News

Post-punk outfit Sacred Cowboys started playing in murky Melbourne dive bars in 1982. Rapidly attracting a following, they were catapulted to national TV notoriety on 'Countdown' with the release of their iconic first single, 'Nothing Grows in Texas'. Now releasing their seventh album 'In the Manifesto', the group are coming onto Junkyard for a hard rock Studio 5 Live performance. Tune in to hear Michael Mulholland catch up with the band about their impressive career.

On this episode of Sunglasses After Dark, Phil MacDougall will be joined by Licorice Pie Records merchant Gavan Purdy, who'll be sharing some of his all-time favourite vinyl records. Back in the day, Gavan ran ELVIS RECORDS, who released the early TISM records, along with two compilation albums, 'Asleep at the Wheel' and 'A Slab of Vic', both of which he'll be featuring on the show. Tune in to hear his selection of punk, 60s garage, alternative sounds, and some killer hip hop grooves.

Local sludge/hardcore band Class Traitor have released their sophomore album 'The Images Aren't Mine’, and they’ll be coming on to The Doom Saloon to chat with JRoc about the new record. Spanning a dynamic mix of blackened hardcore, noise-rock, and sludge, the band are about to go on tour with Lily of the Valley, who are known for their crushing riffs and atmospheric intensity. Tune in to hear about their show in Frankston on June 19, then at The Evelyn Hotel the following night.

Growing up in the backstreets of St Kilda, Alex Hamilton will be taking it back to where it all began at the Memo Music Hall on June 13. Raised on Neil Young and Bob Dylan, with some Nebraska-era Bruce Springsteen thrown in for good measure, Alex writes folky-country-rock songs that feel weathered, warm and unmistakably lived in. Alex joins Myles on the show, tune in to hear about the Southside Winter Warmer event, featuring Alex Hamilton & The Highway, Chelsea Hotel and Mr Sippy.

Locally based fingerstyle guitarist Rose Marie Gonzalez performs regularly as a soloist in her curated residency Guitar Kingdom, and as a member of the Melbourne Guitar Quartet. In 2025, she released her debut album 'Reach Down Low', which reflects her musical influences, blending classical guitar traditions with contemporary Brazilian and Latin sounds. Rose visits the Global Village, tune in for a live performance, and to hear about the Guitar Kingdom show at Bar 303 on June 20.

Improvisational duo Driftwood have expanded their distinctive sound world and will release their new album 'Maps' on June 12 on Room40 Records. Working with clarinets (Aviva Endean), guitars (Nick Ashwood), and microtonally retuned pump organs, they have added synthesisers to their second album, creating a truly unique record. Stopping by The Sound Barrier this Sunday, they'll be chatting with Ian Parsons about the album and their launch tour across Victoria and New South Wales.

For the second half of The Sound Barrier, Ian Parsons will catch up with Miranda Hill, the Artistic Director of Homophonic!, along with percussionist Niki Johnson. They will be chatting about the 2027 Homophonic Composer Pride Prize: a competition for a new work to be composed for percussion by an Australian LGBTQIA+ composer. Find out more about the annual competition and its $2,500 prize, as well as the opportunity for the winning composer to work alongside Niki Johnson.

Centered around live improvisation, collaboration, and the studio as an instrument, Tony Soprano Band are coming into Studio 5 Live during Deeep Space. Drawing from the language of breaks, sampling, and loop-based composition, every sound on the record 'Downtempo 1' originates from live performance. Lloyd Briggs chats to band members Daniel Rock (bass), Lucky Pereira (drums), Robert Downey (sequencer, drum machine) and Winton Findlay (synthesizers) about their new record.