Backstage Banter is back for Episode 35 and somehow, against all odds, we’re 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 — 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 there’s 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 haven’t talked about Ed Sheeran enough, this week’s retro album review dives into Ed Sheeran’s ÷ (Divide). Does it slap? Does it suck? Or is Brett about to upset millions of Ed Sheeran fans?

Plus, we’re 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-up

Follow the Weekly Catch Playlist: https://hypeddit.com/5j1ekk

Backstage Banter is now available everywhere you get your podcasts, including Apple Podcasts and Spotify, as well as right here on YouTube.

If you’re loving the show, don’t forget to like, comment and subscribe. It helps us more than you know.

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Episode 34 and somehow they still keep letting us back into the studio.

This week on Backstage Banter, we’re building the ultimate music collaboration supergroup, inspired by ONEFOUR’s wild Like A Version team-up with Jimmy Barnes and Jessica Mauboy for a cover of Phil Collins’ classic ‘In The Air Tonight’. 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 there’s the Jonas Brothers, who decided to have a crack at John Farnham’s ‘You’re The Voice’ during the NFL’s massive Melbourne debut at the MCG. An ambitious choice… but did they actually pull it off?

Plus, there’s new music, questionable opinions and another deep dive into a supposedly “classic” 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-up

Follow the Weekly Catch Playlist: https://hypeddit.com/5j1ekk

Backstage Banter is now available everywhere you get your podcasts, including Apple Podcasts and Spotify, as well as right here on YouTube.

If you’re loving the show, don’t forget to like, comment and subscribe. It helps us more than you know.

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Back from the madness of BIGSOUND 2026, Chris and Brett return to Studio BAAAnter for Episode 33 — and this week, we’re 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 there’s the Stella Lefty controversy. Is she really copying other artists’ music, or are people hearing similarities where there aren’t 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, they’ve been one of the internet’s favourite bands to hate — 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-up

Follow the Weekly Catch Playlist: https://hypeddit.com/5j1ekk

Backstage Banter is now available everywhere you get your podcasts, including Apple Podcasts and Spotify, as well as right here on YouTube.

If you’re loving the show, don’t forget to like, comment and subscribe. It helps us more than you know.

🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts and Spotify

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Backstage 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 Australia’s biggest music industry gathering. We’re wrapping up the week that was — 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-up

Follow the Weekly Catch Playlist: https://hypeddit.com/5j1ekk

Backstage Banter is now available everywhere you get your podcasts, including Apple Podcasts and Spotify, as well as right here on YouTube.

If you’re loving the show, don’t forget to like, comment and subscribe. It helps us more than you know.

🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts and Spotify

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#BIGSOUND2026 #BIGSOUND #BackstageBanter #AustralianMusic #MusicPodcast #Prince #Nirvana #Avicii

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Backstage 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 don’t 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 — although this week's record might not be quite as “classic” 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-up

Follow the Weekly Catch Playlist: https://hypeddit.com/5j1ekk

Backstage Banter is now available everywhere you get your podcasts, including Apple Podcasts and Spotify, as well as right here on YouTube.

If you’re loving the show, don’t forget to like, comment and subscribe. It helps us more than you know.

🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts and Spotify

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#BackstageBanter #MusicPodcast #AustralianMusic #MusicNews #ArminVanBuuren

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Backstage 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-up

Follow the Weekly Catch Playlist: https://hypeddit.com/5j1ekk

Backstage Banter is now available everywhere you get your podcasts, including Apple Podcasts and Spotify, as well as right here on YouTube.

If you’re loving the show, don’t forget to like, comment and subscribe. It helps us more than you know.

🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts and Spotify

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https://www.instagram.com/aaabackstage/

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#BackstageBanter #Usher #TheStrokes #JulianCasablancas #AnthonyFantano #MusicNews #NewMusic #MusicPodcast

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Could 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 — and occasionally questionable — 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-up

And don't forget to follow The Weekly Catch for our favourite new music every week. https://hypeddit.com/5j1ekk

Backstage Banter is brought to you by GigSync.

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Episode 28 of Backstage Banter is packed with music news, album discussions, festival announcements and plenty of debate.

This week Chris and Brett discuss the brand new PNAU album ‘AHHCADE’, diving into the Australian dance icons’ latest release and where it ranks amongst their biggest moments. We also tackle the big question — did The Strokes deliver with their new album, or is it a disappointment?

With Australian festival season around the corner, we chat through the massive lineups and announcements from Beyond The Valley, Lost Paradise, Wildlands and more, and why this summer is shaping up to be one of the biggest in years.

We also unpack the huge System Of A Down and Faith No More Australian tour announcement, discuss the serious allegations surrounding Jared Leto, share our favourite new releases from the week and get distracted by plenty of general music chat along the way.

A massive episode covering albums, festivals, tours, controversy and everything happening in the world of music.

Backstage Banter is your weekly dose of music news, opinions, reviews and industry chat from AAA Backstage.

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-up

Follow the Weekly Catch Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1CHKuc6sfJFYf9KNVHnVdO?si=f5c938546a1643ad

Backstage Banter is now available everywhere you get your podcasts, including Apple Podcasts and Spotify, as well as right here on YouTube.

If you’re loving the show, don’t forget to like, comment and subscribe. It helps us more than you know.

🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts and Spotify

📰 More music news: https://aaabackstage.com

🤝 Powered by https://gigsync.com.au

https://www.instagram.com/aaabackstage/

https://www.tiktok.com/@aaabackstage

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.