Take 5

Ever since I first heard them, Middle Kids have been a favourite. 

Exceptional songwriting, brilliant playing, and Hannah Joy’s beautiful voice. 

They’ve now got three albums under their belt, the latest of which is called Faith Crisis Pt 1. I’ve wanted to invite Middle Kids in to Take 5 for a while, and when Hannah said yes, and sent her songs back, I knew we’d be in for a treat. Strap in for a beautiful wander across some incredible songs, and a heartfelt chat about finding faith again.

• Radiohead - 'Let Down'
• Enya - 'Caribbean Blue'
• IDLES - 'The Wheel'
• Simon & Garfunkel - 'Bridge Over Troubled Water'
• Kendrick Lamar - 'Money Trees [Ft. Jay Rock]'

You know that feeling when you’re watching a movie or TV show and the perfect song hits at the perfect moment? 

Think Lost in Translation when ‘Alone in Kyoto’ by Air comes in, or the visceral scenes from The Bear soundtracked by Refused’s ‘New Noise’.

You don’t just see films, you hear them.

Such is the power and responsibility of the music supervisor who carefully selects the right song for the right scene and has it hit at just the right moment. 

It's Jemma Burns' job to make that magic.

From the new series of Heartbreak High to Boy Swallows Universe, Top of the Lake to Okja, it’s Jemma’s brilliant music brain behind those perfect song selections.

The theme for this Take 5 is synchronicity songs. Not the all-time greatest soundtrack moments, but stories from Jemma's own experience and relationship with film and sound.

• 'Forbidden Colours' by Ryuichi Sakamoto from Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence (1983), directed by Nagisa Ōshima
• 'The Rhythm Of The Night' by Corona from Beau Travail (1999), directed by Claire Denis    
• 'Goon Gumpas' by Aphex Twin from Morvern Callar (2002), directed by Lynne Ramsay
• 'Silly Games' by Janet Kay from Lover's Rock (2020), directed by Steve McQueen
• 'Coming' by David Motion, Sally Potter & Jimmy Somerville from Orlando (1993), directed by Sally Potter

Dylan Alcott is a deadset legend.  A former Australian of the Year, multi-gold medallist, and disability advocate, but before all of that, he sat down to Take 5.

Sarah Blasko has a voice that never lets you go.

Her debut album The Overture & the Underscore was released 20 years ago, and she’s been a constant presence ever since. Always pushing the boundaries of her art and anchoring everything she does with that transcendent voice.

Two decades on from her debut, and 6 years since her last album, Sarah Blasko is back with new music.

It's the perfect excuse to revisit a wonderful conversation from 2018, when she’d pushed through a rough period of writer’s block to get her sixth album Depth of Field out into the world.

It was on the same day the album was released, that she came in to Take 5 with her breakthrough songs. Tunes that busted through a creative block and led her in new directions.

• PJ Harvey - 'To Bring You My Love'
• Björk - 'Venus As A Boy'
• Tori Amos - 'Pretty Good Year'
• Mazzy Star - 'Into Dust'
• Sonic Youth - 'Swimsuit Issue'

This episode was originally broadcast in 2018.

There's no other artist quite like DOBBY. 

The proud Filipino and Murrawarri artist (real name Rhyan Clapham) is a composer, rapper, producer and drummer. He's been performing and releasing music for years, but only just released his debut album.It’s called WARRANGU; River Story, and it’s about the plight of the Murray-Darling river system. The artistry on this album is magnificent. DOBBY expertly weaves together his own compositions with field recordings and stories from elders, all while documenting the history of these pivotal water sources and the devastating impact water theft has had on them.This Take 5 falls in NAIDOC Week, and the theme in 2024 is ‘Keep the Fire Burning! Blak, Loud and Proud.’In keeping with this theme, DOBBY shares his songs of fire. The music that lights him up inside and keeps the stories burning.

• Miss Kaninna - 'Blak Britney'
• No Fixed Address - 'We Have Survived'
• Snotty Nose Rez Kids - 'RED FUTURE [Ft. Electric Fields]'
• Mo'Ju - 'Change Has To Come'
• Kobie Dee - 'Warriors & Storytellers'

Who knew cooking competitions would take over Australian television?Back in 2010, the finale for the second season of MasterChef became the most watched non-sporting event of that year. And the winner? Adam Liaw.

He'd been working in Japan when he decided to enter the TV cooking comp, and he quickly became a firm favourite. After his win, everything changed. He published cookbooks, became the host of Destination Flavour on SBS, started a family, took people on foodie tours, and now hosts The Cook Up. Full disclosure – I’ve been on it and it was a dream come true.

Adam has also joined me to Take 5 – twice. He was so brilliant the first time in 2013, I invited him back, six years later. And his theme? Songs that set it off.

Adam’s had a lot of big, life-altering moments that have all happened in the public eye, so I wanted to find out about the other turning points in his life. When the cameras weren’t rolling.

Whether it was playing tennis air guitar in a childhood bedroom, or bonding with his wife over a new fave, this Take 5 will make you love Adam Liaw even more.

• Starship – ‘We Built This City’
• Smashing Pumpkins – ‘Bullet With Butterfly Wings’
• Beastie Boys – ‘Ch-Check It Out’
• Montaigne – ‘I'm A Fantastic Wreck’
• Wiley, Stefflon Don & Sean Paul – ‘Boasty [Ft. Idris Elba]’

This episode was originally broadcast in 2019.

If you don’t know Susan Rogers by name, you’ll know her work. A female producer and sound engineer in an industry dominated by men, her drive and commitment landed her side by side with Prince as his star soared. She was his audio technician right before he started recording Purple Rain, and was his sound engineer through his commercial peak – capturing Parade, Around the World in a Day, The Black Album, and Sign o' the Times. Susan had a front row seat to the creative genius and intense work ethic of one of the greatest artists of our time.

2024 marks the 40th anniversary of Purple Rain, so to celebrate, I’m bringing you a Take 5 for the ages.

When we first spoke back in 2020 I was blown away. Not only does Susan have this incredible legacy with Prince, but after they parted she would go on to produce some of the biggest hits of the 90’s. Then she became a Professor at one of the world’s most prestigious music schools.

Her feelings about the emotional connections we have to sound, and what it means to be a good listener, resonated deeply with me, and I know they will with you too.

• James Brown - 'Papa's Got a Brand New Bag'
• Prince - 'Let's Go Crazy'
• Geggy Tah - 'Whoever You Are'
• Barenaked Ladies - 'One Week'
• Wilson Pickett - 'In the Midnight Hour'

This episode was originally broadcast in 2020.

Vika and Linda are national treasures. We first met the Bull sisters alongside the Black Sorrows, doing backing vocals for Paul Kelly, and then bursting out on their own with their debut album. That record turns 30 this year, and to celebrate, I’m taking you to a glorious Take 5 from the archives with Vika and Linda.

The year was 2019, and their theme was “sibling songs”. They picked it too, and you’ll see why. Families singing together is the very backbone of what they do.

• The Andrews Sisters - 'Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy'
• The Pointer Sisters - 'I'm So Excited'
• The Staple Singers - 'I'll Take You There'
• Bee Gees - 'Islands In The Stream (Live At The MGM Grand 1997)'
• Crowded House - 'It's Only Natural'

This episode was originally broadcast in 2019.

Adam Hills has lived an extraordinary life. From getting his start in stand up comedy to beaming out to millions on The Last Leg and Spicks and Specks. He's been awarded an MBE and even been immortalised on an Australian postage stamp. When he’s not on stage and screen, Adam is out on the field playing disability rugby, or smashing a tennis ball. He has a boundless energy and passion for living life.

On Spicks and Specks each episode, he asks his panellists to share stories. But no one ever asks him for his, and Adam Hills has stories. It’s why I asked him to Take 5. As the beloved music quiz show returns to ABC and ABC iview, we’re taking a wander through Adam’s Hall of Fame. Settle in for laughs, tears, and a lot of valid name dropping from an absolute legend.

• The Flaming Lips - 'Do You Realize??'

• Little Shop Of Horrors [Soundtrack] - 'Suddenly, Seymour'

• Dan Sultan - 'Nyul Nyul Girl'

• Bobby McFerrin - 'Don't Worry Be Happy'

• Elbow - 'One Day Like This'

Back in 1989, Neneh Cherry released her debut album. Raw Like Sushi was a smash in the UK and here in Australia. This young Swede based in London caught all of our attention, and through the 90’s she’d release two more albums before taking a breather from music. But her creative life began way earlier. With an artist mother and jazz legend Don Cherry as her stepfather, Neneh’s childhood was a life less ordinary. She split it between commune-style living in rural Sweden and loft apartments in New York, and when she moved to London as a teen, she fell in with some of that city's most creative punks – people she remains friends with to this day.

Her story is wild, which is why - back in 2019 - I invited her to Take 5. As we mark 35 years since that debut, I'm dusting this gem off to share it again with you. Settle in for a convo with one of the greats, and an extraordinary chat about the power of song.

• Tanya Winley - 'Vicious Rap'
• Stevie Wonder - 'Living For The City'
• Frank Ocean - 'Seigfried'
• Dice Ailes - 'Otedola'
• Nina Simone - 'Mississippi Goddam'

This episode was originally broadcast in 2019.