The Music Show

Author Oliver Soden tackles the public and private personas of Noël Coward in his biography Masquerade: The Lives of Noël Coward. He joins Andy on to unpack the way that life yielded one of the most productive artistic careers of the 20th century.Including scenes from Private Lives, performed by Geraldine Turner, Dennis Olsen, and Guy Noble from The Music Show archives. 

Marcia Hines marks fifty years since her debut recording, but her life in music started long before that. Raised with gospel in Boston, she was at Woodstock when she was 16 and then shortly after on her way to Australia to star in the local production of Hair. And then she stayed. After Hair came touring in a jazz band with B.B. King, then Jesus Christ Superstar, before being crowned Queen of Pop. A huge career across pop, jazz, disco and more followed and is still going with Marcia touring across her adopted Australia.As a reflection of his Butchulla, Garrwa, South-Sea Islander and Tongan backgrounds, Fred Leone's music is captivating cocktail of Language, collaboration and storytelling. He speaks to Andrew about his own musical upbringing and how he works with other musicians including trials (A.B. Original), Birdz and Samuel Pankhurst.

An hour in the company of music writer James Gavin whose biographies include George Michael, Chet Baker and Peggy Lee. Gavin discusses ‘ravaged’ voices;  singers whose voices became utterly wrecked in old age like Billie Holiday and Alessandro Moreschi. Or in the case of Marianne Faithful where age wearied the voice in a new and haunting way. We hear high voices that never dropped like Jimmy Scott and Peter Pears and Joan Baez whose technique only improved with age. And not forgetting the drama that became the hallmark of Johnny Cash’s late singing.

ANOHNI & the Johnsons return with My Back Was A Bridge For You To Cross, and Robbie visits the ACO studios to chat with Will Gregory and his Moog Ensemble.

Pop music is an art, it’s a science, it’s an industrial complex. Ring in the new year with some of your favourite pop hits, and a favourite conversation from 2023.

New albums from some of the most iconic voices of 2023: Hozier chats about Unreal Unearth, and Benjamin Appl on Forbidden Fruit. 

Two friends of The Music Show drop by the live music studio with performances from their 2023 releases.

The Music Show on RN Summer revisits conversations with Don Walker and Rob Hao.

Andy Irvine is the quintessential Irish traditional musician and songwriter, but he was born in 1940s London. Since then he’s been a huge part of the wave that popularised Irish music and folk music more broadly, and he joins us in The Music Show studio to play and reflect on a life on stage.

The Sound of White was Missy Higgins' debut album and includes tracks written in her teenage bedroom, on her post-high school backpacking trip, and in LA studios sponsored by her new record label. She rocketed to stardom back in 2004 and as that breakthrough record is about to celebrate its twentieth anniversary, Missy talks to The Music Show producer Ce Benedict about how it came together and how she looks back on it now.Judith Hill is one of the subjects of the documentary 20 Feet From Stardom, having been a backing vocalist for many years. Now she’s about to head to Sydney Festival and her parents – who met when they joined the same 70s funk band – are on tour with her.  These days, she is very much a frontwoman, and she tells Andrew about her life as a hardworking musician and finding her own sound whilst working with stars like Michael Jackson and Prince.And composer, dramaturg, director, writer, collaborator, and friend of the Music Show Felix Cross talks about a project that has been simmering away over the last few years that is coming to fruition early next year in India. Working with the Akshar Trust, Felix is creating new musical opportunities for children with hearing impairment, and devising a stage adaptation of the short film Vishwamitri Villas with his collaborator in life and theatre, Kristine Landon-Smith.