Known Pleasures

In this episode we attempt to answer the big questions. Who had the worst haircut in New Wave? Could Sammy Hagar replace Paul Weller in The Jam? What is our fantasy football line up for the greatest Post Punk band of all time? Video Version: https://youtu.be/mpi5JyZxdxI Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063297726030 Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@KnownPleasuresPodcast Instagr...

Lloyd Cole is on his way Down Under and we at Known Pleasures had the opportunity to Interview him before the tour to ask about his long career, the benefits of working solo, embracing technology and crickets keeping time. Lloyd Cole Tour Dates: https://www.destroyalllines.com/tours/lloydcole Video Version of this interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sglNfVhIsl4&t=6s   Facebook: https://...

In this episode we analyse Dave & Annies Sweet Dreams, Sweet Hopes & Sweet Desires. Video version of this episode: https://youtu.be/HDMJuquvOXA Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063297726030 Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@KnownPleasuresPodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/knownpleasurespodcast/ Twitter: @pleasuresknown The Known Pleasures Theme Song: https://w...

In this episode Steve Norman attempts to cut a long story short but the Spandau Ballet legend is a tale that cannot be abridged. We know this much is true.

The Prime Minister Of Australia dared to wear a T Shirt and the whole country lost control. In this episode we take a closer look at T Shirt gate and ask the question, 'Would any of this have happened if he chose to wear a CLOSER T shirt'?  YouTube Video Version: https://youtu.be/eDEDE8XGpM4 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063297726030 Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@KnownPl...

Just two albums, one almost-hit single, a handful of TV appearances, 100-or-so gigs: all of them 40-plus years ago. Ancient history! So, why are we - and so many others across the globe - still talking about Joy Division? Today, we at Known Pleasures attempt to disentangle Factory from fiction as we try to understand how this unassuming quartet - armed only with a startlingly brilliant array of so...

Here are my (Graham's) choices for the Top 20 albums of 1979.    Video version of this episode: https://youtu.be/5Yj2U-_qR-g Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063297726030 Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@KnownPleasuresPodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/knownpleasurespodcast/ Twitter: @pleasuresknown The Known Pleasures Theme Song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dvn2...

Midge Ure's career crosses many paths. From the teen pop of Slik to the punk royalty of The Rich Kids. From the synth pioneers Visage to the synth rock of Ultravox. Stopping to help out Thin Lizzy in '79 and creating the Band Aid classic in '84, his journey has taken him around the world. Today we talk to Midge about his career, his music and everything in between. Video version of this interview:...

In this episode we throw a line out to catch the fish below the ice and delve deep into the mind of the great Barry Andrews. We discuss XTC, Shriekback, the new album Monument and the significance of the 'Tiny Green Garden Sticks' from Covent Garden. You can purchase the new Shriekback album from this website: https://www.shriekback.com/store Video version of this interview: https://www.youtube.co...

In this episode we interview the Head Of The Church, the Supreme Leader of this Guitar Driven Chapter and the Archbishop of melodic melancholy, Steve Kilbey. Steve and his band The Church have been at the forefront of the Australian music scene since the 80's and in this interview I get to know more about the physicality of band dynamics, the songwriting process and the snare sound that almost des...

In our latest flexidisc we look into the story behind Video Killed The Radio Star. The production, the instrumentation, the arrangement and the glasses. Who were The Camera Club? How did Tina Charles fit into the story? Who exactly was Dr. Bop? We heard this on the wireless back in '79. And we've been loving it ever since.

We at Known Pleasures have had an unusually complicated relationship with The Smiths. But that doesn't mean we can't have the conversation. In this episode we choose 10 songs at random and discuss their pros and cons. Mark makes an appearance at the end to give us his 2 cents worth on the Mancunian quartet. Video Version of this podcast: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hfMFZtwzt5Y&t=28s   Face...

Were there any New Wave Xmas songs? Turns out there were quite a few. Video Version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=atLAbrKhJxw  

In this episode we interview Cathy McQuade & Ken Campbell from the Australian New Wave band Deckchairs Overboard. We discuss the early days in Melbourne, Cointreau, Paul Hester, supporting Midnight Oil and Hunters & Collectors, making videos with dice & chains and what they've been doing recently. For those of you who aren't familiar with Deckchairs Overboard, here is the much celebrat...

Were Graham Parker & The Rumour part of the Punk Rock scene in Australia? I guess it depends on where you view it from and from behind which pair of shades.

Lindy Morrison & Amanda Brown from The Go Betweens chat about the music, the memories and the madness of being musicians in the 80's. Pass the cookies and settle in for a podcast with an unusual time signature and a head full of steam. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063297726030 Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@KnownPleasuresPodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/k...

This is a personal one. A quick look at the history of one of my favourite music venues in my home town of Brisbane in Queensland. 

Can you clap in time to the I Don't Like Mondays intro? Clearly Patrick can't. In our latest Flexidisc we try to dismantle the classic Boomtown Rats song and try to work out what makes it tick. And the reason? Well, there are no reasons. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063297726030 Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@KnownPleasuresPodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kno...

In our latest 'Interview' episode we talk to Craig Hooper, former member of The Reels, The Mullanes (Crowded House) and The Church. We discuss his early days in regional New South Wales, the difficulties in naming bands, being stranded in New Zealand, using electronic instruments to create a unique sound and recording songs that would make your mother proud. Youtube video version of interview: htt...

In 1980, The Pretenders were everywhere. With the first number one single of the eighties, an album that was chock full of great songs and an image that could not be ignored. In today’s episode we’ll discuss the first three albums and follow Chrissy’s journey from Akron Ohio to the streets of London. Spotify Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0RyekXLu1VFePEtwJoCnFw?si=f5e1434b381c4660 Fac...

This is a compilation of a few of our favourite moments from the first 7 years of the Known Pleasures Podcast.

‘Play high, Hooky! Play high!’ Ian Curtis had been Joy Division’s conductor and lightning rod, giving his crucial nod of approval to Peter Hook’s upper-register bass sound and pulling the strings elsewhere. In May 1980, though, after Ian’s death, the renamed New Order faced an uphill battle. How they not only survived, but thrived spectacularly, is one of the great redemptive stories of rock and r...

On the eve of his upcoming tour we interview the former lead singer and songwriter from the seminal UK punk band The Stranglers, Hugh Cornwell.  We ask him about the new album, his days with The Stranglers and everything in between. So get a grip on yourself and listen in to a few moments of madness from the mind of Hugh Cornwell.

In our latest flexidisc we will exhume the body of Eileen, run a musical autopsy, and discuss the song that moved a million hearts in stereo in 1982. Was Eileen a metaphor for casting off the social mores of sexual repression and escaping Thatcherite Britain’s humdrum existence? Was Kevin Rowland plundering Celtic rhythms and instrumentation a way of coming to terms with his Irish heritage? Or was...

While time heals all wounds,  the scars of your first hapless podcast episode can run deep. With that in mind, we revisit Simple Minds and attempt to do justice to their Eureka-moment third album, Empires and Dance.