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.
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.
Fresh into a new house, Max reviews Fontaines D.C.'s latest album Romance, to see if the Irish five-piece has been in his wheelhouse, or if it's all a little on the sad side.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.
No new artist chat this week, but we've dipped back into the archives to find one of our favourite interviews to revisit. In 2022, we caught up with producer and DJ Dillon Francis ahead of his Splendour in the Grass set. We cover the perils of high-altitude paint balling, travel conundrums at local NZ airports, and who listeners should have seen at that year's festival (immediately before Max got the worst bout of 'VID).Discover more new music and hear your favourite artists with 78 Amped on Instagram and TikTok.
Sam and Max pine over another international festival line up, then closely inspect Triple J's new high rotation policy. Then, Sam's new job has him thinking which tracks he can safely put on for the new office to make mates.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.
This week, Sam goes full city-patriot, and reviews one of the most prominent albums from Brisbane's scene, Powderfinger's "Vulture Street". Will Bernard and the boys have him feeling it, or will it be a miss?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.
Kelsey and Max dial in with Nette and George from Melbourne five-piece Sleepazoid off the back of their debut EP, "Running with the Dogs". They cover how their previous music projects have made them an efficient hit machine, whether their single "Alice" is about a four-legged friend, and whether Melbourne is a mosh city or a sway city.Connect with Sleepzoid on their TikTok and Instagram, and listen to their debut EP, "Running with the Dogs" on Spotify and Apple Music.Discover more new music and hear your favourite artists with 78 Amped on Instagram and TikTok.
After the big hit of Cyclone Alfred, Sam and Max emerge from their shelters to talk about the big hits in their playlists this week. Along side that, they cover two of the biggest music-centred video games, and go deep on a government report that might get a little depressing.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 throws the needle down on Turnover's 2015 album, "Peripheral Vision" to find a band moving between sounds. Will he be on board, or will it be caught in the middle?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.
Wrapping up our Knotfest 2025 coverage, Sam is joined by comedian Luke Severeid. They cover Luke's picks from the festival, the pressure of being a "heavy metal comedian" without a mosh pit, and what it's like being above the elite.Connect with Luke on Instagram and TikTok, and check out his latest stand-up special on YouTube.Discover more new music and hear your favourite artists with 78 Amped on Instagram and TikTok.
Max and Kelsey dial in with Brae from Sydney band Dear Seattle between the release of their third album and the start of their tour. They cover how the band deliberately changed direction in the release, what material didn't make the cut, and how video editing skills made the album all killer, no filler.Connect with Dear Seattle on Instagram and TikTok, and listen to their third album, "TOY", on Spotify and Apple Music. Find tickets to the show closest to you here.Discover more new music and hear your favourite artists with 78 Amped on Instagram and TikTok.
Continuing the Knotfest check-ins from the Brisbane leg of the festival, Sam sits down with Neil Westfall from A Day to Remember. They cover beating the jet lag with some Speakeasies, putting physical records out before digital downloads, and some secrets for a part two of their album.Connect with A Day to Remember on Instagram and TikTok, and listen to their upcoming album "Big Ole Album Vol. 1" 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 under time pressure with some tech stuff-ups, but that doesn't stop Sam reviewing a few shows he caught over the weekend, and then diving deep on the perfect soundtrack for an upcoming weather event.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.
Checking in at the Brisbane leg of Knotfest, Sam sits down with Aussie metal giants Polaris. They cover touring South America for the first time, dealing with the onstage nerves, and of course, their crown as the big-hitter track for the NRL in 2025.Connect with Polaris on their Instagram and TikTok, and revisit their 2023 album, "Fatalism", on Spotify and Apple Music.Discover more new music and hear your favourite artists with 78 Amped on Instagram and TikTok.
Sam has pulled the guitar strap tight, and dusted off the percussion to get into the spirit for Vampire Weekend's second album. Will it be a run, or will he be giving up the gun?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 sixth studio album, "Night Life", Max dials in with Rhys from the UK outfit The Horrors. They cover mixing in Death Folk on their DJ sets, a surprising film inspiration, and recording as a smaller band for the album.Connect with The Horrors on Instagram and TikTok and listen to their latest album, "Night Life" on Spotify and Apple Music. Discover more new music and hear your favourite artists with 78 Amped on Instagram and TikTok.
Sam and Max sit down for some new music, then dive deep on injuries in the pit, some metalcore legal drama and a little bit of Drake tour analysis.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 dons his all-black outfit as he reviews the compilation album, "By Special Request" from Johnny Cash. Will he Walk the Line of a good review, or is it straight to Folsom Prison?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 sits down for a chat with Jon Simmons of Pensylvania outfit Balance and Composure ahead of their trip to Australia for New Bloom Festival. They cover the writing of their comeback album, the songs that the band have told to hit the bench for a short while, and how fans need to get their homework done ahead of the shows.Connect with Balance and Composure on Instagram and TikTok, and listen to their latest album, "With You in Spirit", on Spotify and Apple Music. Find tickets to New Bloom Festival and their headline shows at their website.Discover more new music and hear your favourite artists with 78 Amped on Instagram and TikTok.
From the Prodigy going metal-festival hard, to bubbles at a caberet show and onto P!nk's acrobatics (get down!), it's stageshows all-round for Sam and Max. Along the way, it's new music, Mum Rock, and some live reviews. 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 her second album, Sam looks back at the first full-length release from Brisbane's Mallrat. He references Lana Del Ray, Nicole Kidman, and some leather chairs, but is it a favourite?Discover more new music and hear your favourite artists with 78 Amped on Instagram and TikTok.