Tune in, freak out

The House of Hits may have lasted only one season, but with Ian ‘Molly’ Meldrum at the helm, it still managed to pull big names. In this 2000 clip from the very first episode, co-host Leah McLeod interviews Flea from the Red Hot Chili Peppers about their latest album, Californication.

Equal parts music show and casual backstage chat, House of Hits combined Molly’s decades of influence with a next-gen TV format.

SBS’s Alchemy ran for four seasons, with hosts Robbie Buck, Nicole Fossati and Frank Rodi introducing a late-night audience to eclectic and emerging music.

This 2001 clip, from the final episode, shows the live studio opener – complete with a specially composed farewell track by Canberra-based electronic duo B(if)tek. It’s a bittersweet send-off for a series that championed creativity and low-fi cool in equal measure.

In this 2006 Hangin’ with... Big Day Out special, Channel V’s Yumi Stynes is on the hunt for Iggy Pop – one of that year’s headline acts. Rumour has it he’s just had a run-in with a cameraman, but eventually he turns up for a short interview with Andrew G.

As Stynes reflects on the surreal encounter, we catch a brief, chaotic glimpse of the punk icon mid-tour. It’s fast, raw and unfiltered – very Big Day Out.

In this 2006 Hangin’ with... Big Day Out special, M.I.A. joins Yumi Stynes at Sydney’s FBi Radio – and something quietly radical happens. Mid-interview, Stynes clocks the all-women, all-POC crew: Tamil refugee pop star, Arabic manager, Korean cam op, Chinese producer. ‘Not a white man in sight,’ she says. It’s a fleeting moment, but a powerful one – a snapshot of new global voices pushing their way into the frame.

In Recovery: From Frogstomp to Freakshow, Silverchair go mobile – literally. Interviewed in a moving car by host Dylan Lewis, the band reflect on the weight of early fame, their changing sound and the legacy of that famous frog.

It’s offbeat, unfiltered and tongue-in-cheek – perfectly in sync with Recovery’s anarchic spirit. First aired on 22 November 1997, this special captured Silverchair at a key turning point, with Daniel Johns trading teen angst for surrealist wit.

Produced by the ABC’s Indigenous Programs Unit, Songlines launched in the late 1990s, bringing First Nations music and culture to national television audiences in a bold new format.

In this clip from the first episode, host Michelle Tuahine introduces the series as ‘Australia’s black music show’ and interviews acclaimed vocal trio Tiddas — Lou Bennett, Amy Saunders and Sally Dastey — as they prepare for the 1997 Deadly Awards.

It’s a powerful opening to a program that championed story, solidarity and sound, and marked a pivotal moment in Australian broadcasting.

Video Smash Hits aired Saturday mornings on the Seven Network throughout the early and mid-’90s, hosted by Michael Horrocks and Kym Wilson. A direct rival to Ten’s Video Hits, the show kept Aussie teens plugged into the latest chart trends.

In this 1994 clip, the hosts casually review new CD releases – part promotion, part pop commentary, all ’90s nostalgia.

Broadcast on SBS, Nomad was a 1990s series spotlighting music clips and interviews with a global and local mix of artists.

This 1993 clip from episode 6 features Ugandan singer-songwriter Geoffrey Oryema speaking with reporter Jaslyn Hall. He discusses working with Peter Gabriel and Brian Eno, and the challenges African artists face breaking into the European market.

A rare window into the cultural politics of music, framed by a show ahead of its time.

At the end of 1972, Australian teens faced a musical wipeout: three national pop shows were cancelled, including the 0–10 Network’s Happening ’72.

Decades later, a battered videotape turned up at the NFSA after a global detour – revealing the show’s final moments, including a rare performance by John Farnham. It marked the end of one era, and hinted at the new one rising: bolder, glossier, louder.

Read about the unearthing of Happening '72 featuring John Farnham.

Four years after the original Bandstand ended, the Nine Network gave it a 1976 reboot. This time it was a Grundy production, hosted by a young Daryl Somers with a live teenage audience and contemporary hits – a clear nod to Countdown’s fast-growing popularity.

While it never reached iconic status, the new Bandstand offered wild moments – including AC/DC blasting through ‘It’s a Long Way to the Top’ in Nine’s Sydney studio, with Bon Scott belting it live over the single.

Courtesy: Fremantle

When it launched in 1977, Nightmoves gave rock fans a reason to stay up late. Australia’s first major late-night music program, it featured concert footage, interviews and album reviews with a laidback vibe.

Created by Mushroom Records' Michael Gudinski and hosted by 3XY’s Lee Simon, Nightmoves spotlighted acts outside the Top 40 – from Rush to George Benson to Shirley Strachan, who appears in the show’s first episode. It broke rules, broke bands, and broke up the mainstream.

Courtesy: Mushroom Music

Thank God It’s Friday at the Zoo burst onto screens in 1978, chasing disco’s glittery coattails. It featured DJs, live acts, a massive themed set – and total mayhem.

John Paul Young, Stylus, Sherbet and even Ronald Biggs (phoning in from Brazil) made appearances. But the disco moment was already fading, and the show was axed after six episodes. Only a single preview tape survives today – a chaotic time capsule of disco’s last dance.

Courtesy: Network Ten