Month: August 2017

Wavves in, SAFIA out as Yours & Owls drop their latest nugget of festival news

WAVVES will be back in the country, returning to Australia for the Yours & Owls Festival in September – a festival which, quite frankly, has continued to strengthen in line up and reputation. 2017’s festival line up already is to be headlined by At The Drive-In and The Presets, while reading further down the bill, the names only continue…

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Single of the Day: Bully “Feel the Same” (2017)

Bully have made a solid impact with their new single, “Feel the Same” – we know we’re more hyped now for their new album, Losing (due out October 20th). The song highlights that raspy snarl of vocalist Alicia Bognano while leaning heavy on the riffs in some fiery rock fashion. The edgy production of “Feel the Same”…

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Thundamentals and A Blanck Canvas next in line for ROAM’s unique ‘Underthink It’ series

This September, Thundamentals are going to be displaying the latest in their line of artistic link ups, this time with puppetry/performance art group A Blanck Canvas! Coming to Sydney, the collaboration falls into line with the previous events hosted by ROAM – bringing musicians and visual artists together. Allday and Toby & Pete kicked the ‘Underthink It’ series off, while Tkay Maidza and Ego took the…

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Live Review: The Courtneys bring effortless show to The Curtin in Melbourne

Probably the best thing about this evening (excluding the outrageously talented The Courtneys) was the gender balance. It didn’t feel strained, it was just balanced. Let’s keep this up, support line ups like this. Bitch Diesel opened the evening, the four-piece punk outfit a whirlwind of on-stage confidence and sass. From a sequinned dress to…

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APRA AMCOS brings NGAIIRE, Briggs, Katy Steele & Sally Seltmann together for Sydney Fringe series of talks

As part of this year’s Sydney Fringe Festival, punters will be able to sit in on some exclusive sessions run by APRA AMCOS; four one on one conversations with Australian songwriters with discussions surrounding professional and creative development. Sitting down with moderator Chit Chat, Briggs, Katy Steele, NGAIIRE and Sally Seltmann (all recipients of the APRA Professional Development Award) will…

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Video Games Review: Ken Follett’s The Pillars of the Earth (PC, 2017) is glacially paced but will reward those who can tough it out

Written by author Ken Follett in his 1989 novel, The Pillars of the Earth is a wildly popular story about the building of a cathedral in a small town in 12th century England. It is a long and sweeping story, and one of the most popular literary works of the last two decades. It also makes…

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Theatre Review: KHON: Exquisite Masked Dance Drama of Thailand is artwork come to life

Khon is a genre of dance drama from Thailand that combines several forms – dance, music, painting and crafts. Traditionally performed exclusively at the court and for royal functions, the masked dance is created for the Devine King with scenes from the Ramakien. On this night at the Sydney Opera House, KHON: Exquisite Masked Dance…

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POPSART: Sunpac Theatre and OperaQ are taking it to the people!

I attended the opening night of OperaQ’s regional tour of Night with Opera Queensland from Sunpac Theatre Sunnybank on Friday night and was totally enthralled by the passion, talent, power and beauty of the work. Presenting Opera in this non-conventional form like a cabaret, a chocolate box of hits from Madame Butterfly, Rigoletto and Don…

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Ex-Merivale chef leads the charge at Liverpool’s new Macquarie Bistro (Sydney)

Helping refresh and refocus a big player in Liverpool’s dining scene, chef Leigh Mcdivitt (ex-Merivale) has teamed up with Clayton Ries to head the big renewal of the Macquarie Hotel’s bistro. The team have moved on from Collin Fassnidge’s Banksia Bistro to transform the new project into a star dining destination for the greater Western…

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How to cook the perfect steak with two-time winner of best steak in the world, Dany Karam of Black Bar & Grill

Across Australia this weekend, thousands of barbecues will be lit up on Father’s Day to show appreciation for the paternal figures in our lives. To help you look like a pro and impress at the dining table this weekend, learn the best secrets and tips from two-time winner of best steak in the world chef…

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The Bronx line up exclusive headline Melbourne show this October

The Bronx have long held a great bond with their fans in Australia but in Melbourne, fans are set to get a double dose of LA fury when the band comes to the Corner Hotel for a one-off headline show in October. Already set to be out in Australia with Pennywise, The Bronx is giving fans…

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Single of the Day: Horror My Friend “Admit None” (2017)

As we head closer to BIGSOUND mania, we’re sharing another track from a band we’re going to be rallying round next week – one of our favourite Adelaide groups, Horror My Friend. We’ve been championing these guys for years now, but certainly in the last two, the trio have leapt forth onto the national scene with a…

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Interview: Citizen Kay faces up to and accepts his vulnerabilities on Belly of the Beast

Last week, Citizen Kay released his new album in Belly of the Beast. The first studio album since 2015’s With the People, this has been a record that not even the Canberran was fully aware of during its conception. Created out of a mining of emotions that came spilling out during writing and recording sessions held largely out…

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Exclusive Music Video Premiere: Lost Tropics “Charlie’s Van” (2017)

When it comes to local Sydney bands fast making a reputation for themselves as a formidable live band on an as-of-late struggling music scene, Lost Tropics are ones to watch. Out of The Shire, the indie pop group have brought influences ranging from The Strokes to fellow Sydneysiders Sticky Fingers together in producing a sound that…

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Here’s everything Nintendo announced in their latest showcase broadcast

Nintendo took to their Twitch channel overnight with a new showcase broadcast, focusing on the raft of indie content coming to the Nintendo Switch in the next 12 months. We’ve collated all the announcements and trailers for your viewing pleasure after the jump.

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Film Review: God’s Own Country (UK, 2017) is a moody and haunting emotional journey

As easy as it is to liken God’s Own Country to the similarly themed Brokeback Mountain, doing so is only ultimately stripping Francis Lee‘s film of its own identity.  A moody and haunting emotional journey for its protagonists, God’s Own Country is a slow burning, though rewarding drama propelled by a duo of strong performances…

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Tech Review: Edifier R1010BT Bookshelf Speakers won’t break the bank, won’t blow your mind either

We’ve come to expect a certain standard from Edifier’s many different speakers. When we took at a look at the older R2000DB speakers  about this time last year, we found them to be an extremely solid option in the 2.1 home speaker category. The R1010BT, a much cheaper alternative by comparison, feels like the jaded…

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Win a copy of the French crime series The Frozen Dead on DVD

A horrific discovery in a small town nestled high in the French Pyrenees begins to unravel a dark mystery that has been hidden for years. On an unforgiving winter morning, a group of workers discover the headless body of a horse, hanging suspended from the edge of a frozen cliff. Commandant Martin Servaz starts investigating…

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Film Review: Small Town Killers (Denmark, 2017) never completely commits to its nasty premise

Like fellow Danish filmmakers Lars von Trier and Nicholas Winding Refn, Ole Bornedal made the leap from his homeland to Hollywood, though he opted for more an entertaining stance on his career as opposed to the heavy artistry his peers practiced; Bornedal was behind the rather unspectacular 2012 haunted house pic The Possession, whilst von…

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Film Review: Girls Trip (USA, 2017) is a hilarious time thanks to an energetically raunchy script

Director Malcolm D. Lee is a filmmaker whose work has been quite the mixed bag. While he has strong pieces of work like the action/comedy cult hit Undercover Brother, The Best Man films and the criminally underseen coming-of-age Roll Bounce, he also has terrible pieces of work (which is one way to put it) like Welcome…

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Australian Box Office Report: American Made tops list, beats Annabelle to no. 1 position

After an impressive two weeks in the top spot, horror film Annabelle: Creation was ousted from its prime position by the new Tom Cruise action/comedy American Made.  The filmed debuted in cinemas by earning $2.13m in its opening weekend, while Annabelle: Creation pulled in a not-too-shabby $911k.  Our reviewer called this week’s no. 1 film a “a welcome return to…

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Interview: Inua Ellams talks about his play An Evening With An Immigrant, poetry and the power of art

Inua Ellams, is a Nigerian-born, award-winning poet, playwright, performer and the founder of The Midnight Run. He has published four books of poetry, including his most recent publication #Afterhours. His plays have toured internationally, and have been performed at England’s The National Theatre, the Edinburgh International Theatre Festival, and at the Perth International Arts Festival earlier this…

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Review: The Bodyguard is commanded by Paulini’s incredible vocal range (Melbourne’s Regent Theatre until October 31st)

As far as cheesy and ridiculously melodramatic stage productions go, The Bodyguard Musical takes the cake. Were the over dramatic scenes intended to be funny? I’m not sure. Was the acting subpar? Absolutely. But did the powerful ballads make up for this? The Goosebumps I felt when Paulini Curuenavuli, ripped into ‘I Have Nothing,’ strongly…

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We head along to the Australian Poetry Slam Finals at the Queensland Poetry Festival

Last Sunday closed the week out for the Queensland chapter of Australian Poetry Slam, as part of the 21st Queensland Poetry Festival, but for some it was just the beginning. 20 Finalists. 5 judges whimsically selected from a libated crowd. 1 Bucket (it was quite literally a bucket) and 1 Winner to go onto the…

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Album Review: Yeo – Desire Path (2017 LP)

In the months following the release of Yeo‘s Ganbaru record last year, I felt the Melbourne producer remained criminally slept on; what we had been given was a nigh on flawless collection of songs that put his talent as alt-pop producer and purveyor well on display, as well as giving us an insight into one of the…

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Here’s what went down when Foo Fighters’ Dave Grohl & Taylor Hawkins surprised Sydney fans with a $20 gig

Australia awoke this morning to surprise news that half of the Foo Fighters had come to Sydney to promote their anticipated new album Concrete and Gold (out September 15th), fresh off wowing crowds in Singapore over the weekend. And though the full band couldn’t make it, Dave Grohl and Taylor Hawkins made sure they made the…

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MURA MASA, Flume, Stormzy and more to stomp Field Day 2018

The Field Day lineup is here and continues to fuse some of the best in electronic, hip hop and house, with the likes of Vince Staples, D.R.A.M and A-Trak joining Stormzy, Flume, MURA MASA and more for one epic New Year’s Day celebration at Sydney’s Domain. There’s not much else to say at this point but prime your credit cards for when tickets…

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Interview: Gordi talks Reservoir & embracing the international tour life

I remember the first time I saw Holly Throsby perform, some moons ago now, I was struck by how emotional she was able to make the intimate crowd feel in no time at all. Sometimes when you’re armed with a powerful voice that is unafraid of embracing vulnerability and strong songwriting, that’s all you need…

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Single of the Day: Braille Face “Run For Your Life” (2017)

Braille Face‘s new single “Run For Your Life” is one helluva way to reintroduce yourself to this still-enigmatic producer and vocalist. 2016 saw the Melbourne artist release his debut album in Kōya, sending him right into the arms of many tastemakers and into the playlists of new fans too; in “Run For Your Life”, we see Braille…

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Sex on Toast, Caiti Baker & more added to the Queenscliff Music Festival

The Queenscliff Music Festival has continued to expand with the reveal of its fourth announcement this week. That’s right, their fourth. Incorporating comedy in with live music seems to be a path many festivals are traipsing these days, but the folk behind QMF have put their thinking caps on in bringing their punters some eclectic as…

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