Cookin’ On 3 Burners own the top spot on the Amrap Metro Chart

Community radio shows a huge amount of support for Australian music, with almost 40% of music played coming from local artists. Taste-making presenters excel at giving airtime to an incredible spread of what Aussie artists have to offer. The Amrap Metro and Amrap Regional Charts provide insight into what’s getting airplay and attention on community radio each week. Here’s the lowdown on some tunes charting this week.

Cookin’ On 3 Burners ft. Kylie Auldist – #1 Amrap Metro & #4 Amrap Regional (pictured above)

Having mastered the science of soul and funk way back, the Hammond organ led trio Cookin’ On 3 Burners are still one of the Melbourne groove community’s real favourites as it continues to grow and evolve. Back with Lab Experiments Volume 2, the band have stuck to the tried and true formula of tight, feel-good vibes in the classic old-school mould, and on ‘One of the Ones’, team up yet again with enduring vocalist Kylie Auldist. As expected, not much can go wrong here and ‘One of the Ones’ glides down oh-so easy. It’s like summer’s come a little bit early and community radio are shining bright with this one – NSW coastal community legends Bay FM and BBB FM along with Fleurieu FM in South Australia are just a few of the stations on board.

Peabody – #6 Amrap Metro

Sydney’s Peabody have been around for 24 years now, making them a kind of Sir Robert Menzies figure for that city’s indie scene – there’s no Sydney band more deserving of the hashtag, #stillgoing. It also means they’ve amassed a huge armoury of whip-smart riffs for their relentless brand of rock, full of ever-present spiky melodies. We’re thrilled to have them back and in the Amrap Metro Charts this week. Taken from A Redder Shade of Rust, their first album since 2010, ‘Julie’ shows the band’s souped-up power-pop side in one of their tightest nuggets to date. It’s all stomp, bounce and harmonies, streaked with unabashed nostalgia for an old friend. Community Radio is Peabody’s friend, with loads of love for them at FBi Radio in Sydney, 4ZZZ FM in Brisbane and Radio Adelaide.

Candy – #3 Amrap Metro

Melbourne’s Candy – otherwise known to his family, friends and on his passport as Calum Newton – spent time in Amyl & The Sniffers before going solo and deep into DIY pop. Through the hypnotic haze of Newton’s guitar sounds on ‘Validation’ there’s precision in his pop game that ultimately turns this tune into something more driving than dreamy. ‘Validation’ has the mesmerising but steely feel of early R.E.M but lines up with today’s songwriting currency in stripping emotions right down to the barest essentials. It’s a compelling combination riding high in the Amrap Metro charts this week, with Candy looking sweet at Perth’s 6RTR, Melbourne’s 3RRR and Brisbane’s 4ZZZ FM.

Kirkis – #2 Amrap Metro

Working as an artist across various disciplines including painting and film, when Matthew Kirkis turns his hand to music he has a few stellar people taking note. To date he’s worked with Floating Points, Hiatus Kaiyote and Kirin J. Callinan – all good reference points for his own work, but obliquely so. ‘Dead Nightclub’ often sounds like Ariel Pink on a Bowie Berlin period bender but there’s something deeper going on, well past the point of pastiche, with this deliberately disjointed gem. A pulpy fusion of glam, disco and synth-pop, Kirkis’ ‘Dead Nightclub’ creates a space you know you want to inhabit but you can’t exactly pinpoint why. Community Radio aren’t spooked – PBS FM in Melbourne, 6RTR FM in Perth and Brisbane’s 4ZZZ FM are getting their deadpan dance moves on.

Julie Kember – #10 Amrap Regional

Western Australian country artist Julie Kember has taken a no mess approach to her tough new single ‘Undone’. Playing with equal parts bravado and fragility, ‘Undone’ simmers and snarls with a low slung groove and a load of guitar grit and twang. While deeply seated in the roots-rock category, there’s no denying Kember has taken in the classic, fiery electric blues of Janis Joplin somewhere along the line. ‘Undone’ has been spending time on the Amrap Regional Chart for a little while now, and that’s reflected in airplay galore from the likes of Queensland’s Fraser Coast Community Radio, 5GTR FM in South Australia and Radio Mama in Kember’s home state.

See the full Amrap Charts at www.airit.org.au

The Amrap Charts show the Top 10 tracks ordered for airplay by community broadcasters through the Amrap’s AirIt music distribution service. Amrap is an initiative of the Community Broadcasting Association of Australia which distributes new Australian music to community radio stations nationwide & empowers broadcasters to promote new Australian music on air & online.