Erasure's Andy Bell believes that he was born to sing
Erasure star Andy Bell says that singing was his natural calling.
The 61-year-old musician had hits such as 'A Little Respect' and 'Sometimes' alongside Vince Clarke during the 1980s and believes he was born to use his voice.
Andy told Classic Pop magazine: "My voice was my friend. I always liked my voice.
"I was forever singing in bed. I'd have the blankets over me, singing away, my parents telling me: 'Go to sleep!'
"I wasn't even singing along to the radio, I'd just lie there making up songs. I loved feeling the vibration in my skeleton that singing gave me. I didn't really decide to be a singer, I just couldn't not do this."
Andy explained that the success of Erasure has only fuelled his desire to perform even further.
The singer said: "I live for the stage. That's not because of the adulation, nice as it is. That adulation, it's silly. Performing is just in my bones, I was born with it. The flamboyance of my Erasure costumes, that was a character that developed.
"Eventually, the character becomes less and less important, because you are who you are."
Andy is releasing the solo album 'Ten Crowns' next month but revealed that he will be working with Vince once again on another Erasure project next.
He said of the pair's relationship: "The love and respect Vince and I have for each other always allows us our own space. That space helps each other grow.
"More than anything, Vince is my mate. We're friends, we're not going to abandon each other. When I saw Vince recently in Brooklyn, we went to his local pub. We promptly got spotted and I was: 'Oh no! Not at your local! Sorry, Vince.'"
Andy was satisfied that Vince – who also enjoyed success with the groups Depeche Mode and Yazoo – enjoyed seeing him perform solo.
He explained: "Seeing me live must have been strange for Vince, but he really liked it. It's the first time Vince has seen me as a performer – seeing me from the front, after so many years being behind me on stage. He was: 'Wow!', which was really nice."
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Perth Now
5 days ago
- Perth Now
Daryl Hall believes that he helped break down racial barriers in music
Daryl Hall believes that he blazed a trail for modern artists. The 78-year-old singer found fame as the lead vocalist in duo Hall and Oates - alongside John Oates - during the 1970s and 1980s and considers himself a "pioneer" for helping to destroy racial barriers in music. Daryl told Classic Pop magazine: "I was one of those pioneers in breaking down those barriers between Black music and white music, whatever that means. "My earliest success was on Black radio in America. I had to break into the white pop world in America. That was secondary, after the fact. So that's where my roots are. That's where my initial success started." The 'Maneater' vocalist added: "I think it had a lot to do with me as a singer and my background. "Being from Philly, a very colourblind area, helped me be able to break those barriers down. Luckily, I figured out how to do it." Daryl is now performing solo as he finds himself embroiled in an legal battle with John after he sued his musical partner in 2023 to prevent him from selling their stake in publishing company Whole Oats Enterprises and admits that he feels less constrained playing alone. He explained: "I really was restricted. When I was (performing) with John on stage, we had this rule that we couldn't play any other work than what we did under the Hall and Oates name. "And it was very restrictive to me, because I love all those solo songs - I wrote most of them - but there was a lot that I had been doing over the years that I couldn't play. I had no outlet. "So now, I'm completely liberated and it's much more fun." Daryl also believes that his soulful singing voice has gotten better with age. The 'Private Eyes' hitmaker explained: "Well, with age and maturity, my voice has mellowed and kind of opened up in a way. I had maybe more high note facility as a young guy. You know, I could sing into the stratosphere. Now, I've lost a little of that, but I've gained other things. "I'm basically a soul singer, and I think my voice is more appropriate sounding to my emotions and my soulful thing than it used to be when I was a young kid. "So, it came from wisdom and experience. And a few whiskeys, too."
The Advertiser
6 days ago
- The Advertiser
Aussie horror twins return with the mother of all evil
Bring Her Back MA15+, 104 minutes 3 stars The Australian Philippou twins - Michael and Danny - burst onto the horror scene with Talk to Me (2022). It was a well-made and vivid movie, by no means just a gory frightfest, in which dealing with death and grief played a big part. This movie - like the first, written by Danny Philippou with Bill Hinzman - has some similar themes but the story is quite different. The horror is far from being just supernatural and all the more unnerving for it. Bring Her Back is aiming to run emotionally deeper than its predecessor did and, while I had some reservations, it's an impressive achievement. There's a prologue in which some kind of bizarre, possibly occult, ritual is being undertaken. There will be more about that later. Then we move into a seemingly more mundane, if tragic, situation. After the death of their father, Andy (Billy Barratt) and his sight-impaired younger stepsister Piper (Sora Wong) are going to be separated in foster care: Andy's troubled past makes him hard to place. But he pleads with their caseworker Wendy (Sally-Anne Upton) not to split them up as he turns 18 in three months and will take on Piper's guardianship then. He gets his way, but had he known what was in store he might have reconsidered. British actress Sally Hawkins plays Laura, their foster mother. While casting a foreign performer in an Australian movie often feels like a bid for international appeal, Hawkins is brilliant in the role. Among other roles, she played Mrs Brown in the first two Paddington movies but she's a very different kind of mother here. It doesn't take long to feel there is something a bit off about Laura, who lives in a house out of town. While at first glance she seems cheerful and slightly eccentric, it doesn't take long before cracks appear in the veneer, revealing something more than unpleasant underneath. Laura fusses and fawns over Piper but treats Andy in a far more perfunctory way. She's aggressively nosy, not just politely curious, and some of her behaviour is worse than inappropriate. It's creepily fascinating and more than a little uncomfortable to watch. And who is that strange, bald little boy with the haunting eyes who's standing in the middle of the unfilled pool in the backyard? Oh, that's Oliver (Jonah Wren Phillips), Laura explains, another of her kids. He's selectively mute. Oh, and he's not allowed out, so he's locked in his room when nobody else is home. Nothing to worry about. The film could just about have forgone the supernatural elements - which aren't explained in exhaustive detail - and worked as a dark thriller about obsession and loss and the extremes to which people will go when devastated. But the spooky elements, not overexplained, add their own frissons and we get more than enough to know that something is very, very wrong. The kids are not there out of the goodness of Laura's heart. Barratt and Wong make you care about the step-siblings and their relationship and you don't want anything bad to happen to them. But given this is a horror movie, the chances are high that something will. Wren Phillips is a haunting and disturbing presence and he and his character undergo a lot. The production design and cinematography are excellent, as are the sometimes gross visual and practical effects (consider yourself warned). Flaws? Well, there's a big information dump towards the end of the movie and a couple of credibility gaps: a mobile phone that's always open so anyone can access the contents (and an owner who takes no security measures) and characters who put up with far more than seems credible before taking any action. Others won't be as fussed as I was about much of this and, regardless, the film is definitely worth seeing. It will be interesting to see what the Philippous come up with next. Bring Her Back MA15+, 104 minutes 3 stars The Australian Philippou twins - Michael and Danny - burst onto the horror scene with Talk to Me (2022). It was a well-made and vivid movie, by no means just a gory frightfest, in which dealing with death and grief played a big part. This movie - like the first, written by Danny Philippou with Bill Hinzman - has some similar themes but the story is quite different. The horror is far from being just supernatural and all the more unnerving for it. Bring Her Back is aiming to run emotionally deeper than its predecessor did and, while I had some reservations, it's an impressive achievement. There's a prologue in which some kind of bizarre, possibly occult, ritual is being undertaken. There will be more about that later. Then we move into a seemingly more mundane, if tragic, situation. After the death of their father, Andy (Billy Barratt) and his sight-impaired younger stepsister Piper (Sora Wong) are going to be separated in foster care: Andy's troubled past makes him hard to place. But he pleads with their caseworker Wendy (Sally-Anne Upton) not to split them up as he turns 18 in three months and will take on Piper's guardianship then. He gets his way, but had he known what was in store he might have reconsidered. British actress Sally Hawkins plays Laura, their foster mother. While casting a foreign performer in an Australian movie often feels like a bid for international appeal, Hawkins is brilliant in the role. Among other roles, she played Mrs Brown in the first two Paddington movies but she's a very different kind of mother here. It doesn't take long to feel there is something a bit off about Laura, who lives in a house out of town. While at first glance she seems cheerful and slightly eccentric, it doesn't take long before cracks appear in the veneer, revealing something more than unpleasant underneath. Laura fusses and fawns over Piper but treats Andy in a far more perfunctory way. She's aggressively nosy, not just politely curious, and some of her behaviour is worse than inappropriate. It's creepily fascinating and more than a little uncomfortable to watch. And who is that strange, bald little boy with the haunting eyes who's standing in the middle of the unfilled pool in the backyard? Oh, that's Oliver (Jonah Wren Phillips), Laura explains, another of her kids. He's selectively mute. Oh, and he's not allowed out, so he's locked in his room when nobody else is home. Nothing to worry about. The film could just about have forgone the supernatural elements - which aren't explained in exhaustive detail - and worked as a dark thriller about obsession and loss and the extremes to which people will go when devastated. But the spooky elements, not overexplained, add their own frissons and we get more than enough to know that something is very, very wrong. The kids are not there out of the goodness of Laura's heart. Barratt and Wong make you care about the step-siblings and their relationship and you don't want anything bad to happen to them. But given this is a horror movie, the chances are high that something will. Wren Phillips is a haunting and disturbing presence and he and his character undergo a lot. The production design and cinematography are excellent, as are the sometimes gross visual and practical effects (consider yourself warned). Flaws? Well, there's a big information dump towards the end of the movie and a couple of credibility gaps: a mobile phone that's always open so anyone can access the contents (and an owner who takes no security measures) and characters who put up with far more than seems credible before taking any action. Others won't be as fussed as I was about much of this and, regardless, the film is definitely worth seeing. It will be interesting to see what the Philippous come up with next. Bring Her Back MA15+, 104 minutes 3 stars The Australian Philippou twins - Michael and Danny - burst onto the horror scene with Talk to Me (2022). It was a well-made and vivid movie, by no means just a gory frightfest, in which dealing with death and grief played a big part. This movie - like the first, written by Danny Philippou with Bill Hinzman - has some similar themes but the story is quite different. The horror is far from being just supernatural and all the more unnerving for it. Bring Her Back is aiming to run emotionally deeper than its predecessor did and, while I had some reservations, it's an impressive achievement. There's a prologue in which some kind of bizarre, possibly occult, ritual is being undertaken. There will be more about that later. Then we move into a seemingly more mundane, if tragic, situation. After the death of their father, Andy (Billy Barratt) and his sight-impaired younger stepsister Piper (Sora Wong) are going to be separated in foster care: Andy's troubled past makes him hard to place. But he pleads with their caseworker Wendy (Sally-Anne Upton) not to split them up as he turns 18 in three months and will take on Piper's guardianship then. He gets his way, but had he known what was in store he might have reconsidered. British actress Sally Hawkins plays Laura, their foster mother. While casting a foreign performer in an Australian movie often feels like a bid for international appeal, Hawkins is brilliant in the role. Among other roles, she played Mrs Brown in the first two Paddington movies but she's a very different kind of mother here. It doesn't take long to feel there is something a bit off about Laura, who lives in a house out of town. While at first glance she seems cheerful and slightly eccentric, it doesn't take long before cracks appear in the veneer, revealing something more than unpleasant underneath. Laura fusses and fawns over Piper but treats Andy in a far more perfunctory way. She's aggressively nosy, not just politely curious, and some of her behaviour is worse than inappropriate. It's creepily fascinating and more than a little uncomfortable to watch. And who is that strange, bald little boy with the haunting eyes who's standing in the middle of the unfilled pool in the backyard? Oh, that's Oliver (Jonah Wren Phillips), Laura explains, another of her kids. He's selectively mute. Oh, and he's not allowed out, so he's locked in his room when nobody else is home. Nothing to worry about. The film could just about have forgone the supernatural elements - which aren't explained in exhaustive detail - and worked as a dark thriller about obsession and loss and the extremes to which people will go when devastated. But the spooky elements, not overexplained, add their own frissons and we get more than enough to know that something is very, very wrong. The kids are not there out of the goodness of Laura's heart. Barratt and Wong make you care about the step-siblings and their relationship and you don't want anything bad to happen to them. But given this is a horror movie, the chances are high that something will. Wren Phillips is a haunting and disturbing presence and he and his character undergo a lot. The production design and cinematography are excellent, as are the sometimes gross visual and practical effects (consider yourself warned). Flaws? Well, there's a big information dump towards the end of the movie and a couple of credibility gaps: a mobile phone that's always open so anyone can access the contents (and an owner who takes no security measures) and characters who put up with far more than seems credible before taking any action. Others won't be as fussed as I was about much of this and, regardless, the film is definitely worth seeing. It will be interesting to see what the Philippous come up with next. Bring Her Back MA15+, 104 minutes 3 stars The Australian Philippou twins - Michael and Danny - burst onto the horror scene with Talk to Me (2022). It was a well-made and vivid movie, by no means just a gory frightfest, in which dealing with death and grief played a big part. This movie - like the first, written by Danny Philippou with Bill Hinzman - has some similar themes but the story is quite different. The horror is far from being just supernatural and all the more unnerving for it. Bring Her Back is aiming to run emotionally deeper than its predecessor did and, while I had some reservations, it's an impressive achievement. There's a prologue in which some kind of bizarre, possibly occult, ritual is being undertaken. There will be more about that later. Then we move into a seemingly more mundane, if tragic, situation. After the death of their father, Andy (Billy Barratt) and his sight-impaired younger stepsister Piper (Sora Wong) are going to be separated in foster care: Andy's troubled past makes him hard to place. But he pleads with their caseworker Wendy (Sally-Anne Upton) not to split them up as he turns 18 in three months and will take on Piper's guardianship then. He gets his way, but had he known what was in store he might have reconsidered. British actress Sally Hawkins plays Laura, their foster mother. While casting a foreign performer in an Australian movie often feels like a bid for international appeal, Hawkins is brilliant in the role. Among other roles, she played Mrs Brown in the first two Paddington movies but she's a very different kind of mother here. It doesn't take long to feel there is something a bit off about Laura, who lives in a house out of town. While at first glance she seems cheerful and slightly eccentric, it doesn't take long before cracks appear in the veneer, revealing something more than unpleasant underneath. Laura fusses and fawns over Piper but treats Andy in a far more perfunctory way. She's aggressively nosy, not just politely curious, and some of her behaviour is worse than inappropriate. It's creepily fascinating and more than a little uncomfortable to watch. And who is that strange, bald little boy with the haunting eyes who's standing in the middle of the unfilled pool in the backyard? Oh, that's Oliver (Jonah Wren Phillips), Laura explains, another of her kids. He's selectively mute. Oh, and he's not allowed out, so he's locked in his room when nobody else is home. Nothing to worry about. The film could just about have forgone the supernatural elements - which aren't explained in exhaustive detail - and worked as a dark thriller about obsession and loss and the extremes to which people will go when devastated. But the spooky elements, not overexplained, add their own frissons and we get more than enough to know that something is very, very wrong. The kids are not there out of the goodness of Laura's heart. Barratt and Wong make you care about the step-siblings and their relationship and you don't want anything bad to happen to them. But given this is a horror movie, the chances are high that something will. Wren Phillips is a haunting and disturbing presence and he and his character undergo a lot. The production design and cinematography are excellent, as are the sometimes gross visual and practical effects (consider yourself warned). Flaws? Well, there's a big information dump towards the end of the movie and a couple of credibility gaps: a mobile phone that's always open so anyone can access the contents (and an owner who takes no security measures) and characters who put up with far more than seems credible before taking any action. Others won't be as fussed as I was about much of this and, regardless, the film is definitely worth seeing. It will be interesting to see what the Philippous come up with next.
The Advertiser
19-05-2025
- The Advertiser
'Craziest ride of my life': MasterChef judge leading by example
Andy Allen was working for his cousin on a building site in Wickham 13 years ago when he received the phone call that would change his life. "I was an electrician at the time, and I had sent out the application [to be a contestant on MasterChef Australia] thinking nothing would come of it," he tells Weekender. "A friend of mine dared me to do it, actually. "I still remember being on the job site and getting a phone call from an unknown number - this was a couple of months after I'd filled out the application, so I'd pretty much forgotten all about it. "I answered, and it was a producer on MasterChef asking if I could come down to Sydney and have a crack. "So I had to talk to my boss, who was my cousin, and I was like 'Mate, I've gotta go down to Sydney for a couple of days and I'll see you next week'. Well, one thing led to another and another and I never went back to the job site!" Andy, who was born and raised in Maitland, was one exam away from completing his electrician qualifications. He loved to play basketball and he loved to cook, and watched cooking shows to improve his skills. But he took a punt, made it to the final 24 contestants on season four of MasterChef Australia, and on July 25, 2012, defeated Julia Taylor and Audra Morrice in the grand finale. After the show, he published his first cookbook, The Next Element, and started working as a cook at Sydney restaurant Three Blue Ducks. In 2016, he jumped on board as a co-owner when the Three Blue Ducks opened a new restaurant in Rosebery. Two years later, it was awarded an SMH Good Food Guide chef's hat. Andy dipped his toe into the television presenting world, working on Andy and Ben Eat Australia, Andy and Ben Eat The World, Farm To Fork and Three Blue Ducks for Network 10. In 2020, in what was a first for the series worldwide, Andy returned to the MasterChef kitchen as a judge. He's currently on our television screens as a judge on MasterChef Australia: Back To Win alongside Sofia Levin, Poh Ling Yeow and Jean-Christophe Novelli. He's in Melbourne when Weekender calls, having recently bought a house with wife Alexandra (the couple married in 2022) for $3.85 million in Northcote. I know how much he paid because the finer details of the sale were shared widely by the media in April. "I was pretty shocked at that ... it must have been a slow news day," Andy quips. "Alex and I had been toying around with the idea of buying a place down here for a while. I'm loving it - I have jobs to do, mow the lawn, all that stuff. I'm finding myself turning into my old man, which is a little bit scary. I now understand why he would just potter around the house on a Saturday morning." Any electrical work that needed to be done? "No, we got a place that was fully ready to go," he replies, laughing. "It's the first home we've purchased together, so it's nice to feel a sense of accomplishment for something we've worked really hard for." He describes his first season as a judge, alongside Jock Zonfrillo and Melissa Leong, as "bizarre". "Matt [Preston], Gary [Mehigan] and George [Calombaris] had done their thing for such a long time. It wasn't so much nerves, I was more wondering how this was going to go," Andy says. "It was so weird, as soon as I got that first critique out, I realised that they respected my opinion, they respected what I'd done in the industry, they just wanted to get better, and they knew that this was a huge learning process. "It was a huge weight off my shoulders. "Doing Back To Win again, I feel like I'm part of the furniture now at the studio." MasterChef is produced in more than 50 countries and airs in 200 territories. I ask why it is that MasterChef Australia continues to rate the highest among international audiences. "You know, I have thought about it, and I reckon it's so popular because we treat it as a cooking competition," Andy says. "I mean, I was a sparky in Newcastle before I filled out that application form and went on the craziest ride of my life. "When all you're trying to do is get the best out of people in such a positive environment, they realise that they can grab onto this opportunity with both hands and see what they can do with it. They know it can change their lives." There are so many former MasterChef Australia contestants working in the food industry, in the media, and writing books. It's proof that this is a competition with a reward that extends beyond the $250,000 prize money. "We film for five-and-a-half months a year, contestants leave their friends, their family, their careers. There's so much on the line for the contestants," Andy says. "It's an experience for people to walk into that kitchen, let their guard down, lap it up and see what they can get out of it. "The MasterChef kitchen is the ultimate leveller. It doesn't matter how much experience you've got, the challenges are just so random, and you can't be good at everything." Scottish-born Jock died unexpectedly in April 2023, the day before season 15 of MasterChef Australia was due to premiere. The outpouring of grief from the 46-year-old's industry peers, family, friends and fans has been well-documented. Andy and Jock shared a strong bond and were great mates. Was it difficult to carry on as a judge in a space that Jock filled with his personality and presence? "Oh, it was rough at the start. It was rough," Andy says. "I'm kind of lucky, I guess, because I've never had someone really close to me pass away, especially so suddenly. This was a full crash course in grieving. "On last year's series, the first shot was just me in the kitchen with a light shining on me, 20-odd new contestants running through the doors, and I just remember feeling it was sink or swim at that point. "There was one part of me going 'This is going to be really hard' and another part going 'What would Jock do?' And I know he would just get in there and do the best job that he possibly could. "That's been my mission for a couple of seasons now; to really make sure that what we created lives on in the best possible way. "And there's still many times when I get that wave of grief that sweeps me up ... and that's one of the things I've learned about grief, it will hit you any time, it will hit you over the most insignificant thing, and you just have to accept that and continue to move forward." Andy reckons he's "getting there" when it comes to dealing with his grief. "Last year it was a lot about missing Jock and wishing he was around. This year, I still miss him every single day, don't get me wrong, but for me it's now more about celebrating him and trying to move forward," he says. "Sometimes this wave comes over me, it will be one small, minute thing and it just gets you, it cripples you, and there have been times on set when I just go white for no reason and the producers are, like, 'Are you OK?' "But you have to just process it and move forward. When you love someone dearly and they're not there any more, that's what happens." Outside of the MasterChef kitchen, Andy enjoys spending time in his own. He creates and shares cooking videos on social media and says he is inspired by the contestants he judges week in and week out. "Cooking is still an outlet for me. I still enjoy it," he says. "I'll come home after a 12-hour day and cook Alex dinner. That's my switch-off time, I can just focus on what's for dinner. It sounds so cringe but it's also so real: when there's a lot of other stuff going on in your life, you can process it while you're cooking a bowl of pasta. "I get to spend six months of my life being inspired by what contestants can do with food when they're put under pressure. If you're not inspired in that kind of situation, it's probably time to give it up, you know?" He had been training for a half marathon, however, says he "did a hamstring seven weeks out". "I'm still not 100 per cent better. But my wife got there, and she ran another one last week. She's got the bug," he says. In 2022, Andy co-founded new mid-strength beer Travla with Australian actor Travis Fimmel (Vikings, Warcraft, Raised By Wolves, Dune: Prophecy, Black Snow, Boy Swallows Universe), so that is also keeping him busy. "He's a funny, unique man who will not quit until it's a success. He's the best business partner I could ever ask for," Andy says. "Travla has started to go really, really well. It's starting to kick some goals as a beer brand that celebrates country living and country values. "Travis is a country boy. He grew up just outside of Echuca, at Lockington, and it doesn't matter where he goes or what he does, he'll always be that guy from Lockington. "He's got this total juxtaposition of what he's exposed to through what he does in Hollywood and around he world, but at heart he's a guy who just wants to be on the farm." So, does he ever miss his sparky days? "My tool kit is still at Mum and Dad's," he says. "I'll go home to visit and sometimes there will be a box of downlights or a couple of ceiling fans in front of the door, and Mum gives me the eye. "I can't really say no, can I?" Andy Allen was working for his cousin on a building site in Wickham 13 years ago when he received the phone call that would change his life. "I was an electrician at the time, and I had sent out the application [to be a contestant on MasterChef Australia] thinking nothing would come of it," he tells Weekender. "A friend of mine dared me to do it, actually. "I still remember being on the job site and getting a phone call from an unknown number - this was a couple of months after I'd filled out the application, so I'd pretty much forgotten all about it. "I answered, and it was a producer on MasterChef asking if I could come down to Sydney and have a crack. "So I had to talk to my boss, who was my cousin, and I was like 'Mate, I've gotta go down to Sydney for a couple of days and I'll see you next week'. Well, one thing led to another and another and I never went back to the job site!" Andy, who was born and raised in Maitland, was one exam away from completing his electrician qualifications. He loved to play basketball and he loved to cook, and watched cooking shows to improve his skills. But he took a punt, made it to the final 24 contestants on season four of MasterChef Australia, and on July 25, 2012, defeated Julia Taylor and Audra Morrice in the grand finale. After the show, he published his first cookbook, The Next Element, and started working as a cook at Sydney restaurant Three Blue Ducks. In 2016, he jumped on board as a co-owner when the Three Blue Ducks opened a new restaurant in Rosebery. Two years later, it was awarded an SMH Good Food Guide chef's hat. Andy dipped his toe into the television presenting world, working on Andy and Ben Eat Australia, Andy and Ben Eat The World, Farm To Fork and Three Blue Ducks for Network 10. In 2020, in what was a first for the series worldwide, Andy returned to the MasterChef kitchen as a judge. He's currently on our television screens as a judge on MasterChef Australia: Back To Win alongside Sofia Levin, Poh Ling Yeow and Jean-Christophe Novelli. He's in Melbourne when Weekender calls, having recently bought a house with wife Alexandra (the couple married in 2022) for $3.85 million in Northcote. I know how much he paid because the finer details of the sale were shared widely by the media in April. "I was pretty shocked at that ... it must have been a slow news day," Andy quips. "Alex and I had been toying around with the idea of buying a place down here for a while. I'm loving it - I have jobs to do, mow the lawn, all that stuff. I'm finding myself turning into my old man, which is a little bit scary. I now understand why he would just potter around the house on a Saturday morning." Any electrical work that needed to be done? "No, we got a place that was fully ready to go," he replies, laughing. "It's the first home we've purchased together, so it's nice to feel a sense of accomplishment for something we've worked really hard for." He describes his first season as a judge, alongside Jock Zonfrillo and Melissa Leong, as "bizarre". "Matt [Preston], Gary [Mehigan] and George [Calombaris] had done their thing for such a long time. It wasn't so much nerves, I was more wondering how this was going to go," Andy says. "It was so weird, as soon as I got that first critique out, I realised that they respected my opinion, they respected what I'd done in the industry, they just wanted to get better, and they knew that this was a huge learning process. "It was a huge weight off my shoulders. "Doing Back To Win again, I feel like I'm part of the furniture now at the studio." MasterChef is produced in more than 50 countries and airs in 200 territories. I ask why it is that MasterChef Australia continues to rate the highest among international audiences. "You know, I have thought about it, and I reckon it's so popular because we treat it as a cooking competition," Andy says. "I mean, I was a sparky in Newcastle before I filled out that application form and went on the craziest ride of my life. "When all you're trying to do is get the best out of people in such a positive environment, they realise that they can grab onto this opportunity with both hands and see what they can do with it. They know it can change their lives." There are so many former MasterChef Australia contestants working in the food industry, in the media, and writing books. It's proof that this is a competition with a reward that extends beyond the $250,000 prize money. "We film for five-and-a-half months a year, contestants leave their friends, their family, their careers. There's so much on the line for the contestants," Andy says. "It's an experience for people to walk into that kitchen, let their guard down, lap it up and see what they can get out of it. "The MasterChef kitchen is the ultimate leveller. It doesn't matter how much experience you've got, the challenges are just so random, and you can't be good at everything." Scottish-born Jock died unexpectedly in April 2023, the day before season 15 of MasterChef Australia was due to premiere. The outpouring of grief from the 46-year-old's industry peers, family, friends and fans has been well-documented. Andy and Jock shared a strong bond and were great mates. Was it difficult to carry on as a judge in a space that Jock filled with his personality and presence? "Oh, it was rough at the start. It was rough," Andy says. "I'm kind of lucky, I guess, because I've never had someone really close to me pass away, especially so suddenly. This was a full crash course in grieving. "On last year's series, the first shot was just me in the kitchen with a light shining on me, 20-odd new contestants running through the doors, and I just remember feeling it was sink or swim at that point. "There was one part of me going 'This is going to be really hard' and another part going 'What would Jock do?' And I know he would just get in there and do the best job that he possibly could. "That's been my mission for a couple of seasons now; to really make sure that what we created lives on in the best possible way. "And there's still many times when I get that wave of grief that sweeps me up ... and that's one of the things I've learned about grief, it will hit you any time, it will hit you over the most insignificant thing, and you just have to accept that and continue to move forward." Andy reckons he's "getting there" when it comes to dealing with his grief. "Last year it was a lot about missing Jock and wishing he was around. This year, I still miss him every single day, don't get me wrong, but for me it's now more about celebrating him and trying to move forward," he says. "Sometimes this wave comes over me, it will be one small, minute thing and it just gets you, it cripples you, and there have been times on set when I just go white for no reason and the producers are, like, 'Are you OK?' "But you have to just process it and move forward. When you love someone dearly and they're not there any more, that's what happens." Outside of the MasterChef kitchen, Andy enjoys spending time in his own. He creates and shares cooking videos on social media and says he is inspired by the contestants he judges week in and week out. "Cooking is still an outlet for me. I still enjoy it," he says. "I'll come home after a 12-hour day and cook Alex dinner. That's my switch-off time, I can just focus on what's for dinner. It sounds so cringe but it's also so real: when there's a lot of other stuff going on in your life, you can process it while you're cooking a bowl of pasta. "I get to spend six months of my life being inspired by what contestants can do with food when they're put under pressure. If you're not inspired in that kind of situation, it's probably time to give it up, you know?" He had been training for a half marathon, however, says he "did a hamstring seven weeks out". "I'm still not 100 per cent better. But my wife got there, and she ran another one last week. She's got the bug," he says. In 2022, Andy co-founded new mid-strength beer Travla with Australian actor Travis Fimmel (Vikings, Warcraft, Raised By Wolves, Dune: Prophecy, Black Snow, Boy Swallows Universe), so that is also keeping him busy. "He's a funny, unique man who will not quit until it's a success. He's the best business partner I could ever ask for," Andy says. "Travla has started to go really, really well. It's starting to kick some goals as a beer brand that celebrates country living and country values. "Travis is a country boy. He grew up just outside of Echuca, at Lockington, and it doesn't matter where he goes or what he does, he'll always be that guy from Lockington. "He's got this total juxtaposition of what he's exposed to through what he does in Hollywood and around he world, but at heart he's a guy who just wants to be on the farm." So, does he ever miss his sparky days? "My tool kit is still at Mum and Dad's," he says. "I'll go home to visit and sometimes there will be a box of downlights or a couple of ceiling fans in front of the door, and Mum gives me the eye. "I can't really say no, can I?" Andy Allen was working for his cousin on a building site in Wickham 13 years ago when he received the phone call that would change his life. "I was an electrician at the time, and I had sent out the application [to be a contestant on MasterChef Australia] thinking nothing would come of it," he tells Weekender. "A friend of mine dared me to do it, actually. "I still remember being on the job site and getting a phone call from an unknown number - this was a couple of months after I'd filled out the application, so I'd pretty much forgotten all about it. "I answered, and it was a producer on MasterChef asking if I could come down to Sydney and have a crack. "So I had to talk to my boss, who was my cousin, and I was like 'Mate, I've gotta go down to Sydney for a couple of days and I'll see you next week'. Well, one thing led to another and another and I never went back to the job site!" Andy, who was born and raised in Maitland, was one exam away from completing his electrician qualifications. He loved to play basketball and he loved to cook, and watched cooking shows to improve his skills. But he took a punt, made it to the final 24 contestants on season four of MasterChef Australia, and on July 25, 2012, defeated Julia Taylor and Audra Morrice in the grand finale. After the show, he published his first cookbook, The Next Element, and started working as a cook at Sydney restaurant Three Blue Ducks. In 2016, he jumped on board as a co-owner when the Three Blue Ducks opened a new restaurant in Rosebery. Two years later, it was awarded an SMH Good Food Guide chef's hat. Andy dipped his toe into the television presenting world, working on Andy and Ben Eat Australia, Andy and Ben Eat The World, Farm To Fork and Three Blue Ducks for Network 10. In 2020, in what was a first for the series worldwide, Andy returned to the MasterChef kitchen as a judge. He's currently on our television screens as a judge on MasterChef Australia: Back To Win alongside Sofia Levin, Poh Ling Yeow and Jean-Christophe Novelli. He's in Melbourne when Weekender calls, having recently bought a house with wife Alexandra (the couple married in 2022) for $3.85 million in Northcote. I know how much he paid because the finer details of the sale were shared widely by the media in April. "I was pretty shocked at that ... it must have been a slow news day," Andy quips. "Alex and I had been toying around with the idea of buying a place down here for a while. I'm loving it - I have jobs to do, mow the lawn, all that stuff. I'm finding myself turning into my old man, which is a little bit scary. I now understand why he would just potter around the house on a Saturday morning." Any electrical work that needed to be done? "No, we got a place that was fully ready to go," he replies, laughing. "It's the first home we've purchased together, so it's nice to feel a sense of accomplishment for something we've worked really hard for." He describes his first season as a judge, alongside Jock Zonfrillo and Melissa Leong, as "bizarre". "Matt [Preston], Gary [Mehigan] and George [Calombaris] had done their thing for such a long time. It wasn't so much nerves, I was more wondering how this was going to go," Andy says. "It was so weird, as soon as I got that first critique out, I realised that they respected my opinion, they respected what I'd done in the industry, they just wanted to get better, and they knew that this was a huge learning process. "It was a huge weight off my shoulders. "Doing Back To Win again, I feel like I'm part of the furniture now at the studio." MasterChef is produced in more than 50 countries and airs in 200 territories. I ask why it is that MasterChef Australia continues to rate the highest among international audiences. "You know, I have thought about it, and I reckon it's so popular because we treat it as a cooking competition," Andy says. "I mean, I was a sparky in Newcastle before I filled out that application form and went on the craziest ride of my life. "When all you're trying to do is get the best out of people in such a positive environment, they realise that they can grab onto this opportunity with both hands and see what they can do with it. They know it can change their lives." There are so many former MasterChef Australia contestants working in the food industry, in the media, and writing books. It's proof that this is a competition with a reward that extends beyond the $250,000 prize money. "We film for five-and-a-half months a year, contestants leave their friends, their family, their careers. There's so much on the line for the contestants," Andy says. "It's an experience for people to walk into that kitchen, let their guard down, lap it up and see what they can get out of it. "The MasterChef kitchen is the ultimate leveller. It doesn't matter how much experience you've got, the challenges are just so random, and you can't be good at everything." Scottish-born Jock died unexpectedly in April 2023, the day before season 15 of MasterChef Australia was due to premiere. The outpouring of grief from the 46-year-old's industry peers, family, friends and fans has been well-documented. Andy and Jock shared a strong bond and were great mates. Was it difficult to carry on as a judge in a space that Jock filled with his personality and presence? "Oh, it was rough at the start. It was rough," Andy says. "I'm kind of lucky, I guess, because I've never had someone really close to me pass away, especially so suddenly. This was a full crash course in grieving. "On last year's series, the first shot was just me in the kitchen with a light shining on me, 20-odd new contestants running through the doors, and I just remember feeling it was sink or swim at that point. "There was one part of me going 'This is going to be really hard' and another part going 'What would Jock do?' And I know he would just get in there and do the best job that he possibly could. "That's been my mission for a couple of seasons now; to really make sure that what we created lives on in the best possible way. "And there's still many times when I get that wave of grief that sweeps me up ... and that's one of the things I've learned about grief, it will hit you any time, it will hit you over the most insignificant thing, and you just have to accept that and continue to move forward." Andy reckons he's "getting there" when it comes to dealing with his grief. "Last year it was a lot about missing Jock and wishing he was around. This year, I still miss him every single day, don't get me wrong, but for me it's now more about celebrating him and trying to move forward," he says. "Sometimes this wave comes over me, it will be one small, minute thing and it just gets you, it cripples you, and there have been times on set when I just go white for no reason and the producers are, like, 'Are you OK?' "But you have to just process it and move forward. When you love someone dearly and they're not there any more, that's what happens." Outside of the MasterChef kitchen, Andy enjoys spending time in his own. He creates and shares cooking videos on social media and says he is inspired by the contestants he judges week in and week out. "Cooking is still an outlet for me. I still enjoy it," he says. "I'll come home after a 12-hour day and cook Alex dinner. That's my switch-off time, I can just focus on what's for dinner. It sounds so cringe but it's also so real: when there's a lot of other stuff going on in your life, you can process it while you're cooking a bowl of pasta. "I get to spend six months of my life being inspired by what contestants can do with food when they're put under pressure. If you're not inspired in that kind of situation, it's probably time to give it up, you know?" He had been training for a half marathon, however, says he "did a hamstring seven weeks out". "I'm still not 100 per cent better. But my wife got there, and she ran another one last week. She's got the bug," he says. In 2022, Andy co-founded new mid-strength beer Travla with Australian actor Travis Fimmel (Vikings, Warcraft, Raised By Wolves, Dune: Prophecy, Black Snow, Boy Swallows Universe), so that is also keeping him busy. "He's a funny, unique man who will not quit until it's a success. He's the best business partner I could ever ask for," Andy says. "Travla has started to go really, really well. It's starting to kick some goals as a beer brand that celebrates country living and country values. "Travis is a country boy. He grew up just outside of Echuca, at Lockington, and it doesn't matter where he goes or what he does, he'll always be that guy from Lockington. "He's got this total juxtaposition of what he's exposed to through what he does in Hollywood and around he world, but at heart he's a guy who just wants to be on the farm." So, does he ever miss his sparky days? "My tool kit is still at Mum and Dad's," he says. "I'll go home to visit and sometimes there will be a box of downlights or a couple of ceiling fans in front of the door, and Mum gives me the eye. "I can't really say no, can I?"
