STACK #259 May 2026

MUSIC FEATURE

visit jbhifi.com.au/stack

Sporty Spice releases her joyful ninth solo album. SWEAT IT OUT

This year is the 30th anniversary of the Spice Girls’ debut single, Wannabe , and debut album, Spice . Melanie C says there are “no plans” for a reunion, “but I still feel very optimistic and I’m keeping my fingers crossed that you’ll see the Spice Girls together in the future”. MORE SPICE?

S ometimes all you want to do is get up and dance. And that’s where Melanie C’s new solo album comes in. When Melanie Chisholm became a star, she was known as Sporty Spice, one fifth of the all conquering Girl Power group the Spice Girls. And she sees sport and music as a natural fit. “What works in the club works in the gym – there’s a real crossover,” the 52-year-old artist believes. “Sports, raving, finding joy – these elements are such a huge part of my personality.” The release of Sweat follows Melanie C’s autobiography, Who I Am . “I’ve done a lot of soul searching,” she says. “Now I just want to have some fun and get people dancing again.”

CHART FACT

Melanie C’s highest-charting solo album in Australia was her 1999 debut Northern Star , which hit number 32.

AUSSIE CONNECTION Melanie C became a coach on The Voice Australia last year; a role she will continue this year.

The title track samples Diana Ross’s 1982 single Work That Body . Melanie grew up listening to Motown records with her family, including Diana Ross and The Supremes. “There are so many horrific things going on in the world,” Melanie continues, “when you make pop and dance music, it can seem almost churlish. But music is what gets me through tough

Melanie C’s World Tour will hit Australia in November, starting in Perth on November 11. TOUR ALERT

Sweat by Melanie C is out May 1 via Inertia

moments. I’m really happy I am bringing out a joyful record at a very dark time.” Jeff Jenkins 10 YEARS OF AMYL

Melanie C

Amyl and the Sniffers

Amyl and the Sniffers celebrate ten years of rocking by going back to where it all began.

T hey’ve come a long way. A decade ago, Amyl and the Sniffers released their first recordings. Written and recorded in a 12-hour burst, it was an EP called Giddy Up and it was issued on cassette.

Giddy Up/Big Attraction by Amyl and the Sniffers is out May 22 via Inertia

A year later, the Aussie punk band released another cassette called Big Attraction . As Pitchfork noted, “Both EPs were textbook exercises in DIY where it was impossible to separate the content from the format; as the songs blazed by in minute-long bursts, the sound thrilled as much as the hooks.” Giddy Up opened with an Amyl

Photo credit: John Angus Stewart

stole my push bike and I want it back!”

AWARDS ACTION

Big Attraction added six new songs to the band’s repertoire, including an ode to the Melbourne suburb where they started – Balaclava Lover Boogie . The two EPs have now been compiled on the one release to celebrate Amyl’s tenth anniversary. Big Attraction ’s opening cut, I’m Not a Loser , saw Amy singing: “I’m poor, I’m broke, but I’m just fine.” A decade on, the backyard gigs have got bigger, and Amyl are no longer poor and definitely not broke. But they’re still doing just fine. Jeff Jenkins

CHART FACT

Amyl have won seven ARIA Awards. And this year they were nominated for ‘International Group of the Year’ at the Brit Awards and ‘Best Rock Performance’ at the Grammys.

Amyl’s last two albums – 2021’s Comfort to Me and 2024’s Cartoon Darkness – have both hit number two in Australia. Cartoon Darkness was also a Top 10 hit in the UK and Germany.

manifesto called Pleasure Forever . It was a 1.15-minute ball of energy that signalled the band’s approach. “Move over,” Amy Taylor sang. “I’m the new Thin Lizzy.” And the debut EP concluded with a classic slice of punk called Stole My Push Bike . In just one minute, Amy delivered a simple message: “Someone

40 MAY 2026

jbhifi.com.au