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When you think of indie-rock and the Australian music business over the last 20 years you’d be hard-pressed not to think of Spunk Records. the label that came out of a fanzine and fledgling touring company has become the stuff of legend. Bron chats to its founder and one of the nicest guys in the business, Aaron Curnow, to talk iconic releases – Built To Spill, Sleater-Kinney, Mogwai, Belle And Sebastian, Arcade Fire, Sufjan Stevens, The Middle East and Joanna Newsom among them – the ones that got away, and just what made one legendary indie-rock frontman end up in a fight seconds before hitting the stage.

In the first episode of the new series of Label Mates, Bron looks at one of Australia’s most iconic indie labels and speaks to the man behind its severed bovine logo, Nic Dalton of Half A Cow records. From a bookstore in Sydney’s inner-city suburb of Glebe to stages across the world with the Lemonheads, Dalton has around 180 releases under his belt including his own work with bands Sneeze, his Gloomchasers, Chewee, Godstar, Love Positions and more. He talks about 25 years with Half A Cow, its unique challenges and, of course, just where the famous cartoon motif came from.

Top Shelf Records started in 2005 and operates out of San Diego in the USA. They friggin' love what they do!

Elephant 6 is home to Apples in Stereo, the Olivia Tremor Control, Neutral Milk Hotel, Beulah, Elf Power, of Montreal. Hear music by these bands and more.

1998 saw the creation of Seattle label BARSUK and they have developed a sound unique of the label as well as the north-west of the USA. Bronwyn deconstructs the artists and hand selects the best parts of this incredible record company

This week we run through the incredible Rubber Records out of Melbourne, Australia. Icecream Hands, Even, Cordrazine, Ricaine and so many more bands who have helped steer not only Rubber Records but also the OZ indie scene.