19-07-2025
Ben Lee on mistakes, longevity and the power of pop music
Ben Lee is responsible for some of the most ubiquitous Australian songs of the last two decades ('Catch My Disease', 'We're All In This Together', and 'Cigarettes Will Kill You'). His breakthrough fifth album Awake Is The New Sleep turns 20 this year, and he's on The Music Show to reflect on career longevity (forming his first band at 14), what he's learned from joining (and leaving) cults, and why he spends so much time playing gigs in regional Australia these days.
2022 Classical Freedman Fellow Katie Yap's prize project Multitudes has seen Katie improvising, composing and performing with four unique collaborators. Ahead of its latest performances in Brisbane, a chance to hear this conversation with Katie about how birds, poetry and collaboration have informed her work.
Katie Yap performs four concerts 24 - 26 July at VENTSpace, South Brisbane. Find out more at this link.
Ben Lee is touring Australia throughout September and October. Dates and details here.
Music in this program:
Title: Catch My Disease
Artist: Ben Lee
Composer: Ben Lee
Album: Awake Is The New Sleep
Label: Ten Finger Records Inc/Inertia
Title: Whatever It Is
Artist: Ben Lee
Composer: Ben Lee
Album: Awake Is The New Sleep
Label: Ten Finger Records Inc/Inertia
Title: We're All In This Together
Artist: Ben Lee
Composer: Ben Lee
Album: Awake Is The New Sleep
Label: Ten Finger Records Inc/Inertia
Title: I Wish I Was Him
Artist: Noise Addict
Composer: Ben Lee
Album: Young & Jaded
Label: Ten Finger Records Inc
Title: Born For This Bullshit feat. Sad13
Artist: Ben Lee
Composer: Ben Lee
Album: I'M FUN
Label: Ten Finger Records Inc
Title: Aftermath
Artist: Katie Yap
Composer: Emily Sheppard
Live performance recorded at the 2022 Freedman Fellowship Awards
Title: Migrant Swift
Artist: Katie Yap, Mindy Meng Wang
Composer: Katie Yap, Mindy Meng Wang
Live performance recorded at the 2022 Freedman Fellowship Awards
Title: Passenger Pigeons
Artist: Katie Yap, Bowerbird Collective
Composer: Katie Yap, Anthony Albrecht, Simone Slattery
Live performance recorded at the 2022 Freedman Fellowship Awards
Title: Black Cockatoos
Artist: Katie Yap, Donald Nicolson
Composer: Katie Yap, Donald Nicolson
Live performance recorded at the 2022 Freedman Fellowship Awards
Title: Oh Snap
Artist: Cécile McLorin Salvant
Composer: Cécile McLorin Salvant
Album: Oh Snap (forthcoming)
Label: Nonesuch
The Music Show was made this week on Gadigal and Gundungurra Land.
