Culture Club

Here at Culture Club, we're big readers, and after our 2025 book recap, listener Holly asked what's on our TBR piles in 2026!In this mini episode, we discuss the books we're currently reading, what's on our TBR list, and the 2026 book releases we're most excited about.Maggie:Great Big Beautiful Life - Emily HenryTruly Madly Guilty - Liane MoriartyRoot Rot - Saskia NislowGhost Cities - Siang LuThe Ten Year Affair - Erin SomersLost Lambs - Madeline CashVigil - George SaundersJas:Happiness and Love - Zoe DubnoAugust Blue - Deborah LevyOne Story - Pip FinkemeyerCape Fever - Nadia DavisHow To Kill A Guy In Ten Dates - Shailee ThompsonJust Watch Me - Lior TorenbergWe also reference The Vegetarian by Han Kang during our chat.Thank you for listening! Follow us on Culture Club Pod's Instagram and TikTok.Jas & Mags xo

We're back for 2026 with a fresh, new look! We discuss our new era and Jas' Instagram post sharing her feelings about building a creative project. Timothee Chalamet and Kylie Jenner are packing on the PDA at awards season, and creating discourse including GQ's take about using the term 'partner'. In Culture Shock, we break down what's going on with Ashley Tisdale's supposedly toxic mum group.As we enter a new year, many people have been setting goals to be more offline—but in our tech-obsessed lives, is this even possible? We reference Tamara's 365 Buttons, people turning on Gen Z's internet speak and the proliferation of AI slop, including Jeanswest's strange Instagram rebrand. We ask if the chronically online will become a new type of class, as posed by YouTube creator, Magic. And, in a world of personal branding and content creation, can we even afford to go offline? We reference a piece from The Cut, titled In 2026, We Are Friction-Maxxing by Kathryn Jezer-Morton and attention as a form of prayer by TikTok user, Denise Stobes.In Bookmarked, Jas recommends Amy Taylor's novel Ruins while Maggie recommends the Scottish documentary, The Golden Spurtle.Thanks for listening and thank you again to everyone who sent a kind word via Jas's post or Apple reviews! We're so grateful to have you and can't wait to create more in 2026. Our new cover art is by Katie Zhou and podcast and jingle editing is by India Wallis. Jas & Maggie xo

Welcome to our last Culture Club episode for 2025! We start this chat with a pop culture year review, reminiscing on the biggest stories of the last 12 months. Then, we get into our annual book recap! Here we discuss our best, worst and most unexpected reads of the year.Jas' least favourite reads were Water Moon by Samantha Sotto Yambao and Orbital by Samantha Harvey. Her most unexpected reads were Drive Your Plow Over The Bones Of The Dead by Olga Tokarczuk and Long Island Compromise by Taffy Brodesser-Akner. And her favourite books of the year? The Coin by Yasmin Zaher and Blue Sisters by Coco Mellors.Maggie's least favourite reads were Eat Your Heart Out by Victoria Brownlee and Three Days in June by Anne Tyler. Her most unexpected reads were The Names by Florence Knapp and Gliff by Ali Smith. Her favourite books were Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy and The Bee Sting by Paul Murray.Thank you for listening to Culture Club this year. If you've enjoyed this conversation, please share it with a friend. We'll see you next year!Jas & Mags x

Daphne Berry is the host of the number one music podcast in Australia, Airing Your Dirty Laundry. Since launching in 2024, she’s welcomed a host of artists into her laundromat, from Peach PRC and Ayesha Madon, to GFlip and 5 Seconds of Summer. Married to one half of Lime Cordiale, Daphne is well and truly embedded in the Australian music scene. From her international modelling days to her stint in teaching, Daphne’s career has twisted and turned in unconventional ways. In this solo interview episode of Culture Club, Maggie chats with Daphne about her podcast, manifesting her dream career and the judgement of being a music "WAG". You can follow Daphne on Instagram and TikTok.Jas & Mags <3

Hi friends!Miley Cyrus has confirmed her engagement to musician Maxx Morando, and the new Sunrise On The Reaping trailer is here. In Culture Shock, James Charles discovered the deep Australian lore of the Bunnings sausage sizzle.From the 10th of December, anyone under 16 in Australia won’t be able to keep or make accounts on social media apps. We discuss the pros and cons of the law and what it's like living in one of the first countries in the world to implement restrictions for kids on social media.Spotify Wrapped dropped last week to slightly less fanfare than years previous. We share our personal thoughts on the hallowed pop culture tradition, and Maggie shares the op-ed she wrote for Cheek Media titled 'Why I opted out of this year's Spotify Wrapped'. We also reference the new podcast, Fan To Fan podcast by Bridget Hustwaite and Alex Pearce. In Bookmarked, Jas enjoyed the new A24 rom-com, Eternity, while Maggie loved Consider Yourself Kissed by Jessica Stanley.Talk to you soon!Jas & Mags xo

Hi pals!In this episode, we recap some of the internet's reactions to our Wicked Instagram post, and writer Soaliha Iqbal reads from her Substack essay titled: 'Can women's bodies ever be apolitical?' Next, we have a quick chat about the TikTok Awards. Please note: this episode was recorded before the allegations of racism against the awards show came to light. We highly recommend Zee Feed's break down of the topic.In Culture Quickie, we ask why Americans love the Irwins so much and ask if Timothee Chalamet is moonlighting as a rapper. In our main topic, we discuss the discourse around Chante Joseph's mega viral Vogue article, 'Is having a boyfriend embarrassing now?' and the callback articles that have been published in response, including this one from Dazed and Vogue UK.In recommendations, Jas throws it all the way back to the eighties with her staycation film pick, 'Moonstruck' while Maggie shares the non-fiction book, 'Cult Bride' by Liz Cameron. Chat soon!Jas & Mags xo

Hi friends!We're back from a little wedding break as Jas got hitched. After a quick debrief, we're straight into Culture Quickies.Charli XCX has published her first two Substack posts: one on creativity and one about being a pop star. We chat about Charli's emergence on the newsletter platform and break down her musings. Next, Sydney Sweeney has been having a tough year after her indie biopic flopped at the box office this month. We discuss Sydney's 2025 controversies (including recent comments with GQ) and why she's being portrayed as a right wing celebrity.Wicked: For Good the second part of the Wicked franchise, was released earlier this month. But it's not the movie musical that has people talking. Main actresses Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo and Michelle Yeoh all looked noticeably thinner at press junkets and premieres. But should we even be discussing women's bodies in the post-body positivity movement era? In this segment, we discuss the eating disorder allegations and reference a piece for The Free Press titled 'In ‘Wicked,’ There’s a Very Thin Elephant in the Room' by Kara Kennedy. This segment references disordered eating and body image. If you need help with this, you're not alone. There are resources available on the Butterfly Foundation.In Bookmarked, Jas recommends a short romance novel by debut author and Substack writer, Erika Veurink titled Exit Lane while Maggie shares her love for Apple TV sci-fi series, Pluribus.

Hi! We missed you. We have a catch up on mic, FINALLY share our thoughts on Life of a Showgirl and discuss all things wedding and travel. Lily Allen has released the divorce album of the decade and we break down its major tracks. Hailey Bieber has shared on the In Your Dreams podcast that she's not considering botox until her 30s. Why is this so refreshing to hear? FRESHLY 20 year old pop star, Sombr, has been at the centre of controversy this week after creating a video response to a negative concert review. A 25-year-old woman named Meg posted an eight-minute review of her experience at Sombr’s show in D.C to her TikTok. Sombr responded to the accusations of vulgarity toward his teenaged crowd and made a point to bring up both his and Meg's ages. Why is Gen Z so obsessed with age? In Bookmarked, Jas recommends the new Bruce Springsteen biopic, Deliver Me From Nowhere while Maggie read Liane Moriarty's 2024 book, Here One Moment. Talk to you soon! Jas & Mags xo