Month: January 2016

After five years Cockatoo Island’s famous pop-up bar will shut down and relocate next month (Sydney)

After five glorious summers, the team behind one of Sydney’s most endearing, long-lasting pop-up bars, and one of Lonely Planet’s “Top 50 Bars in the World for 2015”, The Island Bar will be waving goodbye to it’s iconic location on Cockatoo Island, with last drinks set for February 29th of this year. The bar’s owners…

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The Zin House – Mudgee (NSW)

A trip to Mudgee is simply not complete without The Zin House in sight. Kim Currie’s acclaimed, hatted country restaurant has been embraced by locals and visitors alike since it opened in 2014, rapidly building a glowing reputation for the kitchen’s unwavering dedication to seasonal, local produce, many of which is hand-picked from the surrounding…

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Dr Dre shares unreleased Compton track featuring T.I, Justus, and Victoria Monét

2015 smash hit Compton was a successful return outing from Dr Dre, bringing in a bevy of old, new, and future legends to craft one of the year’s best hip hop releases. We’ve already heard a few tracks from the cutting room floor, but now it seems Dre has more in his bag, debuting one…

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Who Will Win? The Iris predicts the winners of the 73rd Annual Golden Globes

It’s not long now until the 73rd Annual Golden Globes kick off, live from Los Angeles on FOX8 at 12pm (with red carpet coverage from 11am, replayed at 7.30pm) tomorrow, 11th January. Ricky Gervais is back hosting festivities, returning the duties that have been masterfully held by Tina Fey and Amy Poehler. Expect hilarity –…

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DVD Review: Southpaw (USA, 2015)

“Oh look it’s a boxing movie, cinema hasn’t seen that before,” is a cynical thought that would have gone through most minds whenSouthpaw was first announced. Having it directed by Antoine Fuqua, who brought us Training Day and The Equalizer, and written by Kurt Sutter, a man who worked extensively on Sons of Anarchy inspired…

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Mikala Dwyer’s ‘Square Cloud Compound’ Added To The MCA Collection at the Museum Of Contemporary Art

The Museum of Contemporary Art Australia (MCA) have recently introduced another impressive Australian work to the MCA Collection, acquiring Square Cloud Compound (2010) by Sydney artist Mikala Dwyer, who also has gifted the museum with Spell for a Corner, a new multi-coloured wall painting. Mysterious and experimental with an imposing form, Square Cloud Compound is an…

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Streets will bring an Ice Cream Jumping Castle to Sydney this month

Propped up at Overseas Passenger Terminal in Circular Quay, from 20th Jan to 22nd Jan, an unmistakable ice-cream inspired 14mx14m jumping castle will be giving Sydneysiders and visitors to change to bounce their way to a free treat from Streets legendary range. Titled the Streets Ice Cream Jumping Castle, the three-day pop up will be…

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Tuka, Melbourne Ska Orchestra, Jinja Safari, and more to play The Rocks’ free Australia Day festival

Sydney’s historic harbour-side precinct The Rocks is always one of the most popular locations for public Australia Day celebrations year after year, and 2016 will be no exception as organisers of the suburb’s annual festival have curated a huge music program to go along with the (hopefully) sun-charged atmosphere of eclectic market stalls and delicious…

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Kanye West releases new track “Real Friends” and previews a Kendrick Lamar collaboration

It’s looking like the rumours of Kanye West bringing back his “GOOD Fridays” series are true, meaning that the superstar rapper-producer will be putting out new material every week in the lead up to his forthcoming album SWISH, which is scheduled for a release on February 11th, 2016. This week, that new material comes in…

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The first full trailer for J.J. Abrams’ new time-travel series starring James Franco is here

Exclusive to streaming service Hulu, a time-travel thriller/drama created by Star Wars: The Force Awakens Director J.J. Adrams will be released later this year. Titled after and based on Stephen King novel 11.22.63, the eight-part series will star James Franco as a teacher who travels back in time to try and prevent the assassination of…

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Here’s our first look at James Franco in action as Tommy Wiseau in The Disaster Artist

From Tommy Wiseau’s mysterious and strangely disinterested tone to some of the most quotable (for all the wrong reasons) pieces of dialogue in cinematic history, 2003 cult (quirky black) comedy The Room has remained in the hearts and minds of fans around the world for over a decade now. It’s achieved what very few other…

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Win a copy of Straight Outta Compton on DVD

One of the 2015’s biggest cinema success stories is Straight Outta Compton, the biopic that tracks the beginnings and progress of the world’s most notorious hip-hop group N.W.A. Rife with racial tension, inner city frustration, and self-expression, the film has gone on to become a commercial and critical triumph, dominating both the box office and…

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Converse announce Chuck Taylor All Star Sex Pistols Collection

Fans of UK legends Sex Pistols can now jump all over the new Converse collection, which features colours, materials, and graphics inspired by the iconic band and their many albums. The classic Chuck Taylor All-Stars in the collection set a high standard for footwear collaborations this year, featuring some of the most instantly recognisable references…

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On the Shelf: Bombay Sapphire “Star of Bombay” London Dry Gin

After a very successful preview at recent Sydney pop-up Project Botanicals, Bombay Sapphire’s new super-premium Star of Bombay has been released to the public, showcasing a new evolution for the brand as they attempt to “redefine” high-end Gin and elevate what is already considered to be the world’s fastest growing premium Gin and number one…

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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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