Creative Creatures Podcast

The Getaway Plan’s Clint Ellis | The Amity Affliction, Youngbloods, Emo Music & Songwriting
This isn’t your typical music interview.
Before The Getaway Plan, before The Amity Affliction, Clint Ellis was rehearsing in Key’s family home as part of Melbourne’s underground ska and punk scene alongside Key’s late brother, Caz. Decades later, the two sit down to reflect on friendship, music, loss, creativity and the journey from local rehearsal rooms to some of Australia’s biggest stages.
In this episode of Creative Creatures, Key chats with Clint Ellis, guitarist of legendary Australian rock band The Getaway Plan and former member of The Amity Affliction.
From the early days of ska bands and Battle of the Bands competitions through to the explosion of Australia’s emo and post-hardcore scene, Clint shares stories from every chapter of his career. We dive into the creation of iconic songs including Shadows, Streetlight and Where The City Meets The Sea, the rise of The Getaway Plan, the band’s hiatus and return, his time with The Amity Affliction during the Youngbloods era, and his current work composing music for film, television and video games.
Along the way, Clint opens up about songwriting, touring, creative evolution, band dynamics, changing musical tastes, and what the future may hold for The Getaway Plan.
Whether you grew up listening to Australian alternative music, played in bands yourself, or simply love hearing the stories behind great songs, this episode offers a rare look inside one of Australia’s most respected musicians and creative minds.
In this episode:
• The early days of Jebuz and Melbourne’s ska scene• Friendship with Key’s brother Caz and the band’s beginnings• Forming The Getaway Plan• Writing Shadows, Streetlight and Where The City Meets The Sea• The rise of Australian emo and post-hardcore music• The breakup and return of The Getaway Plan• Joining The Amity Affliction• The making of Youngbloods• Songwriting and creative process• Touring highs and lows• Film, TV and video game composition• AI and the future of creativity• Advice for aspiring musicians

They’re not just back - they’re stepping straight onto a monster lineup.
In this episode, Kisschasy break down what it means to return after 15+ years and land on a tour with two of the biggest pop-punk exports of the 2000s: Good Charlotte and Yellowcard.
Key sits down with Darren Cordeux and Joel Vanderuit from Kisschasy to talk about:
Reuniting with the original lineup
Going from burnout to a full-scale comeback
Sharing a stage with international heavyweights
The pressure (and nostalgia) of playing the songs that defined a generation
What fans can expect from the live show
For anyone who grew up on the MySpace era, Vans Warped energy, and mid-2000s festival chaos — this lineup hits different.
This isn’t just a reunion. It’s a full-circle moment.
#CreativeCreaturesPodcast #Kisschasy #GoodCharlotte #Yellowcard #PopPunk #AustralianMusic #BandReunion #MusicPodcast #WarpedTourEra #LiveMusic

Lindsay McDougall - aka The Doctor - guitarist of Aussie punk institution Frenzal Rhomb joins Key for a sharp, funny and surprisingly thoughtful chat about surviving three decades in a band that was never meant to be this organised.
We get into the bizarre science-textbook origin of the name Frenzal Rhomb, how the band has stayed tight for 30+ years, and why enjoying each other’s company has mattered more than chasing industry approval. Lindsay opens up about songwriting, running workshops with young musicians, and why creativity rarely shows up the way you expect it to.
There’s also classic Frenzal energy - harbour cruise gigs, chaos at sea, and stories that prove punk rock is still very much alive.

In his first and only podcast appearance, Nathan Phillips opens up about a career shaped by instinct, experience, and a genuine love of cinema.
From his breakout role in Wolf Creek, to international projects like Snakes on a Plane, and defining Australian films including Australian Rules, Balibo, These Final Hours, Takeaway and more, Nathan reflects on a career that’s moved naturally between Australian and international screens.
With projects like Badlands Rising, The Comedian, and The Beast in Me on the way, he also talks about how acting has changed - what it was like coming up then, how the industry feels now, and what still matters to him as a performer.
Along the way, he’s always chosen life, authenticity, and adventure alongside the work. We talk beginnings, career decisions, the stories picked up along the road, and why he still loves doing what he does best.
A rare, relaxed conversation with an actor who values living fully just as much as he values the craft.

360 - Matt Colwell
From the early days of Aussie hip hop to festival-level fame, this is the unfiltered story of 360.
 
360 (Matt Colwell) talks to Key about the beginnings - From starting in a rock band to breaking through with Festival Song, rising alongside his best mate Pez, and riding the wave of huge tours, parties, attention and expectation. On the outside it looked like success. Behind the scenes, it was chaos. Addiction, burnout and self-destruction quietly took hold until everything eventually collapsed.
 
In this episode, 360 opens up about hitting rock bottom, going to rehab, and the unexpected path that followed — faith, church, and rebuilding his life from the ground up. We talk honestly about the personal shift that saw him go from writing Boys Like You - a song built around casual sex and excess - to choosing no sex at all until marriage.
Matt also addresses the long-rumoured Triple J fallout. He shares his perspective on being effectively blacklisted, how his views sharpened after the COVID era, and why he believes the station isn’t about the music anymore — plus what that’s meant for his career and creative freedom.
This is a raw, reflective conversation about fame, identity, addiction, belief, and what happens when the party ends - and you’re left to work out who you actually are.

Stevo, Dave DJ Jackson & Chaz (the work experience kid) of Area 7 pull up to the ES Beer Festival and bring a lifetime of Australian ska-punk stories with them — from their 1994 origins as a Madness tribute act, to breaking out alongside their mates from The Living End, Bodyjar, Frenzal & 28 Days 
This episode was made possible by the crew at Bad Shepherd Brewery, the legends behind the ES Beer Fest.

Liam from Playlunch pulls back the curtain on one of the wildest bands in Australia.
We talk writing & filming for Keith, Station Rat, The Boys, touring, Barry Hall, Like A Version, and how they stormed the 2025 charts and it was all kinda by accident.
 
They're creative, they're loveable, a little unhinged, they're Playlunch.

Remember Wasabi? The 2006 Aussie pop-punk anthem that went nuclear after Lee Harding’s breakout on Australian Idol. In this episode, Lee opens up about his wild Idol days infront of Kyle Sandilands, Andrew G and co, what really happened after the show, and the truth behind his fight with the record label. Love it or hate it, was wasabi a one-hit wonder, could there have been more to come?, reflecting on his career, and why he’s still one of the most electric live performers in the country — plus how he’s evolved his look, sound and mindset two decades on. 

I flew all the way to Texas to find out what really happened to pop-punk — from the guy who lived it.
Jaret Reddick isn’t just the frontman of Bowling for Soup — he’s also the voice of Phineas Flynn, Chuck E. Cheese, Jimmy Neutron and the man behind 1985 and Girl All the Bad Guys Want.
We went deep on how a small-town Texas band blew up worldwide, what it’s like writing for Jimmy Neutron and Phineas & Ferb, and the truth about surviving the 2000s pop-punk wave.
 
 

Patrick Renna (Ham from The Sandlot) joins me to rewind to one of the most iconic coming-of-age films ever made. We cast his mind back to what it was really like behind the scenes — from filming those legendary baseball moments to the friendships and memories that shaped the cult classic. If you grew up quoting “You’re killin’ me, Smalls!”, this chat will take you straight back to the 90s.