If These Walls Could Talk

Nov 23 2021 4

If These Walls Could Talk Podcast artwork

If These Walls Could Talk by Red Bull is an audio love letter to the venues, parties, festivals and people both past and present which have shaped Australia's young, yet rich cultural history.

This series will transport listeners on a journey through time to shine a light on the people, places and moments that have shaped Australia’s most storied nightlife communities.

In season one, we took an in-depth look at Melbourne’s music community through six episodes of City Central. Hosted by 3RRR’s Lauren Taylor and Simon Winkler, they delved into the moments, musicians, spaces and philosophies which shaped the city’s musical identity. In season two, we explored Sydney's rich LGBTIQ+ scene and in season three we'll profile some of Australia's most iconic festivals and the women who helped shaped Australia's most infamous musical right of passage, the music festival.

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Adapt, pivot, evolve, grow. Splendour in the Grass - Season 3, Episode 5

Nov 23 2021 20 mins

Splendour in the Grass. If Dark Mofo is the great southern mid-winter festival then it’s safe to say that Splendour in the Grass, nestled in the rolling hills of the North Byron Parklands, offers a mid-winter festival of more moderate conditions for a more millennial crowd.Like many festivals Splendour in the Grass 2020 and 2021 have been postponed due to COVID; but having evolve

A product of the pandemic built for greater good of the Australian music community - Season 3, Episode 4

Nov 17 2021 18 mins

Isol-Aid. Born as a response to the COVID 19 pandemic, Isol-Aid is both an online music festival and community, profiling musicians – who would otherwise have had shows, launches, tours, and other appearances cancelled – to create content stream it to an audience otherwise lacking in one of the greatest gifts of all; live music.Isol-Aid’s Emily Ulman pulled together the weeke

Sustainability, inclusivity and the role the humble Australian bush doof has played in ensuring equality - Season 3, Episode 3

Nov 10 2021 19 mins

Strawberry Fields - Based on the banks of the meandering River Murray in NSW, is an annual celebration of art, sound and creative expression normally held for three days each summer.Rooted as deep as the gum trees under which the festival is held, is it’s connection to community; in the past they have supported a Low Income Ticket Program in which festival goers who are socially

Secret by name, secret by nature. The story behind the Australian festival that bucked every trend imaginable - Season 3, Episode 2

Nov 03 2021 27 mins

Secret Garden. Secret by name, secret by nature, this was a festival where attendees like to be challenged & surprised, loyally waiting for the line up to be announced only when the event is sold out. After an incredible 11 year journey, Secret Garden closed its doors in 2019 ending its run on a high note and being fondly remembered as a festival which bucked the trend at every ste

The real stories behind the festival to first put Australia's scene on the map, Big Day Out - Season 3, Episode 1

Oct 27 2021 25 mins

Big Day Out. The big one, the festival that created an international name and managed to woo the biggest acts of their time to Australian shores. From Nirvana in 1992, to Metallica in 2004, System of a Down in 2002 and Silverchair’s landmark 2008 performance, everyone has a Big Day Out story; and no one was unmoved by the eventual demise of the festival which put Australia on the

Season 3: Trailer

Oct 17 2021 1 mins

In season three of If These Walls Could Talk by Red Bull we pen an audio love letter to some of Australia's most iconic music festivals and the women who helped shape them. From stalwarts like The Big Day Out and Splendour In The Grass to relative newcomers Secret Garden and a product of the pandemic, Isol-Aid we profile the incredible individuals and the wild stories behind the sc

What does throwing an inclusive LGBTQI celebration involve in 2020? Can unconventional spaces be queer party spaces? - Season 2, Episode 5

Mar 05 2021 23 mins

Al Grigg joins Heaps Gay's Kat Dopper on a mission to find a new space for an upcoming Heaps Gay event. This mission, is one that is becoming more and more regular for Kat and her team as they seek to overcome the issues with the over-development of Sydney's CBD and gentrification of their street party spaces that make finding a safe and unique space for a queer party an increasing

How did Sydney’s vogue ball scene begin? What did it mean for the community when Sissy Ball became part of Mardi Gras? - Season 2, Episode 4

Mar 04 2021 27 mins

Al Grigg meets up with Bhenji Ra, House Mother of House of Sleep and a driving force behind Sydney's voguing scene. Bhenji explains how she learnt about the ballroom scene and voguing while living in New York and using this as her inspiration on her return to Sydney to start organising balls, as eventually starting her own house - House of Sle - and becoming the house’s mother an

How did The Imperial influence Sydney's gay scene in the 90s, and how is that legacy continued today? - Season 2, Episode 3

Mar 03 2021 25 mins

Host Al Grigg sits down with Farren Heitt, 'reigning matriarch' at the Imperial Hotel in Erskineville. One of the stalwarts of Sydney's gay scene Farren has played an active role since the days of Dawn O'Donnell and still regularly performs at The Imperial with now two decades of drag children beneath her.

What place did the Albury hold in the LGBTQI party scene and what did its closure mean for the community? - Season 2, Episode 2

Mar 02 2021 25 mins

It's been described as described as ‘the gay bar in gay Sydney’. But for Craig 'Polly Petrie' Petrie it was a place to call home. Starting as a glassie, then bartender, then in the cocktail bar, he eventually morphed in to becoming a performer - starting his act Polly's Follies. In this episode Craig regales us with stories from behind the bar about customers, the vibe of the t