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35. Hayley Williams at Laneway 2027? Calvin Harris + Ed Sheeran Chaos | Backstage Banter #035
52:45||Season 1, Ep. 35Backstage Banter is back for Episode 35 and somehow, against all odds, weâre still going.This week, Chris and Brett dive into a massive week of Australian tour announcements, led by Hayley Williams and Calvin Harris. Hayley Williams has announced intimate solo shows in Sydney and Melbourne for February 2027 â but with the dates falling suspiciously close to Laneway Festival 2027, could the Paramore frontwoman still be heading our way for Laneway?Meanwhile, Calvin Harris has announced his first-ever Australian headline tour, bringing one of the biggest catalogues in dance music to Perth, Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne. But despite the size of the announcement, why does it feel like everyone is losing their minds over Hayley?Then thereâs the Ed Sheeran and Macklemore tour controversy. With Macklemore removed from the tour and multiple supporting artists subsequently pulling out, Ed might need to jump onto the GigSync marketplace and start recruiting a whole new touring crew.And because apparently we havenât talked about Ed Sheeran enough, this weekâs retro album review dives into Ed Sheeranâs á (Divide). Does it slap? Does it suck? Or is Brett about to upset millions of Ed Sheeran fans?Plus, weâre spinning some of our favourite new music from The Weekly Catch, talking music news and delivering the usual questionable opinions.For all your music news, tour announcements, new releases and culture, head to aaabackstage.com and sign up to the AAA Backstage newsletter.https://mailchi.mp/d1086e851ce4/aaa-newsletter-sign-upFollow the Weekly Catch Playlist: https://hypeddit.com/5j1ekkBackstage Banter is now available everywhere you get your podcasts, including Apple Podcasts and Spotify, as well as right here on YouTube.If youâre loving the show, donât forget to like, comment and subscribe. It helps us more than you know.đ§ Listen on Apple Podcasts and Spotifyđ° More music news: https://aaabackstage.comđ¤ Powered by https://gigsync.com.au https://www.instagram.com/aaabackstage/https://www.tiktok.com/@aaabackstage
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34. ONEFOUR, Jimmy Barnes & Our Ultimate Supergroup | Backstage Banter #034
44:23||Season 1, Ep. 34Episode 34 and somehow they still keep letting us back into the studio.This week on Backstage Banter, weâre building the ultimate music collaboration supergroup, inspired by ONEFOURâs wild Like A Version team-up with Jimmy Barnes and Jessica Mauboy for a cover of Phil Collinsâ classic âIn The Air Tonightâ. If those worlds can collide, surely anything is possible. We also dive into the controversies surrounding Burning Man 2026 and the bigger question facing the event: has Burning Man grown too far beyond the community-driven, countercultural festival it started as, or are people simply being too sensitive about what it has become? Then thereâs the Jonas Brothers, who decided to have a crack at John Farnhamâs âYouâre The Voiceâ during the NFLâs massive Melbourne debut at the MCG. An ambitious choice⌠but did they actually pull it off? Plus, thereâs new music, questionable opinions and another deep dive into a supposedly âclassicâ pop album. Is it actually deserving of classic status, or have we all collectively remembered it a little too fondly?For all your music news, tour announcements, new releases and culture, head to aaabackstage.com and sign up to the AAA Backstage newsletter.https://mailchi.mp/d1086e851ce4/aaa-newsletter-sign-upFollow the Weekly Catch Playlist: https://hypeddit.com/5j1ekkBackstage Banter is now available everywhere you get your podcasts, including Apple Podcasts and Spotify, as well as right here on YouTube.If youâre loving the show, donât forget to like, comment and subscribe. It helps us more than you know.đ§ Listen on Apple Podcasts and Spotifyđ° More music news: https://aaabackstage.comđ¤ Powered by https://gigsync.com.au https://www.instagram.com/aaabackstage/https://www.tiktok.com/@aaabackstage
33. DO NICKELBACK ACTUALLY SUCK? | BACKSTAGE BANTER #033
38:56||Season 1, Ep. 33Back from the madness of BIGSOUND 2026, Chris and Brett return to Studio BAAAnter for Episode 33 â and this week, weâre talking superstars.Bruno Mars is heading back to Australia, and apparently the entire country wants a ticket. With demand sending the tour into additional-show territory, we unpack the hype surrounding one of the biggest pop stars on the planet.Then thereâs the Stella Lefty controversy. Is she really copying other artistsâ music, or are people hearing similarities where there arenât any? We dive into the debate and attempt to work out where inspiration ends and imitation begins.But the main event comes courtesy of a listener suggestion: Nickelback.For years, theyâve been one of the internetâs favourite bands to hate â but do Nickelback actually suck? Or have we all spent the last two decades pretending a band with an outrageous number of massive songs is somehow terrible? We dive into their catalogue and put the Nickelback hate to the test.Plus new music, questionable opinions and all the usual Backstage Banter chaos.For all your music news, tour announcements, new releases and culture, head to aaabackstage.com and sign up to the AAA Backstage newsletter.https://mailchi.mp/d1086e851ce4/aaa-newsletter-sign-upFollow the Weekly Catch Playlist: https://hypeddit.com/5j1ekkBackstage Banter is now available everywhere you get your podcasts, including Apple Podcasts and Spotify, as well as right here on YouTube.If youâre loving the show, donât forget to like, comment and subscribe. It helps us more than you know.đ§ Listen on Apple Podcasts and Spotifyđ° More music news: https://aaabackstage.comđ¤ Powered by https://gigsync.com.au https://www.instagram.com/aaabackstage/https://www.tiktok.com/@aaabackstage Â
32. BIGSOUND 2026 | Backstage Banter #032
20:56||Season 1, Ep. 32Backstage Banter is coming to you live from BIGSOUND 2026!Episode 32 takes us out of Studio BAAAnter and into the heart of Fortitude Valley after a mammoth week at Australiaâs biggest music industry gathering. Weâre wrapping up the week that was â from some of our favourite live sets and standout artists to the interesting characters, conversations and chaos we encountered along the way.We also took one very important question to the people of BIGSOUND: if you could attend an impossible music festival with Prince, Nirvana and Avicii all headlining at the exact same time⌠who are you watching?Prince? Nirvana? Avicii?We thought we knew how people would answer. We were very wrong.Join Chris and Brett as we unpack BIGSOUND 2026, share our highlights from across the week and attempt to make sense of everything we witnessed along the way.For all your music news, tour announcements, new releases and culture, head to aaabackstage.com and sign up to the AAA Backstage newsletter.https://mailchi.mp/d1086e851ce4/aaa-newsletter-sign-upFollow the Weekly Catch Playlist: https://hypeddit.com/5j1ekkBackstage Banter is now available everywhere you get your podcasts, including Apple Podcasts and Spotify, as well as right here on YouTube.If youâre loving the show, donât forget to like, comment and subscribe. It helps us more than you know.đ§ Listen on Apple Podcasts and Spotifyđ° More music news: https://aaabackstage.comđ¤ Powered by https://gigsync.com.au https://www.instagram.com/aaabackstage/https://www.tiktok.com/@aaabackstage  #BIGSOUND2026 #BIGSOUND #BackstageBanter #AustralianMusic #MusicPodcast #Prince #Nirvana #Avicii
31. Why Bands Donât Play Their Biggest Hits | BACKSTAGE BANTER #031
40:32||Season 1, Ep. 31Backstage Banter is back in Studio BAAAnter for Episode 31, diving headfirst into another wonderfully weird week in the music industry.This week, Chris and Brett unpack some of the biggest new music releases and Australian tour announcements, including news from PRESIDENT and the return of electronic music heavyweight Armin van Buuren to Australia.We also ask an important question: what happens when you see one of your favourite bands live⌠and they donât play the song everyone is waiting for? We revisit some of the gigs where an expected hit mysteriously disappeared from the setlist and discuss whether artists actually owe fans their biggest songs.Plus, we head back into the archives for another classic album review â although this week's record might not be quite as âclassicâ in Brett's eyes.For all your music news, tour announcements, new releases and culture, head to aaabackstage.com and sign up to the AAA Backstage newsletter.https://mailchi.mp/d1086e851ce4/aaa-newsletter-sign-upFollow the Weekly Catch Playlist: https://hypeddit.com/5j1ekkBackstage Banter is now available everywhere you get your podcasts, including Apple Podcasts and Spotify, as well as right here on YouTube.If youâre loving the show, donât forget to like, comment and subscribe. It helps us more than you know.đ§ Listen on Apple Podcasts and Spotifyđ° More music news: https://aaabackstage.comđ¤ Powered by https://gigsync.com.au https://www.instagram.com/aaabackstage/https://www.tiktok.com/@aaabackstage  #BackstageBanter #MusicPodcast #AustralianMusic #MusicNews #ArminVanBuuren
30. DID USHER USE A STUNT DOUBLE? | BACKSTAGE BANTER #030
46:08||Season 1, Ep. 30Backstage Banter hits Episode 30! Where the hell has the time gone?Chris and Brett are back inside studio bAAAnter for another week of new music, music industry chaos and wildly important investigations.First up: did Usher really use a stunt double during a live concert? We dive into the bizarre story and internet speculation surrounding a suspicious-looking Usher, whether he was late to the show, and the far more entertaining possibility that there's an emergency backup Usher ready to deploy at a moment's notice.Then it's time for the ultimate internet music-nerd battle: Anthony Fantano vs Julian Casablancas. We unpack the feud surrounding The Strokes frontman and the influential music critic, plus claims that The Strokes' PR machine is working with content creators to turn the internet against Fantano.We also head backwards in time for a retrospective look at a "classic" album, share some of our favourite new releases and get stuck into everything else happening in music this week.For all your music news, tour announcements, new releases and culture, head to aaabackstage.com and sign up to the AAA Backstage newsletter.https://mailchi.mp/d1086e851ce4/aaa-newsletter-sign-upFollow the Weekly Catch Playlist: https://hypeddit.com/5j1ekkBackstage Banter is now available everywhere you get your podcasts, including Apple Podcasts and Spotify, as well as right here on YouTube.If youâre loving the show, donât forget to like, comment and subscribe. It helps us more than you know.đ§ Listen on Apple Podcasts and Spotifyđ° More music news: https://aaabackstage.comđ¤ Powered by https://gigsync.com.au https://www.instagram.com/aaabackstage/https://www.tiktok.com/@aaabackstage #BackstageBanter #Usher #TheStrokes #JulianCasablancas #AnthonyFantano #MusicNews #NewMusic #MusicPodcast
29. Did We Leak Laneway 2027? | Backstage Banter #029
44:42||Season 1, Ep. 29Could the Laneway Festival 2027 lineup already be out there? On Episode 29 of Backstage Banter, Chris and Brett reveal a potential leaked Laneway lineup and decide just how believable it actually is.We're also asking whether the ARIA Charts are still relevant in 2026. With streaming, algorithms, TikTok and changing listening habits completely reshaping how music becomes popular, do Australia's official charts still tell us anything meaningful about what people are actually listening to?Then it's time for one of our favourite debates yet: the greatest musical collaborations of all time. From David Bowie and Mick Jagger to James Murphy and Joe Talbot, we're putting forward some interesting â and occasionally questionable â favourites.Plus, we dive into this week's The Weekly Catch playlist and share the new tracks we've had on repeat.For more new music, artist interviews, festival news, tour announcements and everything happening across Australian music, visit aaabackstage.com and subscribe to the AAA Backstage newsletter. https://mailchi.mp/d1086e851ce4/aaa-newsletter-sign-upAnd don't forget to follow The Weekly Catch for our favourite new music every week. https://hypeddit.com/5j1ekkBackstage Banter is brought to you by GigSync.