000s, Paul Mac has had a long and impressive career. In a candid and insightful — not to mention F bomb-laden — interview, the recording artist, songwriter, producer and remixer discusses some of his standout musical moments. Paul reflects on releasing the ARIA Award-winning club track "...

In the early '90s, indie pop band Frente! enjoyed a meteoric rise in Australia, going from the Triple J Hottest 100 to regulars in the top 5 of the ARIA chart in just a couple of releases. In this episode, we hear from singer Angie Hart about the band's early success and the backlash they suffered following the release of "Accidently Kelly Street", which was brutally parodied b...

Twin sisters Sherine and Zan Abeyratne made a huge impression on the Australian pop scene in the 1980s. Individually, they were members of two of the most innovative, era-defining bands to emerge locally that decade: Big Pig and I'm Talking . In this episode, the siblings look back on their time in those groups, whose sound pushed Australian music out of its pub rock comfort zone, and talk ab...

In the first episode of Chart Beats: A Journey Through Aussie Pop , we take a look at dance-pop band Euphoria , who were massively successful in Australia in the early '90s, albeit for only a brief period of time. We have a frank conversation with founding member Andrew Klippel and hear about the ill-fated decision to show model Holly Garnett lip syncing to singer Keren Minshull 's vocal...