Nearly two decades have passed since Recovery aired, and a decade more since beloved Countdown left our screens.
Now, after years of fans singing out for a replacement, the ABC is introducing a new gateway to live performances with The Set.
“There’s been a gap in the Australian market for a live music show, bringing the best of Australia’s talents into the living rooms of the public since Recovery,” show host Dylan Alcott tells TV WEEK.
Triple J’s Linda and Dylan will host new ABC show The Set.
Joined by fellow Triple J radio presenter Linda Marigliano, the duo will showcase acts such as The Presents, Angus And Julia Stone, and Vera Blue in a half-hour show on Wednesday nights. A longer version, The Full Set, will air on Saturday nights from November 3.
Set up in a “share house”, the series plays out like a super-cool hangout.
“Every week, there’s a headline act that comes over to our house,” Dylan, 27, explains.
“They perform in the backyard, the lounge room… we’ve got hundreds of people to come, there’s a live bar and we have a party.”
Referencing the NRL Grand Final in September, where a performance by four-time ARIA Award winners Gang Of Youths was met by football fans’ blank stares, Dylan hopes The Set will expose the kind of Australian music already loved by a younger generation to new viewers.
“On Twitter, when people were going, ‘Who are Gang Of Youths?’, all I could think was, ‘You’re an idiot,'” Dylan recalls.
That’s why the passionate advocate of local talent is keen to give such musicians more time on air before big moments like these.
“It’s so special that one of the big networks − the ABC − backed it,” he enthuses.
“To me, being the one to bring that into the homes of the Australian public is so cool.”
The Set premieres Wednesday, 9:30pm, on ABC.
