Take 5

If you’re like me and came of age in the 90’s, then Supergrass loom large. The UK band exploded into the Brit Pop scene like a firecracker, with a song that captured the cheeky charm they’d come to be known for. Six albums followed, before they called it a day. And a few years later, lead singer Gaz Coombes went out on his own.

In the last decade or so, Gaz has released a handful of critically acclaimed solo albums, and despite the madness of the era he came up in, remains one of the more grounded and lovely muso’s around.

Gaz came to Australia to support Robbie Williams on some huge stadium shows, and while he was here I asked him to Take 5. From Scott Walker to Broadcast to Lennon, this is a brilliant conversation and peek into a great songwriter’s brain.

• Captain Beefheart - Sure ‘Nuff ’n’ Yes, I do
• Daniel Rossen - Silent Song
• Broadcast - I Found The F
• Scott Walker – It’s Raining Today
• John Lennon – Remember

Rhys Nicholson grew up making people want to laugh. As a kid in Newcastle, they were supported every step of the way, with a family of wild creatives and even an uncle in a famous Australian band.  Over the past few years, Rhys’s star has shone brighter and brighter. Winning major comedy awards, becoming a judge on Ru Paul’s Drag Race Down Under, and now writing their first memoir Dish. 

But did that broke teenager moving to Sydney to give comedy a crack, have any inkling about how life would unfold? To find out, I asked Rhys to Take 5 with the unexpected. And from John Prine to Ru-Paul, mapped a beautiful picture of Rhys's magical life. 

• Scissor Sisters – Running Out 
• David Byrne – Glass, Concrete and Stone 
• John Prine – In Spite of Ourselves 
• Georgia Mooney – War Romance 
• Ru Paul – Sissy That Walk 

For more than a decade now, Flight Facilities have been bringing the party. Starting life as DJ’s in Sydney’s club scene, they began making their own original music with “Crave You”, and from the get go were onto a winner. But that love of DJ-ing and deep cuts was always central to their foundations, and when not performing on big stages they were stitching together Decades Mixes, capturing ten years in a musical time capsule. These mixes became the stuff of legend, and as they clock fifty odd years of bangers, it felt like a perfect time to Take 5.

From crate digging samples, to hidden gems, and timeless bangers, this is a joyful journey through time.

• Labi Siffre - I Got The (1975)
• Punkin Machine - I Need You Tonight (1981)
• Black Box - I Don’t Know Anybody Else (soul mix) (1990)
• The Similou - All This Love (2006)
• Todd Terje - Inspector Norse (2012)

Liz Stringer is one of Australia’s finest songwriters. And she’s been doing it for years, honing her craft across six albums and countless stories. Her latest is a beauty, the critically acclaimed First Time Really Feeling. It’s one of those albums that floored me when I first heard it, and continues to, two years on. Liz is about to play it live one last time, stripped back and in solo mode, before she enters a new chapter in making a new album.

So I thought this would be a perfect time to sit down with Liz and capture her in this moment. We all go through stages, through cycles. And the things that inspire us and push us into new ways of thinking are always surprising. From Sam Fender to Lianne Le Havas to Archie Roach, hear the songs that have soundtracked Liz Stringer’s creative cycles.

• Sam Fender - Spit of You
• Lianne La Havas - Can't Fight
• Midnight Oil - Dreamworld
• Yara - Bad Behaviour
• Archie Roach - Love in the Morning

For more than 20 years, Pendulum have been at the top of the D&B game. Hailing from Perth but breaking through to the London scene, their massive sound has seen them play big stages, drop huge hits, and blend their love of heavy guitar and electronic music in all they do.

But their musical palette is broad, which you’ll discover when founding member Rob Swire Takes 5 with the whole shebang. From Spiderbait to Empire of the Sun to Karnivool, this is a capture of the many sides of one of Australian music’s biggest exports.

• Spiderbait - Buy Me A Pony
• Silverchair - Freak (Remix For Us Rejects) 
• Empire Of The Sun - Walking On A Dream
• Karnivool - Simple Boy
• Woodes – Dots

Over the last few months, a steady murmur has been building about a film called Past Lives. It’s the story of childhood friends, sweethearts even, who part ways when they’re 12 in South Korea and reunite many years later. And it’s the directorial debut of playwright Celine Song.

It just opened in Australia, and lucky for us, the writer and director came out recently to share its story. While in town, I asked her to Take 5 with her past and present. And from Grizzly Bear to Leonard Cohen to Modest Mouse, captured Celine’s own story and some beautiful reflections on human connection.

1. 1.Grizzly Bear - Two Weeks
2. 2.Red Hot Chilli Peppers - Californication
3. 3.Leonard Cohen - True Love Leaves No Traces 
4. 4.The Killers - When You Were Young
5. 5.Modest Mouse - Float On 

If you’ve watched any Australian telly over the past 20 years, then you’re well acquainted with Julia Zemiro. She’s charmed us as the host of RocKwiz, visited famous people’s childhood’s in Home Delivery, and been a theatresports champion. She’s Roz in the TV series Fisk, and she brought a local connection to Eurovision when hosted the Australian telecast.

Above all she loves music, and it was high time I invited Julia to Take 5. I always love chatting with her, but I didn’t expect some of the revelations she let drop in this conversation. About the road she took to get here, and what she’s thinking about doing next. From ABBA to Jacques Brel to Everything Everything, this is a beautiful capture of an extraordinary human’s story so far.

• Abba - That's Me
• Jacques Brel - Amsterdam
• Yothu Yindi - Treaty
• Conchita Wurst - Rise Like A Phoenix
• Everything Everything - Duet

August 11, 2023 marks 50 years to the day since hip-hop was born. It’s a genre, a scene, a philosophy that has changed the world; not just in music, but in culture, communication, and how we see ourselves.

Over the years I’ve had the great pleasure of chatting with a ton of hip-hop legends, so I’m dusting off the crate and digging into Take 5’s past to share some of my favourites on this big anniversary.

You’ll travel to Queens with Mike D, hear Neneh Cherry shout out a pioneer in the game, and witness a young Sampa the Great talk about her hero. Ice Cube will tell you about when rap said something more, and Common will find it’s beautiful rallying power. Long live hip-hop. 50 years young, it changed everything, it gave so many a voice, and it continues to morph, empower, and bounce us into the future.

• Ice Cube: Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five – The Message
• Neneh Cherry : Tanya Winley - Vicious Rap 
• Common: Mos Def - Umi Says 
• Mike D (Beastie Boys) –  Nas - N.Y. State of Mind 
• Sampa the Great:  Lauryn Hill - Lose Myself

This year, 2023, marks the 50th anniversary of hip-hop. On August 11, 1973, a party went down in New York City. DJ Kool Herc was there, and he’d been playing around with a technique where he’d play the break from one record, then another, looping them and creating something new. On this night in the Bronx, b-boys and girls danced, then Herc and his friend Coke La Rock started speaking, rhyming over the music. Hip-hop was born.

The foundations of a sound and scene that would change the world are being celebrated throughout this year, including right here on the Take 5. Across many years I’ve had the great pleasure in chatting with lots of hip-hop legends and hear them chat about their fandom too.

It was back in 2016 when I first met Sampa the Great, and asked her to Take 5. And given this auspicious anniversary, I thought it’d be fun to dig into the archives, and house it here on the podcast for the first time.

A lot can happen in 7 years. When I met Sampa, she’d just released her first mixtape. She’d gotten a heap of attention when handpicked by Kendrick Lamar to support his arena shows in Australia. And her future as a multi award winning artist who would not mince words, who would enliven Zamrock for a new generation, and become one of the most talked about artists of our time… it was all yet to come.

• Thandiswa Mazwai - Ndiyahamba (I’m Leaving)
• Lauryn Hill – To Zion
• Nina Simone – Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood 
• 2pac – Changes 
• Chance The Rapper – Wonderful Everyday

Sydney band Body Type draw us in with their pop hooks, before chewing us up and spitting us out with their visceral take downs.

They’ve got a knack for that sweet and sour, writing songs that are trojan horses and pack a punch. With two albums under their belt, they’re proving themselves as one of Australia’s best new bands, and I love their work. So I asked them to Take 5.

From Fiona Apple to Princess Nokia, this is an eclectic mix of subversive sounds.

• Fiona Apple - I Want You To Love Me
• Lucinda Williams - Can't Let Go
• Princess Nokia - Tomboy
• Big Star - Thirteen
• Gina Birch - I Play My Bass Loud