Month: April 2018

Interview: Ben and James Johnston on Biffy Clyro: MTV Unplugged

Mere hours before Biffy Clyro made their triumphant return for Melbourne fans, we find ourselves in the guts of The Forum, where tech crew and band members are readying themselves for showtime. Soon enough, we’re joined by the Johnston brothers – James and Ben – raring to go off the back of a momentous gig in Auckland only a few nights prior….

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Single of the Day: Kirsten Collins “Rainbows” (2018)

You may know her for her covers on Youtube alongside popular Youtubers Kurt Hugo Schneider and Sam Tsui, but after the release of her latest single “Rainbows”, Kirsty Collins is set to become the household name. With a soulful melody and vibrant tune, “Rainbows” is a tune that’s sure to get you up and jumping about in no time. If you can’t…

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Track by Track: Jeremy Loops takes us through Critical As Water ahead of May Australian tour

Ahead of his Australian return in May, South African songwriter Jeremy Loops takes us through his latest album, Critical As Water. A striking new release from the award winning musician and performer, Critical As Water sees Loops embracing a new chapter of songwriting and the messages behind the album are just as notable. As he explains, these tracks are statements…

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Interview: Howlite’s Alison Thom on dramatic new single “Orchestra”

Currently looking ahead to Canadian Music Week, Melbourne group Howlite are excited. The release of their newest single “Orchestra” has further positioned the band as ones to watch this year and as we find out from songwriter and vocalist Alison Thom, their journey of bringing “Orchestra” to life was one anchored with emotional weight. Congratulations on “Orchestra”! Understandably,…

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ScreenPLAY cancelled by Channel Seven

7Mate video games program ScreenPLAY surprised fans yesterday afternoon with the abrupt announcement that the show had been cancelled, citing “commercial realities in TV” as the reason for its demise.

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ANZ photographers take home photography gongs at the Sony Alpha Awards

The Sony Alpha Awards, an annual competition celebrating the best in Australian and New Zealand photography, has named this year’s prize winning artists and pieces.

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New Red Dead Redemption 2 trailer dropping this Thursday night

It’s good to know that Rockstar can bring us to our knees with a two paragraph, 55-word press release. The latest trailer for Red Dead Redemption 2 arrives this Thursday but you’ll need to be up past your bedtime if you want to see it the moment it drops.

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TV Review: Ash vs Evil Dead ends its final series with a bang

Spoilers for the Ash vs Evil Dead finale to follow It was only a week ago when the news dropped that the beloved The Evil Dead (1981) followup series Ash vs Evil Dead would not be returning for a season 4 and this season 3 finale all of a sudden became the series finale. As heartbreaking as…

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Newest Venom trailer reveals the monster within

Be afraid. the newest trailer for the upcoming Sony/Marvel Cinematic Universe film Venom has graced our screens, and boy does it pack a horrific, symbiotic punch. Starring the wildly talented Tom Hardy (Mad Max: Fury Road) as investigative journalist Eddie Brock, Venom sees the infamous villain return to the big screen on his own terms, as…

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Games Review: TT Isle of Man: Ride on the Edge (PS4, 2018): Gotta go fast

I imagine almost everyone who’s ever ridden a motorcycle has heard the same worried refrain from their mum about how motorcycles claim thousands of lives on the road every year. For those who decide to put mum’s mind at rest and stick to a car, TT: Isle of Man is a great consolation prize, an…

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Shangri-La to open massive luxury hotel in Manama as part of Bahrain Marina

Several waterfront villas and a luxury hotel are being planned for Manama, the capital city of Bahrain. The property, to be managed by the iconic Hong Kong-based Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts, will form part of the immense 310,00 sqm Bahrain Marina development, which is a landmark waterfront development for the city that will include not…

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Book Review: Enter the dangerous world of the South African poaching industry with Tony Park’s Captive

Eager Australian lawyer Kerry Maxwell arrives in South Africa, ready and raring to help veterinarian Graham Baird in his fight against poachers in the country’s national parks. But Baird is not what she expects – he’s drunk, jaded, and, worst of all, he’s behind bars in Mozambique. Baird is responsible for the death of the brother…

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8Bit to give away 300 free signature burgers at Steam Mill Lane this week (Sydney)

To celebrate the first permanent Sydney store from Melbourne-born burger heroes 8Bit, the video-game inspired joint is planning to give away 300 freebies of their signature burg: the 8bit with cheese. They’ll be serving up these totally free, totally delicious burgers on Thursday 3rd May (that’s tomorrow for those playing at home) from their home…

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Cannabis the star of Sydney’s massive upcoming Hemp Health & Innovation Expo

As talks around legalising marijuana continue to progress in Australia, it’s becoming increasingly important to directly engage with the complexities of cannabis. While the densely layered stigma surrounding the misunderstood plant is still gradually peeling back, there remains much to understand and learn about what is now the latest superfood to be made legally available…

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Australian chef David Thompson to bid farewell to Bangkok’s iconic Nahm

Australian chef David Thompson has been conquering the culinary world ever since word spread about Nahm, his multi-award winning Bangkok restaurant which is regularly considered as one of the best dining spots in all of Asia. After nearly two decades with the Nahm brand, originated in London, Thompson has decided to bid farewell to the…

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Tech Review: Edifier S880DB Bookshelf Speakers: At home in the office

We’ve covered a few of Edifier’s range of bookshelf speakers on The Iris before, so taking the S880DB twin set for a spin made sense. In keeping with the company tradition of quality sound in a compact package with a price point that may make you wince on first inspection, the S880DB represents the perfect speaker…

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Book Review: Miles Franklin Winner A.S. Patric’s follow up, Atlantic Black, is a surreal novel of pre-war Europe

After his novel Black Rock, White City won the 2016 Miles Franklin Literary Award, all eyes were on A.S. Patric. His win was something of a coup for small presses in Australia, and a first Miles Franklin win for publishing house Transit Lounge. Patric had been up against four extremely powerful novels, all written by…

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Live Review: Stereophonics celebrate 20 years with a spellbinding Opera House debut, strings and all

It’s hard to believe that it’s been over twenty years since the release of the debut LP from Welsh rockers Stereophonics, Word Gets Around. With hit singles like “Local Boy in the Photograph” and “A Thousand Trees”, the album set the stage for the group to eventually become one of the UK’s biggest act; with almost all…

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Single of the Day: Fluir “Change” (2018)

Atmospheric and breathy, the opening of Fluir‘s “Change” will have you from the beginning. The lead single from the artist’s forthcoming EP, “Change” saw Fluir team up with PNAU’s Sam Littlemore on production, which may be why these sounds come across as familiar. Anchored by a great dance beat, “Change” really highlights Fluir’s vocals and of course,…

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Black Panther composer Ludwig Göransson talks working with Kendrick Lamar and the next Childish Gambino record

This week, I had the chance to catch up with Black Panther composer Ludwig Göransson while he was in his LA based studio, working on a new Childish Gambino record. We spoke about working with Childish, as well as Kendrick Lamar, who curated Black Panther: The Album and performed a number of tracks for its…

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Album Review: DMA’s – For Now (2018 LP)

I was out having a Thai dinner with friends recently, the day after I first sat down to listen to the second album of Sydney band DMA’s. As we sat down and ordered a vast variety of dishes for this midweek banquet, it dawned on me that this dinner I was about to pay $30…

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Interview: Royal Blood’s Ben Thatcher chats ZZ Top, Jools Holland and more

Back in the country for some sick headline dates as well as this year’s Groovin’ The Moo tour, Royal Blood caught up with us in Sydney just to check in and see how everything has been since the last time we sat down in this part of the globe. You may have seen Ben Thatcher chatting with us about…

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Young Henrys release new hoppy porter “Motorcycle Oil” just in time for Winter

Just in time for Winter, Newtown brewery Young Henrys have unveiled a brand new seasonal porter, Motorcycle Oil, which is available from May 1st in limited quantities, following its official public launch at Dust Hustle – one of the most popular motorcycle festivals in the country. A fitting launch location given the name of the beer, which…

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5 early Kendrick Lamar cuts worth revisiting ahead of his July tour

Okay, okay, we know we’re a bit early on the proper hype train but screw it, Kendrick Lamar is touring. And touring properly. Not just chucking a Melbourne and Sydney show alongside his headline Splendour in the Grass appearance. K.Dot has shown love to fans in Adelaide and Perth too, locking in dates in South Oz…

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MusicNT’s Sista Sounds program underway for 2018 in Central Australia

Running out in Central Australia since 2011, Sista Sounds has been providing a platform for Indigenous women and girls in remote communities to engage with music and storytelling through the medium via a range of workshops and mentoring sessions with mentors from around the country. The grassroots music program facilitated by MusicNT has seen awesome results…

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Interview: Bobby Alu talks Gold Coast Music Awards & upcoming tour plans

With the 2018 Gold Coast Music Awards coming up next month, we took some time out to catch up with Bobby Alu – one of the talented individuals you’ll be able to catch performing as part of the Gold Coast Music Awards Live Lineup on May 3rd! Having been on the road consistently with Xavier Rudd over the…

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Tech Review: Razer Nommo Chroma 2.0 Desk Speakers: The sound of cannonfire

You review enough gadgets and speakers and eventually you get a sense for The Order of Things. You can tell a lot about a device just from looking at the promo images — you get an idea of their size, the design philosophy and where their predicted strengths and weaknesses will lie. And sometimes they…

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You can now use Discord to chat to your mates across PC and Xbox

Hey, wasn’t it frustrating playing Sea of Thieves with friends cross-platform and having to put your laptop on the couch so you could use Discord to communicate? Those days are over, friends. Discord is coming to the Xbox One.

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Here’s your free PlayStation Plus titles for May

It’s that time of the month when we all crane our necks to see what we can wring out of Sony for free this month. It’s been a pretty solid run for the PlayStation Plus freebies, with titles like Bloodborne and Mad Max going gangbusters for the platform. This month Sony wants to get you…

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Games Review: God of War (PS4, 2018), Raw, Punishing, Beautiful and Heartfelt

After over five years in development, Sony’s Santa Monica Studio’s God of War is back and I think you know by now, it’s a triumphant return for one of PlayStations greatest anti-hero’s and god defying badasses, Kratos.

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