The music of Sydney's Nikki Thorburn, otherwise known as the spirited songstress Iluka, has been floating jazzily around the frankie office of late. When she came onto our radar flaunting talent by the bucketload and a diverse catalogue of tunes ranging from swamp rock to doo-wop and plenty of other descriptively named styles, it didn't take long before we were hooked.

With inspiration drawn from French cinema to beat poetry and pop art, it's really quite fitting that the talented lady will be headlining the next after-hours session at the Australian Museum's Jurassic Lounge. We're lucky enough to have some tickets to give away, so keep scrolling down for more details and to nab some for yourself.

But first take a read of our interview with the mesmerising musician – we chatted with Iluka about Alexander the Great and being a mermaid.

Is there a story behind the name Iluka? Yes. I am a romantic. I like pretty words. I like stories. I heard a story once about Iluka. A character. A place. A feeling.

What would you be doing if you weren't making music? I would live under the sea. Probably as a mermaid. I have always wished I could be a mermaid... well, until my brother told me that mermaids get eaten very regularly by sharks. That was when I decided maybe it would be better to live on land and play music. However if I couldn't play music then perhaps I would just risk getting eaten by sharks and live under the sea..

What's the best thing about touring? The crazies you meet, the stories you hear. I get restless if I have to stay in one place too long.

Which era do you wish you were born in? The late '40s so I could have been a teen in the '60s!

Tell us about a cherished festival moment. I was playing a little festival in the UK when I was living over there. I was put on a really tiny stage right in the middle of nowhere and when I got up to start playing there was only one lady sitting there, with a cat she just kept stroking while staring at the ceiling. Anyway, strangely by the end somehow the whole festival must have decided that nothing else was on so they all came and watched and suddenly there were all these people singing and dancing! It was pretty wild!

What is your favourite lyric you've written? "The fountain of youth her springs we indulge, the fleeting fire made forever gold, the elixir of life in our palms we hold, and we can never let it go..."

What is your favourite lyric that someone else has written? "We are stardust, billion year old carbon, we are golden, caught in the devil's bargain and we've got to get ourselves back to the garden... "

Know any great factoids about Alexander the Great? Well, I've been reading a fair bit of Greek philosophy lately, and I know Alex was tutored by Aristotle. I wonder what he charged an hour?

How did you spend your recent 21st birthday? I had just moved into the warehouse I am now living in so I had people round and we spent the night drawing on the walls, playing music and drinking wine... Pretty much like most nights actually!

Any advice for young world travellers? Be up for it all. No matter how wild it is.

Where will Iluka be in five years? Somewhere in the wild world with my darling Dusty! (my guitar)

We have three double passes to give away to Jurassic Lounge's April 2nd event, featuring the lovely Iluka. Besides the music to scoot your boots to, the night will feature art workshops, DJs, pop-up bars and everything you could want to know about history's greatest conqueror, Alexander the Great, set against a backdrop of dinosaur skeletons. To enter just shoot us an email here with your name and address.