Day: 8 January 2016

Chet Faker, Courtney Barnett, and Meg Mac join Kanye West, The Strokes, and Beck on the massive line up for Governors Ball 2016

Aussie acts continue to climb row by row on American festival lineup posters, with a great example being the massive new program for this year’s Governors Ball, which takes place in June on Randall’s Island Park in New York City. Headlined by the likes of Chicago rapper-producer Kanye West, indie rock gods The Strokes and…

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Bloc Party preview fifth album “Hymns” at Sydney’s Oxford Art Factory

While wrapping up their current Australian tour Bloc Party took to one of Sydney’s most intimate live music venues, Oxford Art Factory, in an exclusive showcase for their upcoming fifth album Hymns, a project which has had much speculation surrounding it given the band’s new incarnation. Taking place last night, on Friday 8th January, the…

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David Bowie releases his 25th full-length album “★ (Blackstar)” in full

As the music icon turns 69, David Bowie has now released his hugely anticipated 25th full-length album ★ (Blackstar), allowing his fans to stream all seven tracks online via Vevo and Spotify. First previewed by the haunting 10-minute opener “Blackstar”, this new album seeks to further Bowie’s range with a fresh approach pulling in all…

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Kendrick Lamar premieres new song “Untitled 2” on Jimmy Fallon

Lyrical master Kendrick Lamar has once again premiered a new “untitled” track on one of the world’s most viewed talk show programs, appearing on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon to showcase the previously unreleased song, which doesn’t appear on his most recent project, the universally praised To Pimp a Butterfly. With the working title…

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Bloc Party, Disclosure, and Birds of Tokyo announced for special benefit show in Perth this weekend

Fresh off previewing their new album Hymns at Sydney’s Oxford Art Factory, UK band Bloc Party have announced that they will be playing a special benefit concert, organised by the team behind Southbound, this weekend in Perth in an effort to raise funds for those affected by the horrible bushfires in the South West. Annual…

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“Enthusiasm is contagious…” Wayne Coyne of The Flaming Lips (USA) talks to the AU ahead of their free Sydney Festival performance

Tomorrow night, US legends The Flaming Lips are set to unleash their incredible live performances in front of some 60,000 punters as they perform a free set for Sydney Festival’s annual “Summer Sounds in the Domain” series. Ahead of the performance, I caught up with the band’s iconic frontman Wayne Coyne just after he’d touched down…

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Single of the Day: Rosie Lowe “Woman” (2016)

2016 looks to be a huge year for British vocalist Rosie Lowe, especially if her latest tune is anything to go by. With a vocal quality evoking a sharpness and warmth akin to Yukimi Nagano and Jessie Ware, Lowe’s new single “Woman” is a great slice of R&B served up with minimal production. The arrangement…

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Meg Mac (Melbourne) on touring with D’Angelo, breaking out as a headliner in Australia & more!

She’s been dominating stages both in Australia and recently, internationally, so to be able to snag a slice of Meg Mac‘s time recently was exciting for us. Before her set at Mt. Duneed Estate for the Falls Festival, Meg sat down with us to chat about what has been such a huge year for the…

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The Best Gigs of 2015: AU Contributor’s Picks

As we look toward another top year of live shows and musical discovery, our contributors have been ruminating on the best shows of last year, the ones that have stuck out and have set a standard for the following year to come. Dan Turner (Photographer) #1 Gig of 2015: Ben Frost at the Sydney Opera…

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Southbound 2016 sees cancellation due to bushfires – refund information to follow next week

Overnight, news broke of the cancellation of the 2016 Southbound Festival in WA due to recent bushfires threatening surrounding areas. Where the Lorne leg of the Falls Festival was able to be moved elsewhere in Victoria, it was not possible to enact a similar contingency move for the Busselton festival, with the statement being released…

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The first footage from Better Call Saul season 2 is here!

Breaking Bad spin-off Better Call Saul was unsurprisingly met with massive acclaim with it premiered on AMC last year for it’s first season. Watching Jimmy McGill slowly but surely head down to path towards loveable dodgy lawyer (slash real life Lionel Hutz) Saul Goodman was fascinating to say the least, placing the show’s second season…

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The official teaser trailer for The Conjuring 2 is here to haunt you

After the lackluster Annabelle last year, fans of the 2013 supernatural-horror The Conjuring have been anxiously waiting to see what Director James Wan would do for the direct sequel, The Conjuring 2: The Enfield Poltergeist. Now, we get to a glimpse at what’s in store as the original’s stand-outs, Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga return…

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Pee-wee Herman, Jeff Nichols’ Sci-Fi drama and Tony Robbins among early SXSW Film Festival announcements

Ahead of the 23rd annual South by Southwest (SXSW) Film Conference Festival in Austin, Texas this March, a handful of films set to screen have been revealed, including four World Premieres. This includes Pee-wee’s Big Holiday, directed by John Lee and produced by Judd Apatow and Paul Reubens featuring Pee-wee Herman on a new adventure, produced…

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11 films to be excited about in the first half of 2016

Now that The Force Awakens is well and truly embedded in our cinemas, it feels like we have finally come to the end of a period of one anticipated film after another. It was a record breaking year, too, with Jurassic World, Furious 7, Minions, Star Wars VII, Inside Out and the final Hunger Games working hard…

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Film Review: The Big Short (USA, 2015)

You probably already know director Adam McKay from his extensive catalogue of cringe-comedy – Anchorman, Step Brothers, and Talladega Nights, amongst others. The Big Short is the most recent film from McKay, and one that completely redefines the joker perspective that he is often associated with. It’s hilarious, but at its core The Big Short is an intelligent tragedy about the gruelling effects of…

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Spotlight on Meriton Festival Village 2016 – Hyde Park (Sydney)

Sydney Festival is back for their huge 40th year anniversary, once again propping up their central hub in the leafy surrounds of Hyde Park, this year presenting a re-brand of sorts as what was once known as Sydney Festival Village now becomes Meriton Festival Village. Not much has changed aside from the name though, and…

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