What Is Music?: A Music Podcast About Arctic Monkeys
A podcast that dives deep into discographies - one artist per season. Hosts Adam, Steve, and Lucas go album by album, track by track, exploring how context shapes our experience of music, why fans become obsessed, and what music really is. With three hosts coming from wildly different levels of musical knowledge, expect sharp analysis, wild tangents, hot takes, and more information about the artists (and the hosts) than you ever asked for. Currently exploring the discography of Arctic Monkeys. Previous seasons featured Manic Street Preachers, Muse, Billie Eilish, Radiohead, Lauryn Hill, and R.E.M.
- Update frequency
- every 6 days
- Average duration
- 103 minutes
- Episodes
- 297
- Years Active
- 2020 - 2025
Rewind the Film
Season 1: Do You Love Us? (Manic Street Preachers)
The Big Mates discuss Jason Statham, how Adam makes playlists, cinemas, and Rewind the Film by Manic Street Preachers.
Adam, Steve, and Lucas go track…
Rocky Around the Clocky
Season 1: Do You Love Us? (Manic Street Preachers)
The Big Mates discuss EXCLUSIVELY ROCKY.
Adam, Steve, and Lucas talk about what constitutes Rocky, what we mean when we talk about Rocky, and also Roc…
National Treasures
Season 1: Do You Love Us? (Manic Street Preachers)
The Big Mates discuss the different kinds of music compilations, Steve's belt, album scores, and National Treasures by Manic Street Preachers.
Adam, S…
Postcards from a Young Man
Season 1: Do You Love Us? (Manic Street Preachers)
The Big Mates discuss Christmas songs, surprise milk frothing, their holidays, and Postcards from a Young Man by Manic Street Preachers.
Adam, Steve, …
Journal for Plague Lovers (Pt. 2 with Simon Price)
Season 1: Do You Love Us? (Manic Street Preachers)
The Big Mates are once again joined by music journalist, broadcaster, DJ, lecturer, and Manic biographer Simon Price to continue their discussion on …
Journal for Plague Lovers (Pt. 1 with Simon Price)
Season 1: Do You Love Us? (Manic Street Preachers)
The Big Mates are joined by music journalist, broadcaster, DJ, lecturer, and Manic biographer Simon Price to discuss Journal For Plague Lovers by Ma…
The Return of Greg Haver
Season 1: Do You Love Us? (Manic Street Preachers)
The Big Mates are again joined by producer, multi-instrumentalist, and frequent Manics collaborator Greg Haver to discuss Arcade Fire, scoring system…
Live at Glastonbury 2007 Commentary
Season 1: Do You Love Us? (Manic Street Preachers)
The Big Mice provide insightful commentary for the Manic Street Preachers' set at Glastonbury 2007, as released on the Send Away the Tigers 10th Anni…
Send Away the Tigers
Season 1: Do You Love Us? (Manic Street Preachers)
The Big Mates discuss nostalgia, Nissan Micras, more nostalgia, and Send Away the Tigers by Manic Street Preachers.
Adam, Steve, and Lucas go track-by…
Interview with Michael Sheen
Season 1: Do You Love Us? (Manic Street Preachers)
The Big Mates are joined by actor Michael Sheen to discuss acting, Wales, 'In the Night Garden,' and the career of Manic Street Preachers.
Adam, Ste…
The Great Western / I Killed the Zeitgeist
Season 1: Do You Love Us? (Manic Street Preachers)
The Big Mates step into a tangential universe for an episode to discuss the 2006 solo albums by James Dean Bradfield and Nicky Wire.
Adam, Steve, and…
BREAKING NEWS: Even In Exile
Season 1: Do You Love Us? (Manic Street Preachers)
BONG. THIS IS AN EMERGENCY NEWS BROADCAST. The Big Mates discuss the newly released solo album Even In Exile by James Dean Bradfield.
You can now wea…
Lifeblood
Season 1: Do You Love Us? (Manic Street Preachers)
The Big Mates discuss biscuits, new-rave, Alice in Wonderland Syndrome, and Lifeblood by Manic Street Preachers.
Adam, Steve, and Lucas go track-by-tr…
Interview with Greg Haver
The Big Mates are joined by producer and multi-instrumentalist Greg Haver to talk about all things Manics and Greg's work on Lifeblood.
Adam, Steve, Lucas, and Greg explore the process of recording th…
Lipstick Traces (Disc 2)
Season 1: Do You Love Us? (Manic Street Preachers)
The Big Mates discuss irrational hatred of musicians, Watership Down, Mark E. Smith, and Lipstick Traces by Manic Street Preachers.
Adam, Steve, and L…
Lipstick Traces (Disc 1)
Season 1: Do You Love Us? (Manic Street Preachers)
The Big Mates discuss beer adverts, balding, the Zodiac killer, and Lipstick Traces by Manic Street Preachers.
Adam, Steve, and Lucas delve into the f…
Forever Delayed
Season 1: Do You Love Us? (Manic Street Preachers)
The Big Mates discuss wedding playlists, Glastonbury Festival, X-Files trading cards, and Forever Delayed by Manic Street Preachers.
In perhaps their …
Louder Than War Commentary
The Big Mates provide insightful commentary for the Manic Street Preachers' DVD release Louder Than War. The film is a document of the Manics playing live in Cuba - at the time the first Western band…
Know Your Enemy (Pt. 2)
Season 1: Do You Love Us? (Manic Street Preachers)
The Big Mates discuss art-rock, emotional context, the Cuban revolution, and Know Your Enemy by Manic Street Preachers.
Adam, Steve, and Lucas go trac…
Do You Love Scum? (with Haley and Russ from 'I'm Scum: An IDLEScast')
The Big Mates are joined by Haley and Russ of I'm Scum: An IDLEScast to discuss Alden Ehrenreich, 90's fitness videos, meteors and the bands Manic Street Preachers and IDLES.
Haley, and Russ bring fou…