Take 5

Latest Episodes:

Adalita's evolution songs Jan 22, 2021

Show notes

I still remember the first time I heard Magic Dirt. The burning sounds of their single “Ice” captured my 16 year old heart, and I can still recall climbing the stairs of my favourite city record store to buy their “Life Was Better” EP. Adalita was the coolest woman I knew; she shredded on stage and exuded the ultimate rock n roll attitude. In the years that would follow, I’d see them play on stages small and large, then follow Ads down her solo path to hear a whole other side of her musical heart.

2021 marks 20 years since Magic Dirt scored their highest placing in a Hottest 100 for their pop tinged song “Dirty Jeans”. It’s also a year that Adalita plans to release her third solo album. In the years dotted around this, Adalita has gone through many evolutions in life and sound, and we explore the songs that took her there.

'Here Comes Your Man' - The Pixies

'Hieronymus' - The Clouds

'That Ain't Bad' – Ratcat

'50ft Queenie' - PJ Harvey

'Toys and Flavours' - The Hellacopters

Best of 2020 Dec 18, 2020

Show notes

So we’ve taken another trip around the sun, and before we have a short break – I want to leave you with the annual best of buffet, for the Take 5.

It’s been a remarkable year for this podcast. When the borders closed, and the tours stopped, we – just like everyone else – had to figure out how to do things differently. What I realised pretty quickly, is that music was central to how we got through… and for many of us, those deep connections in the stories that we tie to songs, got even stronger.

A silver lining to 2020 was reaching out beyond the guests I could share a studio with. We spoke to people from all over the world, all walks of life. And got heroes who had been on my bucket list for years, to finally say yes. This year we were also awarded Best Radio Podcast at the Australian Podcast Awards; which I’m hugely proud of. I love the Take 5 and love sharing these conversations with you every week.

If this is your first time listening, it’s a bloody good place to start. Over the next little while, we’ll visit some of the best moments... that mirrored the beauty, the tumult, and the grounding force of music in all our lives.

J Walter Negro And The Loose Joints – ‘Shoot The Pump’ (chosen by Fatboy Slim)

Prince – 'Let’s Go Crazy' (chosen by Susan Rogers)

Christine Anu – 'Island Home' (chosen by Miranda Tapsell)

Micko Donovan - 'Promised Land' (chosen by Emma Donovan)

Elvis Costello - 'Shipbuilding' (chosen by Peter Garrett)

Midnight Oil – 'Beds are Burning' (chosen by Daniel Levitin)

Gloria Gaynor – 'I Will Survive' (chosen by Kylie Minogue)

Joe Smooth - ‘Promised Land’ (chosen by Bernard Sumner)

The Stooges - ‘I Wanna Be Your Dog’ (chosen by Roisin Murphy)

Nina Simone – 'Mississippi Goddamn' (chosen by Tori Amos)

Common's music for a movement Dec 11, 2020

Show notes

American rapper Common is a renaissance man. Growing up on the south side of Chicago, his records reflected the world he saw; and the one he wanted to see. He’s an acclaimed poet, has featured on the silver screen as a lead actor, and taken to the stage as an activist; using his platform to rally against social injustice, and rally for unity, for peace, and for change.

He does this all with love, as you’ll hear for yourself. For his Take 5, I asked him to Take 5 with his music for a movement. The soundtrack that lifted him, and empowered him to make a change. From Fela Kuti to Mos Def to John Coltrane, this is a powerful and beautiful conversation about music’s ability to lift us all.

Brand Nubian - Wake Up (Reprise In The Sunshine)

Fela Kuti - Water No Get Enemy

Mos Def - Umi Says

Sounds of Blackness - Optimistic

John Coltrane – A Love Supreme, Pt.3: Pursuance

Tara June Winch's songs that tell her story Dec 04, 2020

Show notes

Tara June Winch knows how to tell a story. In 2006 she released her first novel, Swallow the Air. It won a bunch of awards, and was added to the high school curriculum. Years passed. She released a collection of short stories, but it wasn’t until 2019 that she published her follow up. And oh what a follow up it was.

The Yield is the tale of two generations, a Language that tells their story, and a connection to culture that stretches back tens of thousands of years. A Wiradjuri woman herself, Tara’s novel is about finding lost connection in contemporary Australia, and it blew me away.

I’m not alone. The Yield has won a heap of prizes in the past year, including the highest literary accolade in Australia; the Miles Franklin Award. For all of these reasons, I asked Tara to Take 5. With the songs that share her story. Across five classics, this is a profound conversation about identity, empowerment, and what it truly means to find home.

Van Morrison - Brown Eyed Girl

Nirvana - The Man Who Sold the World (MTV Unplugged)

Paul Kelly - How to Make Gravy

Aretha Franklin - Think

Mo'ju - Native Tongue

Bag Raiders' 2010 Nov 27, 2020

Show notes

2010 was a big year for bangers. The Australian dance music scene in particular, was thriving. Stalwarts like The Presets and Cut Copy were kicking it, and a new breed of beat makers were coming up, soundtracking hedonistic summer days and big festival party nights.

This was the year Bag Raiders released their debut album, and on it’s 10th anniversary I invited the duo to Take 5 and go back. Jack and Chris joined me for the final Take 5 for Ausmusic Month, and so I thought it’d be fun to stay local, and celebrate the incredible talent in our own backyard. From supermarket crossover hits, to deep club bangers, this is a glorious celebration of one very bright year in Australian music.

Yolanda Be Cool & DCUP - 'We No Speak Americano'

Flight Facilities — 'Crave You'

Tame Impala — 'Why Won't You Make Up Your Mind (Erol Alkan rework)'

Light Year — '5 Girls'

Temper Trap — 'Sweet Disposition'

Fanny Lumsden's solace songs Nov 20, 2020

Show notes

I think we can all agree 2020 has been a YEAR. No one more so than country music singer Fanny Lumsden. Based in the tiny town of Tooma, on the western side of the Snowy Mountains, her release plans for her beautiful third album Fallow took a turn for the worse, when disaster and pandemic struck. But that didn’t stop Fanny. Her resilience, and optimism has carried her and her community through this year, and it’s why I asked her to share her songs of solace for her Take 5.

Fanny Lumsden has been making music since 2015, but her new album is what’s really put her on the map. It’s been nominated for seven Golden Guitar Awards, leading the pack. She’s up for an ARIA for Best Country Album, and she’s gained a whole lot more fans with this heartfelt and acclaimed new record. Fanny joined me from her property in Tooma to share her story, some beautiful songs, and a big dose of hope.

Josh Pyke - 'Middle of the Hill'

Allison Krauss - 'Baby Now That I Found You'

Fleet Foxes - 'Tiger Peasant Mountain Song'

Melanie Horsnell & Steve Appel - 'Someone Like You'

Debussy - ‘La Fille Aux Cheveux de Lin’

Bjorn Stewart's full course Nov 13, 2020

Show notes

Bjorn Stewart is a slashie. An actor, director, writer, and comedian; I became a massive fan seeing him doing Quarantine Cooking Challenges on the lockdown TV series At Home Alone Together. He’s also written and appeared on Black Comedy, and has been performing on stage for years. Recently Bjorn flipped to director, and will soon showcase his latest project, a comedy called All My Friends Are Racist. I wanted to get to know Bjorn, so asked him to Take 5 with the full course. Five songs for five sides of his creative life... from appetizer all the way through to cheese. He thoroughly embraced it.

Gorillaz - "19–2000 (Soulchild Remix)"

Thelma Plum - "Woke Blokes"

Run the Jewels - "Walking in the Snow"

Janelle Monae - "We Were Rock and Roll"

Electric Fields - "2000 And Whatever"

Kylie Minogue's disco ball Nov 06, 2020

Show notes

Where do I begin with Kylie Minogue? She’s been in our lives for over three decades, she’s sold more than 70 million records, holds multiple ARIA and Brit Awards, and a Grammy. Over fifteen studio albums, countless tours, and plenty of other side hustles, she has become one of the most legendary Australians alive. She’s just Kylie, our Kylie, and she’s an icon.

No doubt like many of you, I grew up with Kylie Minogue. Her new albums would be on every Christmas and birthday wish list, and as I got older and opened up my world view, so did she; broadening her sound to indie music, taking on country pop, and collaborating with everyone from Nick Cave to Robbie Williams to The Wiggles. But disco has always been in her back pocket, and in 2020 she returned to the Studio 54 dancefloor with an glittering new album of classic dance. On the day “DISCO” was released, Kylie joined me to Take 5 with her disco ball. The tunes she picked were classics, but wait till you hear the stories behind them. This is a bucket list Take 5 with a living legend.

Donna Summer – "Love To Love You Baby"

Earth, Wind & Fire – "September"

Gloria Gaynor – "I Will Survive"

Bee Gees – "Night Fever"

Daft Punk – "Around The World"

Róisín Murphy's foundation songs Oct 30, 2020

Show notes

Roisin Murphy is a force of nature. We first met her as one half of Moloko, whose pop house hits made them a household name. But since 2005 Roisin Murphy has carved out an incredible solo career, and a dedicated fanbase to boot. Her latest album is Roisin Machine; it’s a deep cut of house, disco, and industrial sounds fuelled by her formative years in Manchester and Sheffield.

Roisin’s life story is pretty fascinating, which is why I asked her to choose her foundation songs. From formative moments in a mosh pit, to the organ shaking surround sound of a club, go deep with this legend and her incredible record collection.

The Stooges – "I Wanna Be Your Dog"

Minnie Riperton – "Inside My Love"

Talk Talk & Tim Frisee-Greene – "Life What You make It (Extended Mix; 2003 Remaster)"

The Family Stand – "Ghetto Heaven (Soul II Soul Remix)"

Cabaret Voltaire – "Yashar"

Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever's summer songs Oct 23, 2020

Show notes

There are some bands that just sound like summer. Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever, are one of them. Those jangly guitars, the three part harmonies… pressing play on their songs sends me straight to the beach, to balmy nights and road trips with friends.

We’re on the cusp of summer right now but given 2020’s shitshow of a year I figured we may as well skip ahead to that happy place. So I asked Tom from the band to Take 5 with his “songs of summer”. Whether it’s a sound, or a memory, he transported us to dance festivals, and family holidays, to rolling waves and Australian classics. Like eating an ice-cream, there’s no way you can be sad listening to these songs.

Amen Dunes - 'Miki Dora'

The Shapeshifters - 'Lola's Theme'

Sunflower Bean - 'Twentytwo'

Gilberto Gil - 'Palco'

The Triffids - 'Hell of A Summer'

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected