JORDAN ROYAL
- ballpointpressbne
- Apr 17
- 10 min read
Words/Interview/Images: Aysha Swanson (@s1int1over)
It’s always warm at 4ZZZ, no matter the weather. Someone’s lugging a milk crate of cables through the corridor, and a psych record from 1973 bleeds softly from Studio 2. Posters climb the walls like ivy—faded reds and clashing fonts, each one shouting about a show long gone, each one proof that something happened, someone cared.
Everyone who enters adds to the noise—zine-makers, musicians, students with pockets full of stickers. The space thrums with the energy of those who’ve passed through it, a kind of quiet momentum. It’s a place that runs on stories—told between shows, between tracks, between strangers who become collaborators. There’s always someone scribbling a setlist, someone working through a subscriber application, someone gently reminding you how the panel works again. And there's always someone listening.
Outside, the city moves on, indifferent. Inside, the station hums along, out of sync and right on time. You don’t join Zed—you tune in and find you’ve been part of it all along. Right at the heart of this community is Jordan Royal's show Sonic Alien. It's a weekly broadcast proudly supporting Brisbane's music scene as well as those just passing through. This interview with Jordan will give you a behind the scenes peak at 4zzz's star interviewer - meta, I know.
AYSHA: Hey Jordan! Thanks so much for meeting with me today, let’s start with who you are and what is Sonic Alien?
JORDAN: I’m Jordan Royal, it’s so crazy to say that I'm not used to being on this end of the interview, and I host Sonic Alien on 4zzz. I love local music, local bands, Australian bands and supporting Australian music. Sonic Alien is a radio show that airs every week on 4zzz and it’s a platform where I have so much autonomy on who I can play or get on the show to interview, platform and support. I feel like there’s not many spaces where you’re given such autonomy to choose exactly what you want to do, so it’s really fun having that choice.
AYSHA: And where did the name Sonic Alien come from?
JORDAN: It's crazy, it's crazy. I was in high school when I was doing my show application for Sonic Alien and, I suck at naming things, I was going to rename it later, so I thought whatever, I just have to put something down. But I was listening to Sonic Youth, and I wanted some element of music naming to be in the name. And there's a band in Gilmore Girls called ‘Hep Alien’, and I thought, ‘oh, I can't rip off straight, like just “Hep Alien”’ – and Lane, who is in Gilmore Girls, one of my favourite characters, she actually introduced me to a lot of music through just watching the show – so, I took ‘Sonic’ from Sonic Youth and ‘Alien’ from ‘Hep Alien’ and just put them together. But I was supposed to change it at a later point and then it just stuck.
AYSHA: How long has Sonic Alien been going for?
JORDAN: It’s been going for about a year and three months now, but I did my show application in October of 2023.
AYSHA: I would love to know more about your time at 4zzz, how did you originally get involved in community radio? What do you love about it? What made you stay?
JORDAN: I went to school around the corner, and I would drive past the station every day on the bus. One time my mum drove me into school, and said ‘that building looks so wacky’. If you've ever seen the outside of the building, it's all painted and around really glass high-rise buildings. I thought, ‘that building looks so cool’. So, I asked my mum what it was. And she said, ‘I think it's just a radio station’ – she said it was a ‘weird wacky radio station’, and thought ‘okay, cool!’. So then for years I would just drive past it.
Then I started getting really into music. I went to the 4zzz website and said you can sign up to volunteer, but I was 16 and I didn't think that you could volunteer if you're under 18, but you can. So, then I signed up and came into the station. I've never been in a place like this before and surrounded by people that are so passionate about everything to do with music. You walk in and the walls are covered in posters as far back as the 90s. So, I've discovered bands from literally looking at the walls of this radio station. I can't describe it any other way than a toddler with candy! I just wanted to come in here all the time. There was a point in high school where Ian, who's the programming coordinator, told me that I couldn't come in anymore because I was actively not focusing on high school. But it was just like home. I feel like the second I came in here, and I just loved it. It's so great. It's so sweet.
AYSHA: You are clearly so passionate about music; I would love to know your favourite genres/bands?
JORDAN: It really changes but when I first came in - also another reason why the name is Sonic Alien is because I loved going into different genres - I was really into jazz for a time being and psychedelic music but now it’s really shoegaze. But when I first started coming to the station, if you look at the playlist from the start it was The Beatles and then King Crimson and all these random things. Not that The Beatles are random. But wacky things like Frank Zapper and stuff like that. Yeah.
AYSHA: Do you have any tips for aspiring radio show hosts or interviewers?
JORDAN: I would say I think when I first started, I didn't know how to start, but if you have such a passion for it, you can start your own Instagram and just start interviewing people, there's no real obstacle. You can come into 4zzz and volunteer, the station is so supportive they'll help you do whatever you want to do. You can send out emails, I've gotten so many opportunities through just reaching out to people. I think if you want to, if there's a will there’s a way. It's really freeing to know that if you want to do something just do it you know, don't let anyone stop you, just do it who cares!
AYSHA: Each week you create an awesome two hour playlist for Sonic Alien. What process goes into that selection?
JORDAN: We have quotas at 4zzz, which I think is amazing, other radio stations don't have a lot of quotas, usually radio stations just have an Australian music quota, but at triple z there's female, gender diverse, indigenous, new music, local music and Australian music. I think as an announcer it's really good to have those quotas because it makes you think about playlisting. I always try go above and beyond with local and female because I think its really important, especially in community radio, to support local bands.
What I try and do is I look at what I've been listening to that week because it makes better stories when you're announcing to say I've been really getting into this band. I also try and pick local bands that have just played a show, and I can talk about it. If I'm more passionate about something listeners will care about it more and they'll want to go to band’s launches, which is great.
AYSHA: So, I've asked you to make a Ballpoint X Sonic Alien playlist for those wanting to discover more of Brisbane's local scene, I was wondering if you could give us a brief overview of what’s in the playlist and what you recommend?
JORDAN: I once actually challenged myself to sit down to my friends that don't listen to a lot of local music and just rattle off names. I think I got to 30 which is so good because I just think that Brisbane has such good music.
So, in the playlist is Mr Finn, Alison Road, Special Features, Tomorrow's Forecast, Radium Dolls, Platonic Sex and loads more. I think that there's a consistent type of sound I think alternative sort of shoe-gasey – blue diner oh my gosh – but I think that each band has such a distinct taste.
I think that it's crazy that there are so many talented bands just all around us in Brisbane. It's crazy like watching you guys play, like ‘holy moly they're right in front of me and playing amazing music’. I don't even know how you guys come up with that shit and you're right in front of me and it's just so exciting and it's so much fun. I think it's also exciting seeing local bands grow, seeing release to release and people getting more excited more into it. It's really rewarding to watch you guys’ flourish and get bigger. I'm like ‘as they should people need to watch out for them!’
AYSHA: Do you have a favourite interview you have done so far? Who is your dream artist to interview?
JORDAN: To answer to the first question, I'm going to answer it in two parts, I have been given the opportunity to interview some huge bands, I've been so lucky to be given the opportunity to be on call with bands and artists that have inspired me and shaped me as a person, it's quite insane to be on a call with them and it's really it's amazing to be given the opportunity to do that.
But probably the most rewarding out of them was getting to interview Amyl and the Sniffers and being on a phone call with Amy Taylor. She is someone that obviously speaks her mind and is unapologetically herself and will stand up for what she believes in. When I was younger, the first record that I ever bought was their self-titled album. When I would watch interviews with her it really shaped me as a person because I thought I could just be confident in myself and speak my mind and stand up for what I believe in. So, getting to be on a phone call with her and talk about some of the themes in ‘cartoon darkness’ was crazy and so much fun and so yeah rewarding.
I feel like the interviews that I've done are really rewarding, but it's as rewarding, if not more, to interview local bands because I'm not a musician. I'm in awe of so many local bands and artists. I just think that everyone is so talented, and I really respect and admire a lot of local musicians and the sound coming out of Brisbane is insane. So, it's really rewarding and really meaningful to me. I don't take it for granted to be able to platform these artists and to be able to bring them into the station and interview them and support them. And pick their brain about what is going on behind the music and just be able to platform them and support them on air. It's really, really meaningful to me. It's one of my favourite things about Sonic Alien and the show that I get to do.
So, one of my favourite local bands to interview was Strayfold because that interview was one of my first live to air interviews that I've ever done. The show was prerecorded before that. So, I was so terrified to have a band come into the studio and interview them live to air. Everyone on that band has so many different other musical projects and artistic projects that they do. So, I respected their answers so much. And I respect them as musicians and people so much that it was just so much fun. Everyone on that band has so many different other musical projects and artistic projects that they do.
And if I could interview any artists, I have two answers again, is it would be Kim Deal or Kathleen Hanna because I think that both of them are such strong, empowering females in music.Kim Deal, all the bands that she's been in, The Amps and The Breeders and Pixies are so amazing, she's such a musical knack and such a musical brain. When I saw The Breeders, I feel like the whole time I was sort of just staring at her longingly and in awe, I think that she is amazing. If I was to interview her, obviously I'd want to ask her about her music, but I would just also want to talk to her about like her life and how she thinks and how she sees the world.
And Kathleen Hanna, Le Tigre and Bikini Kill were female fronted punk bands that I got heavily obsessed with. Again, I've seen them before, and I was also just staring at Kathleen Hanna and I think that she has had such an interesting life and it would be a really interesting interview to be able to chat with her, so, Kathleen Hanna or Kim Deal would be my ‘what is happening?’ interviews.
AYSHA: Finally, are there projects you have coming up that you would like our readers to know about?
JORDAN: I have the Sonic Alien birthday party on the 19th of April. Shout out to Tiny Minds, 4zzz and Zac because Zac came to me with the idea to do that and I thought it was so cool. I think the reason as well I get to do stuff like that is because 4zzz is such an amazing space to platform local bands and artists. So that's happening and it's the first birthday of Sonic Alien which is also crazy! I also have quite a few interviews lined up that I'm really excited for.
AYSHA: Are they on the DL?
JORDAN: They're kind of on the DL. I would say what they are but in case they fall through I don't know if something happens. Momma is on next week. It’s just crazy, I am really excited. I'm just excited to keep doing the show and keep bringing people in and chatting and having interviews. It's so rewarding to interview local bands and for local bands to come into the station because you guys probably have never been on the radio before so coming in and chatting about your music is so much fun to be able to give people space to chat through stuff and get insight into their music and it's just so much fun.
AYSHA: Well, it's really rewarding for us too, we really appreciate it. We appreciate you, Jordan.
SONIC ALIEN
SONIC ALIEN SHOW | INSTAGRAM | LINKTREE | 4ZZZ
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