Take 5

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...

Over the years of I've chatted with many incredible people from the LGBTQIA+ community.  Artists, comedians, musicians, singers; and a common thread through all these conversations is how much music has meant to them. How it’s been a place of joy and solace, love and healing. As we celebrate the annual Mardi Gras parade, I dug into the archives to pull out some of my favourite moments on Take 5. A...

For more than 15 years, Sharon Van Etten has worn her heart on her sleeve.  Over 7 albums she's processed the raw emotions of life through some incredible songs, and continued to evolve her sound with every album. From early days playing indie folk and Americana, to big anthems, incorporating synths, and now collaborating with her band for the first time on the writing of an album. With The Attach...

New Zealand band Shihad are calling it a day.  Over almost 4 decades they’ve torn up stages around the world, proving themselves one of the best live bands around. As they hang up the guitar leads, what better time to ask them to Take 5 and share some of their best memories? This is a blueprint for how Shihad came to be. It's also the story of a friendship that began in a schoolyard in Wellington...

One of the most influential bands of our time are coming back to Australia.  To celebrate New Order’s return, I’m dusting off a cracking Take 5 from 2020 with the one and only Bernard Sumner.  The frontman joined me to share the songs that made him, which was a real treat given his blueprint has changed the course of modern music. Dive into the Haçienda, and hear some incredible stories with this...

What do you say about Wayne Coyne?  The legendary frontman of Flaming Lips has been bringing us joy for more than four decades. Their live shows are the stuff of legend; wild visuals, confetti, balloons, furry animal costumes and giant plastic balls rolling across the crowd. And then there's their music, strange and uplifting pop songs that have become the soundtrack to our own lives. As they visi...

This is one of the best bits from Take 5. Aussie hip-hop royalty Hilltop Hoods had me in stitches when they came in to Take 5 in 2022. Like many of you, I’ve grown up with the Hoods, and had plenty of fun at festivals and shows with them too. It was such a buzz to finally Take 5 with them and travel through some of the highlights of an extraordinary career. Def Wish Cast - 'Rappin In My Sleep' Lis...

This is one of the best bits from Take 5. Angel Olsen did a stunning Take 5 in early 2023. It came after a period of massive upheaval for Angel—the death of her parents, coming out as queer, and all the joy and grief that circled around it. She came to the conversation with a new perspective, and a beautiful collection of songs that captured the full spectrum. Chris Bell - 'I Am The Cosmos' Listen...

This is one of the best bits from Take 5. Fatboy Slim was in Australia in January 2020, right before the world locked down. He came in to Take 5, and took us all on a thrilling journey through his crate digging collection and remarkable history. Donna Summer – ‘I Feel Love (Patrick Cowley remix)’ Listen to the full episode here : https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/take-5/fatboy-slim-dancefloor...

This is one of the best bits from Take 5. Caroline Polachek had a huge 2023, and at the end of it she joined Zan Rowe to Take 5.  The energy of her most recent album Desire, I Want to Turn Into You had been replicated with a volcano at her live shows, so her theme was centred around explosive songs of release (i.e. 'volcano' songs).  It wasn’t the first time she’d done Take 5, but more than a deca...

This is one of the best bits from Take 5. Comedian and much loved TV host Adam Hills got a huge reaction when he joined Zan Rowe to Take 5 with his Hall of Fame songs. There were laughs, tears, and plenty of wild stories.  Elbow - 'One Day Like This' Listen to the full episode here : https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/take-5/adam-hills-take-5-hall-of-fame-songs/103979338

This is one of the best bits from Take 5. Emily Wurramara had a remarkable year in 2024. She won an ARIA, was nominated for Double J Artist of the Year, and she toured all over the country.  Emily joined Zan Rowe to Take 5 on the same day her second album NARA was released and the energy in the studio was pumping. It’s very much a record of renewal, and one of Double J's 50 Best Albums of 2024 . B...

Fontaines D.C. are in a real purple patch. Over the last few years, they’ve become one of the most compelling bands around, and their latest album Romance topped our list at Double J of the 50 Best Albums of 2024 . Back in 2023, lead singer Grian joined Zan to Take 5. He doesn’t do a whole lot of interviews, but he really embraced this one. Maybe because it was all about poetry, which is the very...

2024 was a massive year for Take 5. We reached all over the world to chat with extraordinary people about the music that's shaped their lives. Some of the best moments from Take 5 in 2024 include (but are not limited to!):  Beth Ditto's triumphant return with a new Gossip album, Bill Bailey's take on the future of humanity and Artificial Intelligence, Angie McMahon's stand-out year, DOBBY's brilli...