Independent podcast Lamestream celebrates first birthday with nationwide tour

Independent podcast Lamestream will celebrate its first birthday with a national live tour across June and July 2026, with additional shows in Sydney and Melbourne announced after the original dates sold out within 24 hours.

Hosted by award-winning journalists Osman Faruqi and Scott Mitchell, Lamestream offers a fresh alternative to mainstream Australian media and is hosted exclusively by Acast.

Presented in partnership with CLBR, Lamestream Live: The First Birthday Tour will feature Faruqi and Mitchell delivering a mid-year temperature check on media, politics and current affairs, alongside new podcast segments, special guests and audience Q&As.

Guests include Grace Tame, activist and former Australian of the Year (Sydney), Hannah Thomas, lawyer and survivor of police brutality (Melbourne), Amy Remeikis, journalist and author (Canberra) and Sophie McNeill, former ABC Middle East Correspondent and member of WA Parliament (Perth).

Since launching in April 2025, Lamestream has surpassed half a million downloads and now reaches more than one million people each month across social media.

The podcast has averaged 20% month-on-month growth in downloads and listeners so far in 2026, underscoring growing demand for independent news, politics, and cultural commentary.

The growth reflects a broader shift in media consumption, with audiences increasingly turning to independent journalists and creators over traditional news institutions. According to Acast’s Podcast Pulse 2025 report, podcast hosts are now considered just as trustworthy as journalists by audiences (33% respectively).

“When we left our jobs and launched an independent podcast last year, we weren’t sure who would listen or whether it would actually be a viable business,” said Faruqi and Mitchell.

“It’s been incredible to watch the show grow, build such a dedicated audience, and turn our idea into a sustainable new media business.

“We’re really excited to celebrate turning one with our listeners around the country and share some plans for what’s coming next.”

Following sold-out debut live shows in Sydney and Melbourne last year, Lamestream will embark on its first national tour, visiting Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Canberra, Adelaide and Perth.

Tickets are priced at $49.90 and are on sale now via the Lamestream website.

Tour dates

• Tuesday, June 16 – The Night Cat, Melbourne (new show added)
• Wednesday, June 17 – The Night Cat, Melbourne (sold out)
• Tuesday, June 23 – The Vanguard, Sydney (new show added)
• Wednesday, June 24 – The Vanguard, Sydney (sold out)
• Thursday, June 25 – La La Land, Brisbane
• Saturday, June 27 – Canberra Theatre, Canberra
• Wednesday, July 1 – Rhino Room, Adelaide
• Thursday, July 2 – Goodwill Club, Perth

About the hosts

Osman Faruqi is an Australian Podcast Award and Kennedy Award-winning journalist and editor. He has worked as Editor and Executive Producer of 7am, Head of Audio at Schwartz Media and most recently Culture Editor at The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age. He has worked as a journalist and editor at the ABC and previously hosted acclaimed podcasts The Culture and The Drop.

Scott Mitchell is an Australian Podcast Award-winning journalist and editor. He most recently worked as Editor and Executive Producer of 7am. Prior to that, he was Digital Lead for Audio Current Affairs at ABC News, founding producer of the Rose d’Or-winning You Can’t Ask That and a cast member of Hungry Beast.