Listen Up with Ash McGregor

Ten years ago, Caleb and Kieran of Spacey Jane were busking on the main street of Geraldton, getting paid $20 to play Riptide on repeat.
Today, Spacey Jane are the face of Australian indie rock and they've just released their rawest project yet, Exit Wounds.
In this episode, I sit down with two of my good friends to take it all the way back to day one: how a mum asking a favour at a high school kickstarted one of Australia's most beloved bands, the open mic nights and backyard house shows that built their fanbase before they had a single song out, navigating Covid as the only band still touring in Australia, and the road from there to number two on the Hottest 100.
We also get deep into their brand new EP Exit Wounds; a bare-all project that Caleb calls the darkest thing they've ever written, wrapped up in their most fun rollout yet.
This one's a full decade in the making. I hope you love it as much as I do.

Genesis Owusu has built a reputation as one of the most fearless and genre-defying artists in modern music.
From the explosive success of albums like 'Smiling With No Teeth' and 'STRUGGLER' to praise from public figures as unexpected as Barack Obama, Genesis' creations have aways been larger than life.
Now, with his third studio album 'REDSTAR WU & THE WORLDWIDE SCOURGE', he’s turning his attention directly toward the world around us. It's an album set in the now.
In this episode, Genesis takes us back to growing up in Canberra, his earliest creative projects alongside his brother Citizen Kay, and the journey from underground artist to one of Australia’s most acclaimed musical voices.
We dive deep into 'REDSTAR WU & THE WORLDWIDE SCOURGE', an album that comments on division, noise and modern life while still searching for hope and human connection underneath it all.
It's an album that is hijacking airwaves, it demands attention and is not afraid to tell it as it is. So listen up to what he has to say!
-------This project has been assisted by the Australian Government through Music Australia and Creative Australia, its arts funding and advisory body.

Melanie C, best known as Sporty Spice from the Spice Girls, is one of the most recognisable voices of a generation, she redefined pop music and global fame in the late ’90s.
In this episode, Melanie takes us back to growing up just outside of Liverpool, being handed a flyer to audition for what would become the Spice Girls, and her first impressions of the group that would change her life forever.
We get into the early days of the Spice Girls, the rapid rise to global superstardom, and the reality of navigating that level of fame at such a young age. If you want to hear the blow-by-blow of global domination, you're in the right place!
Post-Spice Girls, Melanie has carved out her own path as a solo artist and DJ, it's a side to her that feels like a true return to her younger rave and dance roots. Now, with her new album Sweat on the way, she opens up about this chapter, the music and the upcoming tours.

Vanessa Amorosi had one of the most explosive starts to a career in Australian music history.
Within a year of releasing her debut music, she was performing on one of the biggest stages in the world - opening and closing the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games. But the story started long before that, years of dedication and grinding.
In this episode, Vanessa takes us back to growing up in a very musical household, to being discovered singing in a Russian restaurant, and navigating the industry as a young female artist in the early 2000s. We talk about the whirlwind of early fame, the expectations that came with it, and her decision to move to the US and exploring new sounds in gospel and blues.
Throughout this chat, two things really strike home: her strong sense of self from such a young age, and the quest to always be growing and challenging yourself.
This is a bit of a longer one, but lets indulge - she's an Aussie icon!

Canadian rock band The Beaches have spent years building their story from teenage bandmates to one of the most exciting names in modern rock.
In this episode, sisters Jordan and Kylie join the podcast to take it all the way back to their first band Done with Dolls, and the early years of growing up making music together.
We talk about navigating the music industry as a female rock band, the moment they walked away from a team that didn’t understand their vision, and the viral success of their breakout track Blame Brett.
The conversation also dives into the balance between writing deeply personal songs and sharing those stories with the world, and how that changed their perspective during the making of their album No Hard Feelings.