Take 5

Mac DeMarco has long been loved for his laid-back guitar noodlings and so called “slacker” rock. He sometimes calls it "jizz jazz", but whatever it is, it’s gained him a loving fanbase across the world. For the past few years, Mac has moved away from traditional albums in favour of brain dumping huge swaths of music – a lot of it without lyrics. But now he’s returned with an old school album, and...

Bert McCracken from The Used shares 5 songs that 'got him through'. The frontman and founding member of The Used found his tribe through music, and he’s gathered a huge community of fans over the last 25 years. It's the occasion of that quarter century that’s taking them around the world, to play out their first three albums in full night after night. It’s why I invited Bert to Take 5. His music h...

It’s been five years since Meg Washington released an album of original songs, but that time hasn’t been wasted.  Starring in Bluey as Calypso, and co-writing the Paul Kelly inspired film How To Make Gravy have dominated her last little while.  But now she’s back with GEM, and it’s a welcome return. When talking about the album, Meg said she conjured a treasure island while writing these songs, fi...

Sophie Payten has had a wild five years. Better known as Gordi, she’s been living all over, put music on hold to work her day job as a doctor during the pandemic, and has been reassessing her place and space in the world through it all. It’s been that long too, since her last album, and she’s captured the intensity, beauty, and whirlwind of her experiences on Like Plasticine. Ahead of her third al...

Patience Hodgson is no stranger to the Hottest 100.  As lead singer of The Grates, she is certified alumni – with 8 entries and plenty of memories with her beloved band. And as we celebrate a special Hottest 100 of Australian songs , who better to wear their love of local on their sleeve.  I roped Pae in for a pre-party and she delivered; not just with incredible songs but a peek behind the curtai...

Howlin’ Pelle is a joy to be around. As the longtime lead singer for Swedish garage rock legends The Hives, he brings big energy on stage and off. The band are known for their live shows, and their forthcoming new album is one they wrote with a stadium sensibility in mind. So when The Hives returned to Australia for the first time in 10 years, I asked him to choose his blockbuster songs. From AC/D...

Yorta Yorta man Tom Forrest knows how to spin a yarn. Better known as Outback Tom, he’s amassed hundreds of thousands of fans on social media with his bush recipes and know how. Often joined by his Grandad, he shows his beautiful backyard of the Kimberley, while entertaining us with his charm and smarts. Tom’s a real renaissance man, he’s one of those people who tries his hand at everything… curio...

This week, I’ve pulled out a special Take 5 from the archives, when Ngaiire joined me to explore songs without boundaries. Ngaiire has long been one of Australian music's most treasured voices. Having lived and travelled across many places, she draws on these experiences to shape her distinctive sound. Music has always been a big part of Ngaiire’s life. As a child of the 90’s, she grew up listenin...

Eddie Perfect has been entertaining us for years.  A star of stage and screen, he’s a writer of Broadway musicals, played Mick Holland on Offspring, and once composed a musical about Shane Warne.  Eddie’s currently starring in the titular role for another musical he wrote – Beetlejuice - and he nails it.  But for someone with such a varied life in song, I was curious about the inspirations he drew...

If you’re an avid podcast listener, you’ve likely heard one of Richard Fidler’s Conversations .  For 20 years he’s been chatting with people from all walks of life, making the Conversations podcast one of the most popular in Australia.  So as they mark this big 20th birthday, I thought it’d be fun to flip the mic on Richard. Because his story begins long ago, as a founding member of the Doug Antho...

Katy Steele has always been surrounded by music.  Her brothers came up with the Sleepy Jackson and Empire of the Sun, and her dad Rick Steele was a legendary blues guitarist around Perth.  But Katy made her own mark more than 20 years ago, when she burst out as the songwriter and frontwoman of Little Birdy. With her soaring voice and knack for writing catchy pop songs, their debut album BigBigLove...

It's been a big year for Sam Cromack and his band Ball Park Music. A sold out tour, a #1 album, and a step away from their jaunty indie tunes into a more heartfelt, reflective moment. Like Love has solidified their place and one of Australia’s most loved bands. It got me thinking about other artist's departures; when they shifted the needle on their sound and surprised us all (for the better). Div...

Isabella 'Izzi' Manfredi was born to be a frontwoman. As lead singer for The Preatures, she brought rock n roll swagger and brilliant pop songwriting to the scene, when they arrived in the 2010’s.  They called it a day in 2020, but recently decided to reform and celebrate that brilliant debut album Blue Planet Eyes. It was the catalyst to invite Izzi in to Take 5, and hear about the music that had...

Kumi Taguchi is freshly minted author. Long known to us as a journo with ABC News and the current host of Insight on SBS, she’s just put out a beautiful memoir titled The Good Daughter. Kumi has always had that perfect blend of curiosity and empathy, it’s what makes her a great journo. She’s also got a strong grounding in music, having trained in violin as a child and even winning a scholarship to...

Tim Carroll has got stories. One half of Holy Holy, he’s been adventuring around the world for most of his adult life, and place is key to his story with bandmate Oscar Dawson. As Holy Holy get ready to wrap it up for a while, I grabbed Tim on the way out of the door, to Take 5. His great sense of adventure and exceptional music taste locked this one in as a highlight, so go for a journey of sound...

It was 2006 when UK band The Kooks burst onto the scene with their debut record Inside In / Inside Out. Six albums later, they're returning to the same raw energy that captured their beginnings, and a nod in the album title too. On the day Never/Know comes out, frontman Luke Pritchard joined Zan to Take 5, and celebrate the songs that capture that same energy. From Lykke Li to David Bowie to The P...

You’re about to hear a side of Antony Green you’ve never heard before.  The longtime Chief Election Analyst for the ABC is about to hang up his boots, after calling close to 100 elections in his time. He’s the guy we look to as the polling booths close, crunching the numbers, understanding the swings, and with a brain and knowledge bank that would rival the best computers. Antony is an icon, and a...

Back in the early '90s, a little band called Slowdive were making waves in the UK. With wall of sound, they dwelled in the same realm as My Bloody Valentine, a real shoegaze sensibility, and they thrived. Then they hit a wall. As the loud, brash sounds of Britpop rose, the press soured on shoegaze, and the band decided to call it a day in the mid '90s. In 2013 they made a comeback and a few years...

Lucy Dacus is one helluva songwriter. Whether collaborating with boygenius, or crafting solo songs, she’s gathered a dedicated following across the world. Lucy just recently put out her fourth album Forever is a Feeling, but back in 2019 she was in Australia touring her second Historian, and I swooped at the chance to have her Take 5. She was 23 at the time, but already showing a wisdom that prove...

A special treat in the feed this week, as Zan speaks with Justin Vernon in his only Australian interview. Bon Iver have just released their first new album in 6 years, and it's a lush, heartfelt love letter of song. Justin doesn’t give interviews often, and this conversation finds him more open than ever before. He’s also really happy. But it’s not without nuance, as you’ll hear across this beauti...

The acclaimed rapper, actor, poet and activist joined Zan Rowe for a joyous Take 5 at the end of 2020. It was after a tumultuous year in American politics and the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Common had spent a huge chunk of the year on the campaign trail with Joe Biden, during which he recorded and released an EP called A Beautiful Revolution (Pt. 1) which featured huge guests like Stevie Won...

As the oldest child of Jimmy and Jane Barnes, music has always been in Mahalia Barnes' blood, so it was no surprise that she inherited her dad’s extraordinary set of pipes, and set off on her own path. We may have first met her as a little kid in The Tin Lids, but pretty soon Mahalia entrenched herself in a world of jazz and soul. Forming her own band, collaborating with American guitarist Joe Bon...

Mel Buttle knows how to make you laugh. She’s one of Australia’s most loved comedians, and this year got to check another thing off her bucket list when the Melbourne International Comedy Festival asked her to host their Gala. It’s no surprise to anyone who’s seen her. Ever since she took to the stage more than 15 years ago, Mel has been a regular on our TV screens and radio stations. She’s hosted...

Julia Stone is one of Australia’s most successful musicians. With her brother Angus, she’s topped the Hottest 100 and sold-out massive shows across the world. As a solo artist, Julia has worked with some amazing collaborators. Back in 2021 Julia joined me to Take 5. It was right after she’d released her solo album Sixty Summers, which was a sonic shift from anything we'd heard from Julia Stone bef...

Kristin Hersh is a singular artist. For almost 40 years she’s been writing and performing songs. She may have gotten her start as a kid in Throwing Muses, but her creative life has expanded to other bands, solo work, critically acclaimed books, and iconic collaborations. Even if you’re not across Kristin’s work, you’re going to love the conversation you’re about to hear. About the magic of song, h...