Month: November 2013

the AU interview: Sam Wilkinson of Day Ravies (Sydney) talks The Farmer and the Owl and New Album "Tussle"!

Sam Wilkinson from Ray Davies gives the AU an insight into recent times with the band, as they tour their debut album Tussle around the place, including an appearance at The Farmer and The Owl in Wollongong this weekend! You’ve played a few shows to celebrate your new record “Tussle” already – how have they…

Read More

the AU interview: Warning Birds (Perth) talk about their new single “Horrors”

Ahead of a string of East Coast dates Warning Birds’ Sam Carmody took some time out from touring to have a chat about the band’s forthcoming EP The Wars, the story behind their new single “Horrors” and a few early tour highlights. What was the inspiration behind your upcoming single “Horrors”? In a way “Horrors”…

Read More

the AU interview: Trent Grenell from Seabellies (Newcastle)

Larry sits down with Trent Grenell from Newcastle group Seabellies in Newcastle to talk about his time in Africa, the heartache that led to writing the new album Fever Belle, producing it with Simon Berkfinger in Berlin and much more. The band are on tour around Australia in celebration of the album through November and…

Read More

the AU interview: Mandy Patinkin and Nathan Gunn (USA)

Larry sits down with two incredible voices: Broadway legend and tenor Mandy Patinkin and the iconic baritone of Nathan Gunn. We talk about discovering art music, how they put together their show, what it means to them to be performing in Australia (a return for Mandy, a debut for Gunn) – in particular at the…

Read More

New Music Video: The Jezabels "The End" (2013)

Released last month, we’ve already heard the wonderful sounds of The Jezabels‘ new single “The End”, and now we have a music video to go along with it, directed by Ivana Bobic. The track is our first taste of their new album The Brink, which is due out in Australia and New Zealand on January…

Read More

the AU interview: The Walking Who (Wollongong/Sydney) talk The Farmer and the Owl Festival.

We’ve been digging on The Walking Who lately and this weekend, we’re going to be catching them down at The Farmer and The Owl festival in Wollongong! They answer some questions before the shenanigans are set to go off! Who are you and where are you from? We’re The Walking Who; we’re from Sydney, but…

Read More

The Iris News Weekly: 21st November 2013.

Change is coming to Foxtel music Kicking off summer will be a new offering to the TV market as well as two refreshed MTV music channels. Get ready for SMOOTH, a television extension of the hugely popular smoothfm radio brand, launching Tuesday December 3, 2013 as the ultimate music destination to relax and escape. SMOOTH…

Read More

BIFF Film Review: Foxfire (France/Canada, 2012)

Foxfire screened at Biff Wednesday night at Palace Cinemas. The film runs dangerously close to three hours but thankfully you won’t notice it until you step out of the theatre bleary-eyed onto the busy, buzzing barracks shopping complex. This isn’t the first time Foxfire has entered the minds of girls, women and people everywhere. The…

Read More

Live Review: Dan Sultan – The Ellington Jazz Club, Perth (17.11.13)

Last week Dan Sultan brought his ‘Back to Basics’ solo tour to a close with an intimate sold out gig at Perth’s Ellington Jazz Club. With his band at home back in Melbourne and with no support, Sultan took to the stage alone, with only a guitar and a piano for company. What followed over…

Read More

the AU interview: Omara ‘Bombino’ Moctar (Niger) talks Sydney Festival and Falls Festival!

Ahead of performances for Falls Festival and Sydney Festival, we catch up with Omara ‘Bombino‘ Moctar to talk about his upcoming tour, making music, highlights of 2013, the new record Nomad and more! How did you first start getting into music? Who were your inspirations? When I was a child I would hear traditional Tuareg…

Read More

Photo Gallery: Hits & Pits 2.0 – The Hi-Fi Sydney (17.11.13)

Hits & Pits 2.0 featuring Black Flag, Boysetsfire, Bad Astronaut, Snuff, No Fun At All, Good For You and Off With Their Heads played the Hi-Fi on Sunday. Gwendolyn Lee was there and brings us these photos from the pit.

Read More

Tour Diaries: Lowlakes in Europe with Half Moon Run: Part Three

We’ve just returned home to Melbourne after finishing of our Euro tour with Canadians Half Moon Run. The trip covered Germany, the Netherlands, and Switzerland with all shows, bar one, selling out! After 33 hours in transit we’re pretty exhausted but will expend our remaining energy on one final diary entry. Our final show, and…

Read More

the AU interview: The Nuclear Family (Wollongong/Sydney) talk The Farmer and the Owl Festival.

As part of our series in the leadup to the Wollongong boutique festival The Farmer and the Owl this weekend, we catch up with Wollongong/Sydney outfit The Nuclear Family to find out a little more about them, and get a taste of what we can expect from them at the Saturday event! Who are you…

Read More

BIFF Film Review – The Railway Man (UK/Australia, 2013)

It’s refreshing to see a war film that doesn’t concentrate on the ‘fighting’ aspect of war. Instead, The Railway Man, which opened the Brisbane International Film Festival, focuses on the effects of war such as post-traumatic stress disorder and its devastating nature for decades to come. Based on the autobiography by Eric Lomax, the film…

Read More

BIFF Film Review – OXV: The Manual (Australia/UK, 2013)

OXV: The Manual is unlike any other film you’ve seen, it’s even coined a new genre: the ‘scientific-philosophical romance’. It breaks free from genre conventions to deliver a unique story that presents a new look on fate, determinism and freewill. The film may take a few viewings to fully grasp the rules of writer/director Darren…

Read More

Australian Box Office Results: Bad Grandpa tops week ending November 20th.

After Marvel’s Thor dominated the Australian box office for two weeks – last weekend bringing in close to $6 million – this weekend Australians looked towards the comedic world of Jackass, helping land the reasonably well received comedy Bad Grandpa to the number one spot with $3.4 million. Thor continued to perform well, however, coming…

Read More

Bluesfest Byron Bay Discovery: Part One!

the AU review is proud to present the 25th annual Bluesfest in Byron Bay next Easter weekend. One aspect of the festival we love every year is the discovery of young and emerging artists – alongside, of course, the more established on the lineup, and the countless “legends” along the way. As we look towards…

Read More

the AU interview: Cookie & Gumby of Benjalu (Newcastle)

Celebrating the release of their new EP Boondoggle we caught up with Newcastle outfit Benjalu – one of the hardest working bands in Australia – to talk about touring, the new EP, the upcoming debut album, their upcoming shows in December and much, much more… So you have been keeping busy this year with two…

Read More

the AU interview: Dave Rennick from Dappled Cities (Sydney) talking The Farmer and the Owl Festival

Fresh back in town from Berlin, Larry Heath caught up with Dave Rennick from acclaimed Sydney outfit Dappled Cities, to talk about their upcoming appearance as part of The Farmer and the Owl festival in Wollongong, the potential for some new music, working with Berkfinger and much more… So now that you’re back [from Berlin],…

Read More

Film Review: The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (M) (USA, 2013)

And we’re back. It’s the sort of feeling you get the minute The Hunger Games: Catching Fire hits the screen, throwing you right back into Suzanne Collins’ hypnotising dystopic world of Panem, this time in a film helmed by Francis Lawrence (no relation to the film’s star). The sequel to the international hit film The…

Read More

Film Review: Filth (R18+) (UK, 2013)

From the man that brought you Trainspotting we have another gritty, intense depiction of debauchery, excessive drug and alcohol intake and the deterioration of the mind courtesy of the abuse of those substances. Climb aboard the rollercoaster and see if you can deduce what’s really going on in this mind-melding trip. Bruce Robertson ( James…

Read More

Live Review: Patrick James + Warning Birds – The Ellington Jazz Club, Perth (14.11.13)

Thursday night saw Sydney troubadour Patrick James kick off the first of two intimate shows in WA in support of new single “Wait”, with a packed performance at The Ellington Jazz Club. None too shabby for an artist who hadn’t played a headline show in the state before. The evening’s support came in the form…

Read More

Exclusive Video Feature: Nick and Paul from Franz Ferdinand quizzed on some Australian fun facts.

the AU review challenges Nick and Paul from Franz Ferdinand to a quiz on some “fun facts” about Australia.

Read More

Tour Diaries: goodbyemotel – Part Three!

Our good friends in Melbourne’s goodbyemotel are continuing their tour around America. Enjoy part three of their adventures around the country in this very special tour diary feature video!

Read More

Photo Gallery: Electric Run – Sydney Olympic Park (16.11.13)

A record 26,000 runners braved the rain to run in the five kilometre night time fun run event, making it the biggest stand alone 5km event in Australian history. Brought to us by Wilkie Productions, enjoy these photos from the run and the big dance party that followed, featuring DJ Dingo and Alison Wonderland! The…

Read More

the AU interview: Andrew Knox of Made in Japan (Sydney)

We catch up with Andrew Knox from Sydney band – and good friends of the AU – Made in Japan to talk about their UK adventures earlier this year, their new music, their upcoming shows in Sydney and Melbourne and much more! …you recently took on the streets of London – How did you find…

Read More

TV Review: New Girl – Season 3 Episode 8 “Menus” (USA, 2013)

We’ve really got to give kudos to New Girl for still coming up with the quirkiest plot ideas without getting too off-track or repetitive. This was a really solid episode, ticking all the boxes for amusement, development, and character airtime – Coach and Cece included. That being said, in the aftermath of last week’s episode,…

Read More

BIFF Film Review: The Act of Killing (Denmark, Norway, UK, 2012)

Viewers going in to see this documentary were warned that it was going to be grizzly. But none were prepared for the disturbing images this film produced. Most of which were re-enactments and fantasies, but they were all horrific and true. The Act of Killing focuses on a group of retired gangsters in Indonesia. In…

Read More

BIFF Film Review: Six Degrees of Separation (USA, 1993)

One of the great things about Brisbane International Film Festival is not only the celebration of new films and innovations but also the celebration of old ones. Six Degrees of Separation is almost incidentally nostalgic of New York, the 90s and the fantasy of socialites. Though there’s been enough time to get informed, it’s obvious…

Read More

Hello Asia! Japanese Film Festival 2013 Review: The Complex (クロユリ団地) (Japan, 2013)

The Complex is the latest horror offering from Director Hideo Nakata, who’s credited with directing the original versions of the Ring 1 & 2. To complement the release, a 12 episode drama titled Kuroyuri Danchi was aired prior, which follows events leading up to those that take place in the film. Although the film debuted…

Read More