Each week (or as often as time and technology allow) writers for AAA Backstage sit down to discuss the news and reviews of the Aussie music scene.
Roll up! Roll up! It's festival line-up season as we hear news from Big Pineapple Festival, Good Things, and potentially Tomorrowland arriving Down Under. Alongside that, it's some album deep cuts we love and plenty of new tracks we're jamming in our playlists.Follow along with the songs we discuss with this week's Spotify Playlist.Discover more new music and hear your favourite artists with 78 Amped on Instagram and TikTok.
Interrupting regularly schedule Vinyl Club reviews, Sam and Max looking back at 10 years of Tame Impala's most iconic record, "Currents". Early on, they both lay their critical cards on the table but will a re-listen change their mind?Rediscover Tame Impala's "Currents" on Spotify and Apple Music for its 10th Anniversary.Discover more new music and hear your favourite artists with 78 Amped on Instagram and TikTok.
Ahead of their mammoth 21-date tour of Australia, Sam and Max dial in with Jeph from The Used. They chat about the influence of groove Jazz music on his bass playing, why a one-lane road almost tanked their Aussie debut, and why Jeph ended up with naked save for a pineapple.Connect with The Used on Instagram and TikTok, and listen to their first three albums on Spotify and Apple Music. Head to their website to find more info and tickets to their live shows.Discover more new music and hear your favourite artists with 78 Amped on Instagram and TikTok.
After a real spread of new music from across genres, Sam and Max unpack a huge Hottest 100 weekend, talk about more artists moving away from Spotify, and then wretch their way through the biggest live music icks.Follow along with the songs we discuss with this week's Spotify Playlist.Discover more new music and hear your favourite artists with 78 Amped on Instagram and TikTok.
Dan joins Max as he looks back at the debut record from Parkway Drive, "Killing With a Smile". It's a two-pronged discussion of one of the biggest Metalcore albums, but will it be all killer no filler?Follow along with the songs we discuss with this week's Spotify Playlist.Discover more new music and hear your favourite artists with 78 Amped on Instagram and TikTok.
In the lead-up to "Lonely God", Sam and Max dial in with Ryan from Fit For a King. Along the way they talk about trying to write records to make everyone happy, what a "Bud Lite band" is, and how the whole band took on all the roles in the album process this time.Connect with Fit For a King on Instagram or TikTok, and listen to their album, "Lonely God" on Spotify and Apple Music. Get info and tickets for their upcoming Australian show at their website.Discover more new music and hear your favourite artists with 78 Amped on Instagram and TikTok.
There's a special guest in the studio this week as Dan from Virtues joins the Wednesday show. They chat new music, including Virtues' latest "Blasphemer", a real rollercoaster for European EDM fans at Tomorrowland, Ben Lee's Hottest 100 claims, and then name some pets.Follow along with the tracks we discuss with this week's Spotify Playlist.Connect with Virtues on Instagram and TikTok, and listen to their latest single, "Blasphemer", on Spotify and Apple Music.Discover more new music and hear your favourite artists with 78 Amped on Instagram and TikTok.
Chatting while they were the #1 Australian album in the country, we dial in with Josh from FANGZ to discuss their debut album,"Shui". Along the way, we cover how full-time jobs honed the record process into a tight schedule, what the perfect FANGZ Shui furniture might be, and who's got some Olympic level egg racing in them.Connect with FANGZ on their Instagram and TikTok, and listen to their ARIA #1 debut record "Shui" on Spotify and Apple Music.Discover more new music and hear your favourite artists with 78 Amped on Instagram and TikTok.
Sam is reviewing the UK's Franc Moody and their latest album, "Chewing the Fat", and will he get into a dance moment, or stand at the back of the metaphorical room with his arms folded?Follow along with the songs we discuss with this week's Spotify Playlist.Discover more new music and hear your favourite artists with 78 Amped on Instagram and TikTok.
Max dials in with Justin from the Perth legends End of Fashion ahead of their tour to celebrate the 20th anniversary of their debut record. It's a super insightful peek behind the curtain at what life as an artist was like in one of the most tumultuous times in the Aus music industry as we talk the shift from physical media to digital distribution and the reliance on radio to promote work, but also some truly big hits that are going to be ringing out across the country with their tour, and some new tracks on the horizon.Connect with End of Fashion on Instagram and TikTok, and listen to their debut self-titled record on Spotify and Apple Music. Get tickets to their 20th anniversary tour at their website.Discover more new music and hear your favourite artists with 78 Amped on Instagram and TikTok.
It's capital letters galore as G Flip's going 80s, Sam's going Addison Rae, and Will Smith's going sexy(?) in Something New. Then, we dive into the quagmire of AI in music off the back of a huge admission from a rising Spotify artists, and then crack open the all-time best drum beats that will send you through the drywall.Follow along with the songs we discuss with this week's Spotify Playlist.Discover more new music and hear your favourite artists with 78 Amped on Instagram and TikTok.
Max bites the bullet and goes in on a review for a Radiohead record. Starting with 2007's "In Rainbows" will this finally sway the boys and see them become Radioheadheads?Follow along with the songs we discuss with this week's Spotify Playlist.Discover more new music and hear your favourite artists with 78 Amped on Instagram and TikTok.
Ahead of the release of their upcoming album "Breaking Into Heaven", Max catches up with Loki from Gold Coast/Yugambeh band Selve. They chat about the globe-trotting writing and recording process that culminated in an historic first, how they're going big for their launch show, and why the album is full of L-Shaped curves.Connect with Selve on Instagram and TikTok and listen to Loki Horror Picture Show, the latest taste of their upcoming album "Breaking Into Heaven", on Spotify and Apple Music. Find tickets to their launch show at HOTA at the BLEACH Festival website.Discover more new music and hear your favourite artists with 78 Amped on Instagram and TikTok.
Live bands giveth, and live bands Sabbath away. After plenty of new music, Sam and Max chat through rough Listen Out 2025 news, some positive Parkway Drive festival news, the return of Oasis, the end of Black Sabbath, and then list out some of the biggest, heaviest, and gnarliest guitar riffs.Follow along with the songs we discuss with this week's Spotify Playlist.Discover more new music and hear your favourite artists with 78 Amped on Instagram and TikTok.
Sam's visiting the Isle of Wight to review the self-titled debut album from Wet Leg. Does he head to the Chaise Longue or is it all Oh No?Follow along with the songs we discuss with this week's Spotify Playlist.Discover more new music and hear your favourite artists with 78 Amped on Instagram and TikTok.
On their road trip across the U.S., we dial in with Nathan from Atlanta band Microwave ahead of their tour Down Under. We catch up on the process behind last year's "Let's Start Degeneracy", the half-finished secret to their super diverse sound, and what it takes to build the ultimate Microwave setlist for their live show.Connect with Microwave on Instagram and TikTok, and listen back to "Let's Start Degeneracy" on Spotify and Apple Music. Head to their website for info and tickets for their Australian tour.Discover more new music and hear your favourite artists with 78 Amped on Instagram and TikTok.
The ARIA Charts are changing the game, hoping to get some more Australian artists climbing, Ben Lee is calling on us to help the local scene, and Bigsound is on its way, so we find out who's worth catching.Support Bugs' Jordan Brunoli here.Follow along with the songs we discuss with this week's Spotify Playlist.Discover more new music and hear your favourite artists with 78 Amped on Instagram and TikTok.
Max is looking over the latest drop from Maryland's Turnstile, finding out how much hardcore he can handle with Never Enough.Follow along with all the songs we discuss with this week's Spotify Playlist.Discover more new music and hear your favourite artists with 78 Amped on Instagram and TikTok.
Australian icons are about rocking their way across the country on an upcoming tour, and Triple J are settling the best Australian music debate once and for all.Follow along with the songs we discuss with this week's Spotify Playlist.Discover more new music and hear your favourite artists with 78 Amped on Instagram and TikTok.
Sam is reviewing the 2015 release from Liverpool's The Wombats, and will this bring him around on anything more recent in their discography than "Moving To New York"?Follow along with the songs we discuss with this week's Spotify Playlist.Discover more new music and hear your favourite artists with 78 Amped on Instagram and TikTok.
It's news galore as Max seems to want to highlight every gig happening in Brisbane between now and 2049 all in one go, then Sam unloads on the creatures he spotted while he was at the Counterparts gig.Follow along with the songs we discuss with this week's Spotify Playlist.Discover more new music and hear your favourite artists with 78 Amped on Instagram and TikTok.
Max is back in his sweepiest-hair era, reviewing the oft-forgotten Paramore album, Brand New Eyes. Will he be able to enjoy his angsty teen years now that he's a mature, old-ass man?Follow along with the songs we discuss with this week's Spotify Playlist.Discover more new music and hear your favourite artists with 78 Amped on Instagram and TikTok.
Max dials in with Mikaila from the pop-punk band Yours Truly ahead of them embarking on the Australian leg of their Toxic tour. They cover how a songwriter's emotional turmoil turns into a fan's favourite song, which of their songs started life as a Bossa Nova, and why some of the tracks might sound a little different in the live setting.Connect with Yours Truly on Instagram and TikTok, and listen to their 2024 album "Toxic" on Spotify and Apple Music. Find tickets to the shows closest to you on their website.Discover more new music and hear your favourite artists with 78 Amped on Instagram and TikTok.
It's a spicy week this week as Sam and Max build a some playlists with VERY different tones, review a stack of new music that dropped over the last few weeks, and stop down on Parkway's big impact around their Opera House show.Follow along with the songs we discuss on with this week's Spotify playlist.This Men's Mental Health Month, if you or someone you know might be experiencing mental health struggles, consider speaking with organisations like Headspace who can offer support and strategies.Discover more new music and hear your favourite artists with 78 Amped on Instagram and TikTok.
Sam is going to Scottish house parties in 2007 as he reviews Calvin Harris' debut album, "I Created Disco".Follow along with the songs we discuss with this week's Spotify Playlist.Discover more new music and hear your favourite artists with 78 Amped on Instagram and TikTok.
Sam and Max dial in with Brisbane band Dopamine off the back of the release of their latest single, "Someone". On a dusty Sunday afternoon, they cover how the band were experimenting with some fresh sounds, how the junkies in the Fortitude Valley shaped them as musicians, and when they'll get back to their Stevie Ray Vaughn roots.Connect with Dopamine on Instagram and TikTok, and listen to their latest single "Someone" on Spotify and Apple Music.Discover more new music and hear your favourite artists with 78 Amped on Instagram and TikTok.
Fresh Amity, refreshed Taylor, and some deep cuts from the 00s that will have Max scratching his head.Follow along with the songs we discuss with this week's Spotify Playlist.Discover more new music and hear your favourite artists with 78 Amped on Instagram and TikTok.
Max is on-task to review the second album from guitar maestro Mk.Gee, and tries to determine if it's artistic genius, or just weird guitar.Follow along with the songs we discuss in this week's Spotify Playlist.Discover more new music and hear your favourite artists with 78 Amped on Instagram and TikTok.
Between all the new tracks of the week, and a deep dive on some bands that just absolutely should have been bigger than they were, we check in on two of the biggest artists on the charts; one of them on top of the world, and one of them having a dip.Follow along with the songs we discuss with this week's Spotify Playlist.Discover more new music and hear your favourite artists with 78 Amped on Instagram and TikTok.
Sam's looking back at a key album in 90s Big Beat, with Fatboy Slim's 1998 release, and finding out that dance music may, in fact, be in his wheelhouse.Follow along with the songs we discuss with this week's Spotify Playlist.Discover more new music and hear your favourite artists with 78 Amped on Instagram and TikTok.
Sam's microphone simply refuses to play ball, leading to a lot of mayhem throughout the episode. Then the boys cover off some big announcements for shows and tours, and Sam accepts the cringe with some of his favourite artists.Follow along with the songs we discuss with this week's Spotify Playlist.Discover more new music and hear your favourite artists with 78 Amped on Instagram and TikTok.
Max is reviewing the 2013 album that put The Story So Far on the map in the pop punk world. Will the big melodies and energy be enough to get him through a chopped lettuce salad on the drum kit?Follow along with the songs we discuss on with this week's Spotify Playlist.Discover more new music and hear your favourite artists with 78 Amped on Instagram and TikTok.
Digging back into the archives, it's our 2021 chat with Royel Otis around the drop of their debut EP. Throughout the chat, we cover a thespian turn, boxing on with Justin Bieber, and surviving a power outage in The Strokes' studio, alongside their then-up-and-coming musical project.Discover more new music and hear your favourite artists with 78 Amped on Instagram and TikTok.
It's a big week for the lads, as Sam goes through some big changes which leads us to another new studio. Along the way, we unpack one of Sydney's most iconic birthdays, another update on the Hellbound cruise, and, thank our parents for the great music taste.Follow along with the songs we discuss with this week's Spotify Playlist.Discover more new music and hear your favourite artists with 78 Amped on Instagram and TikTok.
Sam's on reviewing duties for Lorde's second album, "Melodrama", as he digests some big pop belters ahead of an upcoming follow-up.Follow along with the songs we discuss with this week's Spotify Playlist.Discover more new music and hear your favourite artists with 78 Amped on Instagram and TikTok.
Sam revisits a genre he misses dearly, checks the shipping report, and then gets cries over Spilt Milk. Then it's an important analysis: Bands that are no one's favourites.Follow along with the songs we discuss with this week's Spotify Playlist.Discover more new music and hear your favourite artists with 78 Amped on Instagram and TikTok.
Sam's given Max quite a hefty task as he reviews the Australian deathcore group's 2015 album. For a fella that loves girly pop, how will a heavy review sit with him?Follow along with the songs we discuss in this week's Spotify playlist.Discover more new music and hear your favourite artists with 78 Amped on Instagram and TikTok.
It's another interview from the archives this week as we revisit one of our favourite chats from 2021 with some of Australia's biggest exports, Chase Atlantic. Right around the drop of their third album, "Beauty in Death", the chat dives into the band's move to L.A., how they check their ego at the door with songwriting, and how to properly network without getting chewed up.Connect with Chase Atlantic on Instagram and TikTok, and revisit their third album "Beauty in Death" on Spotify and Apple Music.Discover more new music and hear your favourite artists with 78 Amped on Instagram and TikTok.
Lorde's cross, Sam tees off about Dashboard Confessional, and Katy Perry's still a space cadet. Then, Bluesfest has maybe told us a little white lie, and Sam wants to geek out about guitars.Follow along with the songs we discuss with this week's Spotify Playlist.Discover more new music and hear your favourite artists with 78 Amped on Instagram and TikTok.
Off the back of their Coachella sets, Sam's reviewing Green Day's 1997 album Nimrod, and finding out that it goes well beyond pop punk. Will he have the time of his life?Follow along with the songs we discuss in this week's Spotify playlist.Discover more new music and hear your favourite artists with 78 Amped on Instagram and TikTok.
Sam and Max sit down for a chat with Ciarann Babbington, lead vocalist of Melbourne pop-punkers Bakers Eddy, on the release day of their latest single "Dust on My Brain". They cover the long-fought process that goes into backing vocals, how Ciarann found his voice from mental health struggles, and why listeners are going to hear some Drum 'n' Bass on their next release.Follow Bakers Eddy on Instagram and TikTok, and listen to their latest single, "Dust on the Brain", on Spotify and Apple Music.Discover more new music and hear your favourite artists with 78 Amped on Instagram and TikTok.
Sam and Max are RIPing the pontiff this week, followed by a few big announcements out of the Australian heavy music scene. Then, Sam's pondering the end of the world as he looks to soundtrack when it all comes to a close.Follow along with the songs we discuss with this week's Spotify Playlist.Discover more new music and hear your favourite artists with 78 Amped on Instagram and TikTok.
Sam has set Max one of the biggest albums of all time to review as his homework, so no pressure. Will he go the way of Syd Barrett?Follow along with the songs we discuss with this week's Spotify Playlist.Discover more new music and hear your favourite artists with 78 Amped on Instagram and TikTok.
Sam still loves new Skrillex and Max finds some heavy Finnish material for the new music mix, then they cover off a gig they caught together, and touch base on the biggest sets from Coachella so far.Follow along with the songs we discuss with this week's Spotify Playlist.Discover more new music and hear your favourite artists with 78 Amped on Instagram and TikTok.
Sam gets his 80s and 90s dance pants on as he reviews the second album from Client Liaison, the Corporate Kings of the Australian music scene. Will he make it Strictly Business, or will it take him to the House of Holy?Follow along with the songs we discuss in this week's Spotify Playlist. Discover more new music and hear your favourite artists with 78 Amped on Instagram and TikTok.
It's Bro-step time as Sam and Max uncover the latest hectic drop-a-thon from Skrillex, Sam defends himself from some Sleepyheads, and then we float the all-important concept of a "Do Not Playlist".Follow along with the songs we discuss with this week's Spotify Playlist.Discover more new music and hear your favourite artists with 78 Amped on Instagram and TikTok.
Max looks back at a 2012 pop punk classic from the UK outfit Basement. Aside from their absolute hate of both the space-bar and capitalisation, what will Max glean from this album?Follow along with the songs we discuss with this week's Spotify playlist.Discover more new music and hear your favourite artists with 78 Amped on Instagram and TikTok.
Birthday presents are swapping hands, festival line-ups are getting dropped, and outrage follows Max's non-opinion of a late-00s classic. Sam also asks the BIG question with a grim answer.Follow along with the songs we discuss with this week's Spotify Playlist.Discover more new music and hear your favourite artists with 78 Amped on Instagram and TikTok.
Sam listens in and reviews the New York City band Gift's Illuminator album, and discovers if he has that indie rock vibe in his repertoire.Follow along with the songs we discuss with this week's Spotify Playlist.Discover more new music and hear your favourite artists with 78 Amped on Instagram and TikTok.
Ahead of the release of their third album, BODIES, Max dials in with Jacob and Ethan from Thornhill while the band were hitting the golf course. Between strokes, they cover the bands surprising inspiration behind their music, how the new tracks have been coming across live, and the difference between a Thornhill fan and a Thornhill album fan.Connect with Thornhill on Instagram and TikTok, and listen to their third studio album "BODIES" on Spotify and Apple Music. Find tickets to their tour here.Discover more new music and hear your favourite artists with 78 Amped on Instagram and TikTok.
Both Sam and Max have big life milestones under the belt this week, and they're trying (and failing) to find the music that tells the story. Also Ronnie Radke's causing havoc on the serene isle of Tasmania.Follow along with the songs we discuss with this week's Spotify Playlist.Discover more new music and hear your favourite artists with 78 Amped on Instagram and TikTok.