Rockwiz: Featuring Liam Finn and EJ Barnes

Rockwiz (2005–2016) was the ultimate television show for hardcore rock music lovers.

Part quiz show, part live music event, Rockwiz had an original format that mixed well-known musicians together with members of the public, chosen from the audience, into 2 teams of competitors. The quiz segments were book-ended by live performances from the musical guests.

Contestants were always highly knowledgable, having gone through an off-air selection process that involved a few rounds of questions. 

Episodes were filmed at St Kilda's Esplanade Hotel and were then broadcast on SBS, where the show gained a devoted fan base who loved the no-fuss, pub trivia-style approach. 

Rockwiz is also one of the very few Australian TV game shows to have a female host, with actor, presenter and comedian Julia Zemiro fronting the show and fellow comedian and actor Brian Nankervis assisting. 

The guests in this episode were Liam Finn and Eliza-Jane (E-J) Barnes – the children of Neil Finn and Jimmy Barnes respectively. Both are very talented musicians in their own right and were touring together at the time.

Liam Finn, who was lead vocalist and guitarist with New Zealand rock band Betchadupa, had just released a solo album titled I'll Be Lightning. EJ Barnes, along with her siblings, had been in The Tin Lids as a young child and she had also performed with her father Jimmy before touring with Finn. 

This excerpt from the show features a fast-paced round of questions about TV show theme songs in which Finn's team performs well, followed by a 'sing the next line' segment that Barnes' team dominates.

Songs named (and sung) include 'Don't You Want Me' by The Human League, 'You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling' by The Righteous Brothers and 'Runaway' by Del Shannon. The segment ends in a fun group sing-a-long as the scores are tallied.  

This clip is from series 5, episode 60, recorded on 8 November 2007 and broadcast on 1 December 2007.

You can watch more clips from Rockwiz on australianscreen.