About Over/underrated: a music podcast with Fran and Babs
Do you believe the hype? Fran and Babs talk about bands and artists potentially given undue credit & musicians who should be more famous, by curating five or ten-track playlists to argue their case
S10E3 - Australia Part V: Kylie Minogue (Overrated) & The Veronicas (Underrated) - with Sophie Davies
We clearly never tire of going Down Under, so we're back discussing Aussie pop with Sophie Davies from the It's an S Pod Thing! podcast (https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/its-an-s-pod-thing-1149948) (who was previously on discussing S Club 7 and Liberty X (https://open.spotify.com/episode/1hMgBBOqzmV3rCH5hXBo59?si=jxidqXvtRmCxf_Qaip2GqA) with us).
With the new Kylie Minogue documentary out on Netflix, we thought it was a good moment to analyse an Australian icon gone global - can we get her out of our heads or do we want her to get outta our way?
Sophie chose The Veronicas as an underrated pop pick because while they are quite big in their home country - rating highly on Triple J charts and having their own reality TV show - they're definitely not as well known in other countries. We discuss whether they have a unique sound (or not) and whether, as often happens, record label shenanigans may have dented their full potential...
Listen to Sophie's podcast It's an S Pod Thing! (https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/its-an-s-pod-thing-1149948)- Babs has guested on there quite a few times! Sophie also has another podcast Smashed Prawns in a Milky Basket (https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/smashed-prawns-in-a-milky-basket/id1463455012), which celebrates the work of "comedy writer/performer/director/all-round genius Julia Davis".
You can find the playlist for this episode on Spotify (https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2dIglgEAf9PmY8gT6fTDSj?si=4QrcI3-bTtqcHLg7NH2o0A) - it includes the ten songs chosen by Sophie, plus bonus songs from other artists we've discussed during the episode.
Download, review, subscribe and get in touch - especially if you have any suggestions for future themes or musicians to discuss.
Follow us on social media: it's (https://twitter.com/OUmusicpod) @overunderratedmusicpod (https://www.instagram.com/overunderratedmusicpod/) on Instagram, and @oumusicpod.bsky.social (https://bsky.app/profile/oumusicpod.bsky.social)on Bluesky. You can also email us at overunderratedmusicpod@gmail.com (mailto:overunderratedmusicpod@gmail.com).
Thanks to Mark Abbott (https://www.instagram.com/markabbott_/) for our logo.
23 Jul 2026
S10E2 - Special Episode: What is shoegaze? Interviewing Simon Reynolds, music journalist and author
If you've ever wondered what the origins of shoegaze are - and how it is used as a classification - then this episode is for you! We're joined for an interesting discussion by someone who was there as the scene was unfolding in the UK: author and music journalist Simon Reynolds.
Simon began his career at Melody Maker in the mid-1980s and has contributed to publications such as Spin, Rolling Stone, The Guardian, Pitchfork and others. He has also written a range of music books, his latest one being Still In A Dream: Shoegaze, Slackers And The Reinvention Of Rock, 1984–1994 (https://store.whiterabbitbooks.co.uk/products/still-in-a-dream).
In this episode, we discuss how Simon sees the arguably slippery label of shoegaze, what it was like to be an "inkie" music journalist in the pre-internet age and whether the role of the music critic has changed in recent years.
We also asked Simon to provide five underrated shoegaze songs for discussion - listen to find out which one he describes as feeling "like standing in a wind tunnel and being buffeted by blossom petals" 🌸
Simon is on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/simonreynoldswriter/) and writes a range of blogs (https://www.blogger.com/profile/01282478701882900354), including the most recent Blissblog. (https://blissout.blogspot.com/)We recommend checking out his back catalogue (https://www.goodreads.com/author/list/51552.Simon_Reynolds), especially the book which now serves as a prequel to Still in a Dream, Rip it Up and Start Again: Post-punk 1978-1984 (https://www.faber.co.uk/product/9780571215706-rip-it-up-and-start-again/).
You can find the playlist for this episode on Spotify (https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2dIglgEAf9PmY8gT6fTDSj?si=4QrcI3-bTtqcHLg7NH2o0A) - it includes the five songs discussed during the recording, plus bonus songs from other artists we've discussed during the episode.
Download, review, subscribe and get in touch - especially if you have any suggestions for future themes or musicians to discuss.
Follow us on social media: it's (https://twitter.com/OUmusicpod) @overunderratedmusicpod (https://www.instagram.com/overunderratedmusicpod/) on Instagram, and @oumusicpod.bsky.social (https://bsky.app/profile/oumusicpod.bsky.social)on Bluesky. You can also email us at overunderratedmusicpod@gmail.com (mailto:overunderratedmusicpod@gmail.com).
Thanks to Mark Abbott (https://www.instagram.com/markabbott_/) for our logo.
25 Jun 2026
S10E1 - Placebo Album Showdown Special: Black Market Music vs. Sleeping With Ghosts
We're back with another Album Showdown Special™! Having previously discussed their two favourite Radiohead albums (https://open.spotify.com/episode/0UNXNqYyJwOL0oXnVzMnwP?si=VGauSob6R1iYdoaqY0AGcw) back in 2021, this time Fran & Babs are discussing their favourite records from another band that originated in the 90s, Placebo.
They've picked their five fave songs from each album (Fran - Black Market Music, Babs - Sleeping With Ghosts) and, as ever, try and convince each other they're right.
Discussions include their time capsule music videos, homophobia in music reviews and why Brian Molko is such an important figure (who went to Babs's school! And knew her violin teacher!!).
You can find the playlist for this episode on Spotify (https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2yg5JzPtRWdpTegRMtd40h?si=ZpULtMXzTYevck81Af-ASQ) - it includes all ten songs discussed on the episodes, plus bonus songs from other artists we've discussed during the episode.
Download, review, subscribe and get in touch - especially if you have any suggestions for future themes or musicians to discuss.
Follow us on social media: it's (https://twitter.com/OUmusicpod) @overunderratedmusicpod (https://www.instagram.com/overunderratedmusicpod/) on Instagram, and @oumusicpod.bsky.social (https://bsky.app/profile/oumusicpod.bsky.social)on Bluesky. You can also email us at overunderratedmusicpod@gmail.com (mailto:overunderratedmusicpod@gmail.com).
Thanks to Mark Abbott (https://www.instagram.com/markabbott_/) for our logo.
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
YouTube views
1,176
Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025
Spotify
4.6 / 5
10 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 71 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
84
Social presence
0
YouTube
68
Engagement
77
Contact Over/underrated: a music podcast with Fran and Babs
Guest appearances
Books guests
Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.
Questions about Over/underrated: a music podcast with Fran and Babs
Who hosts Over/underrated: a music podcast with Fran and Babs?
Babs and Fran host the show. Published by Barbara Mendes-Jorge and Fran James.
How often do new episodes come out?
The show publishes monthly, based on its RSS feed.
Does Over/underrated: a music podcast with Fran and Babs take guests?
Yes. Guests have been identified in episode analyses.
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