Homebrewed: An Australian Music Podcast

The New South Wales live music scene is officially stepping into a new era! After a turbulent decade marked by the 2014 lockout laws and severe COVID-19 restrictions, the NSW Government has passed the landmark Contemporary Music Act 2026.

In this episode, we break down what this historic legislation means for local artists, venue owners, festival organisers, and music lovers across the state.

We also have a quick debte about AI, and if given the choice, would we erase it?

We then take a brief look ahead to this weekend's Gossy Weekender, highlighting the brilliant...

In a first for Homebrewed, we're joined in this one by a Guiness World Record breaking band! Fathom are hot off successfully breaking the world record for the most concerts performed in 12 hours (multiple cities). The Sydney dream rock duo managed 9 gigs in as many cities in only 12 hours.

Naturally, we spend a huge part of this conversation speaking all about that insane world record triumph, so prepare to have all of those questions answered. We also dig into Fathom's origins as a band, why a world record tilt is a genius move in an...

TooLa is a 16-year-old Aboriginal rapper and producer from Biripi Country in NSW (Taree). TooLa joins us to talk about winning the triple j Unearthed High Indigenous Initiative and how it changed his life in a matter of months.

TooLa also speaks of the challenges of making rap music in a country music town, and how he feels isolated. He speaks of a desire to challenge himself and grow, with a move to L.A the dream.

TooLa is playing his first ever show this weekend, before appearing in Gosford as part of the Gossy...

The news doesn't sleep, so we're coming to you with another Music News this week as copyright and AI return to the headlines.

We first brought you revelations that copyright law could be changing to accomodate AI companies almost a year ago. Since that story first broke, it has felt like we've been playing an incredibly frustrating a game of whack-a-mole. Rumours would swirl, creatives would mobilise, Government would reassure. Rinse and repeat.

We once again find ourselves at the beginning of this cycle. Though this time it's looking far more certain that change is...

Well it's a helluva pod, this one!

We talk firstly about the news that the ACCC has granted APRA a five-year extension, and why that might be a problem.

We then go deep into the pill testing debate, sparked by news that NSW will see 15 festivals with pill testing from October. We talk about why it's good, and think about what could be different, has the government not felt the need for a (yet another) summit and inquiry.

We then shift out attention to a world record attempt last weekend by Sydney band...

Co-founder of GOONS Brewing, Tim Boreham joins us for this one. We have known Tim for some years now and have watched as he continually found ways to connect the dots between community, culture and spaces on the NSW Central Coast.

Tim's creativity and enthusiasm for community has seen him run a number of successful venues and events over the years, culminating in GOONS Brewing. GOONS started as an idea between mates on a surf trip before growing into a dedicated brewery and boutique venue in Berkeley Vale on the Central Coast. In this chat, we cover...

Well, we start this podcast by handing out excuses and threats, before diving right into the main news story of the last few weeks: ARIA have banned AI music from their charts.

We dive into why they're doing it, how they will enforce it, and in which ways we see the rules being bent, pushed, and tested.

We also discuss why it's a good move and offer our takes on where the line sits regarding AI as a tool vs AI for creation.

We also talk about Spotify's new AI remix feature they're...

This week we sit down with Central Coast artist, Ruby Archer. The 21 year old singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer has been enthralling audiences since her early teens; with many describing her as one of the country's most promising young talents.

We've got Ruby in as she prepares to release her second album, Worship the Flora. As it turns out, we get a whole lot more than just a rundown of her forthcoming record in this conversation.

Ruby goes deep on the last few years of her life and how that's led her to now. She...

This week we're joined by Allegra and Josh from Sydney/Eora band Kitty of the Valley. Since forming in 2023, Kitty of the Valley have earned an impressive reputation for their raucous and captivating live shows. They've built a solid community of fans and gig-goers in a time where the live scene is facing yet another set of challenges.

In this one, we chat about their beginnings as a band and where they're headed, what it's like at a Kitty of the Valley show, equal representation in the scene and a stack more. Enjoy!

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We start this episode with a movie review (I'm sorry, what?), before providing an update on the Diving Playhouse saga we brought you two weeks ago. The TLDR is that the lease has been terminated, with thousands turning up to Hyde Park in Sydney to protest the decision.

We then discuss what we can do to save our music venues from closing, with the news that MoshPit Bar will be closing in Sydney. It was one of just 19 venues in the state that put on 100 shows or more last year, so year, it's a pretty devastating blow.<...

Joel Devereux wears many hats, but for the purpose of this chat, his main hat is as the creator of OzIndi Radio. It's an online radio station playing independent Australian music.

Joel tells us how community radio shaped his desire to create OzIndi, and how over the past 18 or so months, that has evolved to now include a TV streaming app for independent film projects, documentaries, etc.

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Check out OzIndi Radio here

Support us on Patreon ⁠⁠here⁠⁠

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We've got quite a range of stories for you this week!

We kick things off with an update on the ongoing concerns around AI and Australian copyright that we discussed on our last Music News episode. Anthony Albanese has given some pretty strong reassurance to the creative community and announced a revised approach from his government to the AI wave.

Next, we have another update for you following the release of the Bluesfest preliminary liquidator report. Spoiler: It's looking worse than we thought.

Finally, we dive into the controversy and temporary closure of...

Gabilóu Garnet is a relatively new face to the Central Coast music scene, but she's been very impactful in her short time as a musician.

GG grew up outside of a music household, but she tells us that her mother knew she had talent as a three-year-old.

Gabilóu also tells us about the time she auditioned for a video with Bad Bunny, and how she balances her acting pursuits with her music career.

Thanks for listening! Be sure to subscribe for more content.

Check out Gabilóu Garnet here

This week - for better or worse - we're up to our necks in AI stories.

We kick things off with a look at a recent Eora/Sydney gig that saw music company Good Intent unintentionally book a two-thirds AI act on a bill for emerging artists. For their part, Good Intent quickly apologised, explaining the incident as an oversight. Given their remarkable record of backing (human) music from Sydney and Australia, we're inclined to back Good Intent's explanation, but the situation opens the door for plenty of interesting discussion.

Next, we have a quick...

In this episode Eamonn (there's no Cam in this episode, you're welcome, or we're sorry...) speaks with Reece from DVNTS.

Reece explains the costs involved in making an album, and why streaming platforms don't favour LP's through their algorithms. Eamonn reflects further on heavy music's role within the broader music scene, with Reece offering his take on where heavy music is headed.

DVNTS are on tour next month (August) and have just released a new single. Get around them using the link below.

Thanks for listening! Be sure to subscribe for more content.<...

It's been a rollercoaster few weeks for music on the Central Coast, so we're going deep on local stories for this episode.

First up, we dive into the disappointing news that Rolling Sets festival is packing up shop and moving to Newcastle. The music Festival had bucked national trends in recent years, managing strong ticket sales in a tough climate and staging consecutive successful events. We explore the reasons for the move and share our thoughts on what this will and won't mean for music on The Central Coast.

Next up we're joined by Central...

Content warning: This episode discusses events and examples of police strip searching which may be traumatic for some.

In November last year, we discussed a class action lawsuit against NSW Police. The case revolved around lead plaintiff Raya Meredith, and her unlawful strip search (as admitted by NSW Police) at Splendour in the Grass in 2018.

Meredith was awarded $90,000 dollars in compensation. NSW Police are now appealing those damages on six grounds.

We break down those grounds and as always, offer our views.

Thanks for listening! Be sure to subscribe for more...

This week we’re joined by Beau Neilson to hear all about MyGigPass. MyGigPass is an awesome new initiative aimed at getting more young people seeing live music. The initiative works by offering a platform where venues and artists can offer up free or discounted tickets to shows to 18-25 year olds that have signed up. MyGigPass has been put together by the Live Music Venues Alliance with support from the NSW Government; and in its early months is seeing strong adoption from both venues and punters.

We (mainly Cam, actually. Eamonn had internet issues) di...

Deadshowws are a band with a genre not specified for fears of abuse from others (IYKYK). Connor Massey from the four-piece joined us to chat about their debut album 'You In Colour', as well as their East Coast tour that accompanies the release!

Connor tells us about the gnarly reason why they had to postpone their Brisbane show, why he is a hater of his own band, and we also get his take on the current heavy music scene, and if it's seeing a resurgence.

Thanks for listening! Be sure to subscribe for...

Right as The Buoys prepare to release their first new music of 2026, frontwoman Zoe Catterall joins us for a fantastic conversation. We cover a lot of ground in this one - The new music The Buoys have coming our way, Zoe's recent near death experience, how The Buoys came to be, making room for women in Australian music and a stack more. Enjoy!

Thanks for listening! Be sure to subscribe for more content.

Check out The Buoys here

Support us on Patreon ⁠⁠here⁠⁠

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Like Homebrewed...

We've got a couple of interesting sets of numbers for you in this one.

In this episode of the Music News, we kick things off with a look at the surge in popularity of heavy music in recent years. Attached to this data is the assertion that the state of the world is driving people back to the mosh. Correlation or causation?

Moving from spike to slump, we then explore where Australia landed in the latest Global Music Report from the International Federation Of The Phonographic Industry (IFPI). This year's report saw the Aussie market...

Owen Butterworth and Tom Josephs joined us in the studio for a great chat about their passion for music making, why they pulled the pin on their band Glydd, and why they left one of the best recording studios in the country.

We begin by talking about mispronounces or spelt names, before talking about Toben's journey from music players to music makers. Tom says he realised he hated singing, which saw him lean into the production side. Owen recounts his first session at The Grove, when he exclaimed he just wanted to make music.

Now...

Well, this is a doozy!

We start by discussing the recent closure of Drifters Wharf in Gosford. Drifters had become the go-to premiere venue on the Central Coast, but that title is now uncertain. The venue saying a disagreement with their landlord has forced a closure for at least the next 30 days. The landlord appears to be chasing unpaid rent.

Then, we turn our attention to discuss all the acronyms in the world. The ACCC, APRA AMCOS, and PPCA. There's more, but we'll leave it there for now. There's a lot to unpack with this...

Joining us for our first interview of 2026 is Milly McPherson. We first spoke to the Sydney artist last year following the release of her stunning debut album Avoca. In this episode, we catch up on the mood of Milly and her band as they embark on their biggest tour to date. We also cover the many hats Milly has worn in the last ten months as she's taken her art to new places and collaborated with a huge range of talented creators. Keep an ear out for a mention of new music, too. Thanks for listening! Be sure to...

This week we're turning our attention to the ongoing AI debate. AI companies want to mine text and data from music to train their models, while artists like Jack River are campaigning in Canberra for more copyright protections.

We discuss why AI-generated music playlists are bad for Australian music discovery, before turning out attention to Anthropic's recent visit to Australia, including a deal signed with the Federal Government.

We then look at how AI companies are wanting to disregard Australian copyright law, and why it's important for our Government to stick to their AI plan...

We're baaaaack! Did you miss us? In our return of biblical proportions, we firstly explain our absence and say thanks to our Patreon subscribers. Cam also shares an experience on his flight to Paris, where a Frenchman recognised his Moving Stills shirt.

We then dive deep into the cancellation of Bluesfest, and the flow-on effects this will have on other festivals. We explore everythinng from liquidation, shady allegations, and everything else.

We drill down into how government funding, festival financing, and some questionable moves by festival boss Peter Noble led to the festival’s fall fr...

Central Coast singer, songwriter and globe trotter NEAV joins us on this one for our 100th podcast episode!

NEAV has not long returned from a whirlwind trip overseas, where she networked, wrote and recorded some very exciting new music. Music News listeners will note that NEAV's experience is a textbook example of the power of a little support form Government. We chat the impact of those travels, the music we've heard so far and what's still to come.

As well as being our 100th pod, this is also our last of 2025. We'll...

In our final Music News episode of the year, we tackle the deal making waves across the international music industry - Warner Music Group and AI song generator Suno look set to legitimise the use if AI in music. We explore this deal from both ends of the glass and try our best to understand what this will mean for music and AI going forward.

It's also Spotify Wrapped and Hottest 100 season. We unpack how we stacked up both as listeners and podcasters in Spotify's end of year data dump while looking ahead to Triple J's looming...

Triple J presenter Angus Hamill joins us on the pod! We talk about the impact Ango has on the Central Coast music scene, the respect and love he receives from artists, and how he got into Australian music.

We also take a trip down memory lane from our days at Coast FM, and Ango gives us hit hot takes for the Hottest 100! This episode was recorded in October, so his predictions were based on knowledge from that time.

Thanks for listening! Be sure to subscribe for more content.

Check out Ango here

Slap on your fave piece of Aus music merch, because it's Aus Music T-Shirt Day!

In this episode we talk about the NSW Music Prize, a brand new State Government initiative to support local talent. There's a set criteria, and we think it's better that the State of Origin selection criteria.

We then turn our attention briefly to the ARIA Awards - and say kudos to a bunch of Coasties-done-good on the National stage.

We then shift to the Ausify your playlist campaign, and celebrate Aus Music T-Shirt Day.

Thanks for...

Central Coast solo artist and good friend of Homebrewed, Elaskia joins us for this conversation. Elaskia has just dropped the beautiful, whimsical track 'Either Way I Lose'. It's her first standalone single in a little while and - as we find out - is the first step towards an exciting new project.

We cover the new single, what's been keeping Elaskia busy, her rock solid approach to creating, and a whole bunch more in this laughter-heavy chat.

Thanks for listening! Be sure to subscribe for more content.

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Central Coast musician Dialectic - aka Patrick Sharples - Joins us for this one. Dialectic is an experimental project with live drumming and original electronic music at its core. You won't find Dialectic songs on any major streaming platforms, only Bandcamp. Patrick has crafted this project from a place of artistic purism, positioning his one-of-a-kind live show as the most appropriate way to consume his work.

In this conversation, we chat about the values that underpin Dialectic, the role making music plays in Patrick's life, and a special show coming up on November 22nd...

After a two week hiatus, we're back to dissect the latest Australian music industry news.

We begin by giving a wrap-up of Gossy Weekender and analyse whether Central Coast crowds are fair weather supporters.

We then move into a landmark decision my the Federal Government to protect copyrighted material from being 'mined' by AI platforms. This has come after months of campaigning by prominent artists such as Jack River and Briggs.

After that, we move onto the 'puzzling' and 'disgusting' decision that the State Government are going to appeal the decision in realtion...

Your favourite podcast duo whose names are Cameron and Eamonn are back to chew the fat once more.

We begin with a new development in our quest to find a rival podcast, and this one is getting personal!

We then dive into the news that the NSW Government have struck a venues deal with Spotify. Essentially, Sydney venues will be among the first in the world to have their venues featured on Spotify. Whilst the State Government are claiming this as a win for music attendance, we have concerns over Spotify's increased acquisition of all...

We're joined by Melbourne Soul sensation WILSN for this conversation as she prepares for the release of her second album, Bloom. Recorded with the legendary Daptone Crew in New York, Bloom is an infectious dive into the glamour, theatre and emotion of WILSN's brand of Soul.

We cover the stories and people that made Bloom, Soul music in Australia and how WILSN has used social media to built a truly International audience.

If - like us - you weren't nearly familiar enough with the local soul scene as you should be, let WILSN be your...

Abbey from Central Coast band Little Quirks joins us in the Homebrewed (Sonora) Studios!

We chat about their new EP 'The Beast', writing about other people's 'situationships', and writing a song with a swear word in it 😮

Abbey also explains what it's like working with a record label who want viral TikTok moments. They even delayed a single release as a result.

Abbey also gets real about attending music festivals as a female, and details some of the misogyny and creepy comments they receive on the daily.

Thanks for listening! Be sur...

Welcome to another Music News episode!

This one explores the revival of the nighttime economy in New South Wales, focusing on government reforms aimed at supporting the arts and cultural sectors. We know it sounds boring on paper - Government policy changes, tax reforms, and Councils - but the initiatives are designed to foster local events and reduce bureaucratic hurdles.

We then turn out attention to the NSW Police and a landmark court case in relation to strip searches at music festivals, and the implications of a class action lawsuit against the New South Wales...

Dan Mac from Art Vs Science joins us on this one for an honest conversation at a pivotal time for the band. Art Vs Science have just dropped their first single in a couple of years, 'Powder', This track is every bit as epic and fun as we've come to expect from the three piece. It also serves as the first release in a new chapter for Art Vs Science, as Dan reveals that a fresh approach to creating together pulled their project of 17 years back from the brink.

We also dive into Dan's incredibly solid ideas...

For what we believe is just the second time ever, we're joined by a guest for the Music News! Please rejoice as we're joined by Dan Mac from Art vs Science.

Dan's got a great idea to help boost streaming numbers and revenue from streams in Australia. Firstly, it involves Government lobbying with streaming services. Another alternative involved turning triple j into a dedicated radio AND music streaming service, complete with staff-curated playlists to help you discover new Aussie music.

We also talk about Massive Attack joining an increasing number of artists leaving Spotify in...

Chair of Central Coast Music and Arts (CCMA), Greg Carey joins us on this one in the lead up to the Light Up music and community event. Light Up is a response to the tragic murder of 19 year old Audrey Griffin, who was denied the basic right to get home safely after a night out in Gosford on the NSW Central Coast.

Greg runs us through the motivation for putting on Light Up, the impact he hopes it will leave, and the change that has been demanded by the Central Coast community following the loss of Audrey...