Culture Club

Our spiritual Lorde experience, Manon splits from Katseye, and how figure skater Alysa Liu’s Gold Medal win is shifting culture. PSA: There may be some tinny audio in today's episode. We're working on a solution asap for you!

We recount Lorde's Melbourne tour and, in pop culture news, Manon Bannerman is taking a “hiatus” from global girl group, Katseye, for “health and wellbeing” reasons.

US figure skater Alysa Liu has taken over our feeds (and our hearts) after winning gold in figure skating at the Winter Olympics. But it's not just her medal that's making headlines. We discuss the rise of Gen Z play and nihilism that Alysa is inadvertently championing. Jas references a Substack by Gael Aitor titled 'The Rise of Play Among Youth Culture' and an Instagram account titled The Career Archetypes.

In Bookmarked, Maggie recommends the movie Pillion while Jas recommends the new Paul McCartney documentary, Man on the Run.

Thank you for listening! <3 Jas & Mags

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The Olympics’ cheating scandal, Zayn Malik’s Call Her Daddy revelation and what is the tofu theory? 

BIG NEWS! You can now WATCH this episode. We’re officially on YouTube! Head here.

Bad Bunny has won the MAGA culture war this month thanks to his NFL Super Bowl halftime performance. We break down a little of the discourse around it, as well as the impact of the culture around ‘being first’ online. 

The Winter Olympics have kicked off in Italy, and not without its share of eyebrow-raising stories. We chat about a couple, including the Norwegian biathlete Sturla Holm Laegreid and his declaration of love on the world stage. 

During an interview on Alex Cooper’s Call Her Daddy podcast, Zayn Malik has revealed he was never “in love” with his ex-girlfriend Gigi Hadid, who he dated for six years, and who is the mother of his child. 

In other pop culture bites, Britney Spears has sold her music catalogue and Amelia Dimoldenberg from Chicken Shop Date is directing (and starring) in her very own rom-com. 

An episode of Library Takes (like Subway Takes but at London School of Economics and Political Science) has picked up traction online after one interviewee noted that men’s views on tofu directly reflect their views on women. Is this too deep or does it have some truth to it? 

In recommendation, Maggie enjoyed the podcast, The Paradox of Petty Problems: Why Small Problems Can Snowball and Jas shared a documentary on Australian writer Charmian Clift titled Life Burns High, which is available on SBS. 

EDITOR’S NOTE: Jas references John Hughes as Sylvia Plath’s husband during Bookmarked. She meant to say Ted Hughes, the writer. Not the 1980s film director. (lol) 

Thanks for being here <3 Jas and Mags xo

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Hi friends!

To kick this episode off, we chit-chat about some celebrity headlines, including Olivia Dean being criticised for being... too nice, and Jason Bateman’s awkward Charli XCX kids moment. Was this an embarrassing Dad moment or a representation of where the culture is when it comes to reproduction? 

Locally, Mecca has come under fire for using AI in a social media post promoting its Australian Open pop-up. We review their statement and the feedback they received, and ask what it means for brands in general that are incorporating AI into their creative work. Maggie references this article by Cory Doctorow in The Guardian.

Harry Styles has released worldwide concert dates “Kiss All The Time. Disco, Occasionally” and he’s touring Australia later this year. But, despite the excitement for a new Harry era, many fans have taken issue with the price of the tickets. We explore this sentiment and ask how we got here. 

Why is there a flood of people “becoming Chinese” online? Is this latest internet fad light-hearted cultural appreciation or something we should be challenging? Maggie references videos by creators Caroline Ying Ouellette and Kathy Kalina Pham. Jas references a piece for Coveteur titled Who Gets to Be Chinese Now? by Faith Xue.

In Bookmarked, Jas recommends the blockbuster, One Battle After Another, while Maggie recommends the Everything Is Alive podcast. 

Chat to you next time! 

Jas & Mags

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Hi friends!

Nicki Minaj has hammered the final nail into the coffin that is her music career this week after outing herself as Trump's number one fan. Writer Tarla Lambert wrote a piece for the Women's Agenda on the topic titled, “Nicki Minaj thinks Trump is her ally. He sees her as his prop”. Next, Ariana Grande has been spotted in a Vogue Japan spread with an additional appendage. The AI blunder has caught the premier publication out on its editing skills. Is Ariana's reaction warranted?*

The Wuthering Heights press tour has kicked off and has audiences rolling their eyes already. Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi are giving co-dependent co-stars in press interviews, but is the PR-relationship-to-sell-a-movie over? We reference (and role play) from Vogue Australia's cover story by Hannah Rose Yee.

Sydney Sweeney has launched a new lingerie brand named SYRN. We look into the launch of the brand and her comments via Cosmopolitan magazine, where she positions herself as an apolitical artistic figure... much to think about.

In Bookmarked, Maggie recommends Hamnet whilst Jas recommends Mothering Sunday. It's a historical fiction party.

Chat to you next time!

Jas & Mags xo

*EDIT: During the episode we referenced the Vogue Japan photo as the cover, it's now been corrected to a photo in the spread, not the cover.

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Hi friends,

Hilary Duff's first new album in over a decade, titled luck … or something, is out on Feb. 20. We discuss the appeal of the Disney star and how she's handling her comeback tour. Next, we’re at the stage of celebrity where even the camera people are getting swept up in controversy. The red carpet Glambot Guy AKA Cole Walliser came under fire for questioning people's ability to use his services. We discuss the preceding JLo versus Glambot moment and ask if female celebrities are held to a much higher standard when it comes to red carpet interactions.

On his press tour to promote the new Netflix movie The Rip, Matt Damon made some pretty revealing comments about Netflix and the future of media. Are streamers going to simplify plots so we can all scroll as we watch? Next, Brooklyn Beckham is at the centre of the biggest celebrity news story of 2026 and, for the British media, perhaps the last decade... we discuss the drama so far.

In Bookmarked, Jas recommends the 1996 movie Michael while Maggie recommends the book Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro.

Talk to you soon!

Jas & Mags xo

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2026 has started with a bang thanks to Harry Styles' return. His fourth studio album, Kiss All The Time. Dance, Occasionally will be released on March 6th. Euphoria Season 3 is also back on HBO this April, and a number of book-to-screen adaptations are in the works. In Culture Shock, we discuss the cancelling of Adelaide Writers' Week after the disinvitation of Palestinian-Australian author, Dr Randa Abdel-Fattah. We reference this op-ed in The Guardian by Louise Adler.

The most popular social media trend this week? Posting like it’s 2016. We break down why people are posting throwbacks and if there's a bit of historical revisionism going on. We read from Daisy Jones' British Vogue piece titled '2016 Was Actually The Worst Year Ever, Remember?'

In Bookmarked, we discuss the new Marty Supreme movie that's released via A24 this week in Australian cinemas.

Thanks for listening!

Jas & Mags xo

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Here at Culture Club, we're big readers, and after our 2025 book recap, listener Holly asked what's on our TBR piles in 2026!

In this mini episode, we discuss the books we're currently reading, what's on our TBR list, and the 2026 book releases we're most excited about.

Maggie:

Great Big Beautiful Life - Emily Henry

Truly Madly Guilty - Liane Moriarty

Root Rot - Saskia Nislow

Ghost Cities - Siang Lu

The Ten Year Affair - Erin Somers

Lost Lambs - Madeline Cash

Vigil - George Saunders

Jas:

Happiness and Love - Zoe Dubno

August Blue - Deborah Levy

One Story - Pip Finkemeyer

Cape Fever - Nadia Davis

How To Kill A Guy In Ten Dates - Shailee Thompson

Just Watch Me - Lior Torenberg

We also reference The Vegetarian by Han Kang during our chat.

Thank you for listening! Follow us on Culture Club Pod's Instagram and TikTok.

Jas & Mags xo

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We're back for 2026 with a fresh, new look! We discuss our new era and Jas' Instagram post sharing her feelings about building a creative project. Timothee Chalamet and Kylie Jenner are packing on the PDA at awards season, and creating discourse including GQ's take about using the term 'partner'. In Culture Shock, we break down what's going on with Ashley Tisdale's supposedly toxic mum group.

As we enter a new year, many people have been setting goals to be more offline—but in our tech-obsessed lives, is this even possible? We reference Tamara's 365 Buttons, people turning on Gen Z's internet speak and the proliferation of AI slop, including Jeanswest's strange Instagram rebrand. We ask if the chronically online will become a new type of class, as posed by YouTube creator, Magic. And, in a world of personal branding and content creation, can we even afford to go offline? We reference a piece from The Cut, titled In 2026, We Are Friction-Maxxing by Kathryn Jezer-Morton and attention as a form of prayer by TikTok user, Denise Stobes.

In Bookmarked, Jas recommends Amy Taylor's novel Ruins while Maggie recommends the Scottish documentary, The Golden Spurtle.

Thanks for listening and thank you again to everyone who sent a kind word via Jas's post or Apple reviews! We're so grateful to have you and can't wait to create more in 2026.

Our new cover art is by Katie Zhou and podcast and jingle editing is by India Wallis.

Jas & Maggie xo

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Welcome to our last Culture Club episode for 2025! We start this chat with a pop culture year review, reminiscing on the biggest stories of the last 12 months.

Then, we get into our annual book recap! Here we discuss our best, worst and most unexpected reads of the year.

Jas' least favourite reads were Water Moon by Samantha Sotto Yambao and Orbital by Samantha Harvey. Her most unexpected reads were Drive Your Plow Over The Bones Of The Dead by Olga Tokarczuk and Long Island Compromise by Taffy Brodesser-Akner. And her favourite books of the year? The Coin by Yasmin Zaher and Blue Sisters by Coco Mellors.

Maggie's least favourite reads were Eat Your Heart Out by Victoria Brownlee and Three Days in June by Anne Tyler. Her most unexpected reads were The Names by Florence Knapp and Gliff by Ali Smith. Her favourite books were Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy and The Bee Sting by Paul Murray.

Thank you for listening to Culture Club this year. If you've enjoyed this conversation, please share it with a friend. We'll see you next year!

Jas & Mags x

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Daphne Berry is the host of the number one music podcast in Australia, Airing Your Dirty Laundry. Since launching in 2024, she’s welcomed a host of artists into her laundromat, from Peach PRC and Ayesha Madon, to GFlip and 5 Seconds of Summer. Married to one half of Lime Cordiale, Daphne is well and truly embedded in the Australian music scene. From her international modelling days to her stint in teaching, Daphne’s career has twisted and turned in unconventional ways. In this solo interview episode of Culture Club, Maggie chats with Daphne about her podcast, manifesting her dream career and the judgement of being a music "WAG".

You can follow Daphne on Instagram and TikTok.

Jas & Mags <3

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