Month: September 2016

SAFIA chat Internal and their huge Australian tour!

While in Sydney recently, Larry caught up with Ben and Harry ahead of SAFIA‘s debut album release of Internal. Chatting about the album and it’s creation, particularly the material that had been road tested live already, the boys open up about some of the challenges they were met with. “There’s one song that we’ve been playing for a long time, which…

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From Brisbane with Love: Larry Heath’s musical highlights from the best BIGSOUND ever

The few days we spend at BIGSOUND in Brisbane is best described as an annual escapade into a fine slice of the best in Australian music – a sample of what’s been round the traps recently, what’s returned after some time away and what’s coming next. Across the three nights of live music – two official…

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The Top 10 On Ground at BIGSOUND 2016!

Now that the BIGSOUND dust has settled and the industry has returned to some sense of normal; our on-ground team have been going back through notes jotted down on phones, ‘Definitely check out…’ style messages sent back and forth, in determining the selection of bands who stood out as strong winners across the board. With many of these…

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Bruce Foxton of From The Jam on their Australian tour, new album & working with Paul Weller again

The Jam was a band of immense talent which did something most others never manage: splitting at the height of its power and fame and leaving fans wanting more. Quintessentially English, yet able to find audiences far beyond its native shores, the band’s singles list reads like a best-of of English rock from the last…

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HBO, FX and Netflix among the big winners at the 2016 Creative Arts Emmys

The winners for the 68th annual Creative Arts Emmys have been announced. The first ever two night awards show, which was held on the 10 – 11th of September, recognises achievements in cinematography, make-up, costume design, casting, and sound. HBO lead the way on day one, with popular fantasy series Game of Thrones picking up…

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Dragon Quest VII: Fragments of the Forgotten Past hits the Nintendo 3DS this weekend

Dragon Quest VII: Fragments of the Forgotten Past is set to make its debut in Australia and New Zealand on the Nintendo 3DS handheld console on September 17th. The newest game in Square Enix’s long-running Dragon Quest RPG series has been completely rebuilt and re-imagined for the Nintendo 3DS. Fragments of the Forgotten Past is…

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Square Enix’s mobile RPG Guardian Codex opens pre-registration

Square Enix have announced that pre-registration for their RPG mobile title Guardian Codex is now open. The multiplayer game is free-to-play on iOS and Android devices, and certainly looks promising. Created by the team behind the battle card games Guardian Cross and Deadman’s Cross, the game is said to feature a deep story mode, with…

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The Simpsons cartoonist Matt Groening to make Australian Debut at Sydney Graphic Festival in November

Cartoon legend Matt Groening, creator of The Simpsons and Futurama, is coming to Australia for the first time to present at the sixth GRAPHIC festival weekend at Sydney Opera House. Matt Groening will be headlining the event, which will also see talks from Lynda Barry (Ernie Pook’s Comeek, One! Hundred! Demons!) Groening’s debut Australia trip will…

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Deus Ex: Mankind Divided to join the growing Playstation 4 Pro lineup

Square Enix and Eidos-Montréal have announced that the cyberpunk RPG Deus Ex: Mankind Divided will be joining the Playstation 4 Pro lineup. The PS4 Pro boasts a higher processor and more powerful CPU then the standard model, allowing developers to enhance game graphics to create a more detailed and immersive experience. The game will be available to…

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Dates and locations revealed for Australia’s 15th Annual German Film Festival

Guten Tag! The 15th German Film Festival will be returning to Australia this November, featuring  the most celebrated new and old German films. The opening and closing films will be some of the highlights of the festival, including Goodbye Berlin, the latest film by acclaimed director Fatih Akin (Soul Kitchen), and the recently restored silent film classic Variete (1925)….

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First look sees Natalie Portman shine as Jackie Kennedy in upcoming biopic

After premiering at this year’s Venice Film Festival, the first look at Jackie, starring Academy Award winner Natalie Portman as the widowed first lady is mesmerizing. Directed by Chilean filmmaker Pablo Larraín (Nasty Baby), the biopic follows both the public and private struggles Kennedy faces in the immediate aftermath of John F. Kennedy’s assassination. The film…

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Lavazza Italian Film Festival Review: One Kiss (Italy, 2016) is one to watch

Italy’s answer to The Perks of Being a Wallflower, One Kiss (Un Bacio, directed by Ivan Cotroneo) centres on gay and proud Lorenzo (Rimau Grillo Ritzberger), Blu (Valentina Romani), who is shadowed by a traumatic past, and bullied basketball player Antonio (Leonardo Pazzagli). Their shared outsider status at school draws them together. But their friendship…

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SUFF Review: I Am Not A Serial Killer (Ireland, 2016) leaves an impression

I Am Not A Serial Killer is very much a tale of two sociopaths. On one hand you’ve got the young John Wayne Cleaver (Max Records)  and on the other you’ve got the looming murderer (Christopher Lloyd) on the loose in the small midwestern purgatory of Clayton. It’s as much a coming of age story…

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Queer Screen Film Fest Review: The First Girl I Loved (USA, 2016)

The First Girl I Loved – set to screen as part of the Queer Screen Film Fest in Sydney – follow seventeen year old Anna (Dylan Gelula from Netflix’s Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt), a young, smart yet quiet photographic student.  Anna notices Sasha, played by Brianna Hildebrand (Deadpool), playing sport and instantly Anna, who until now…

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Video Games Review: INSIDE (PS4, 2016)

Developer Playdead arrived on the scene in a big way with their moody puzzle-platformer LIMBO only a few years ago. They’re back now with INSIDE, a game that embraces the lessons learned from LIMBO and takes them a step further. INSIDE is so good that I don’t want to spoil it one bit for anyone who hasn’t had…

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Emily Taheny talks about the new comedy series Little Acorns, reflects on Mad as Hell

After talking with Genevieve Morris, we caught up with to Emily Taheny about her new show Little Acorns, which is now screening on demand. We discuss the fun of filming with kids on the show, male nannies, as well as her time on Comedy Inc. and Mad as Hell. Let’s go! Little Acorns releases on…

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Full timetable and lineup released for The Aussie BBQ in Singapore

Earlier this month, we reported on where and when you could catch the Aussies in Singapore during the annual Music Matters festival. Now today we’re bringing you the full lineup and timetable for The Aussie BBQ, which will take place at Millian, tomorrow night (Tuesday 13th September) from 8pm. This is the sixth consecutive year…

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Marian Blythe on improvised storytelling, creativity and her Melbourne Fringe show Lose The Plot

Marian Blythe loves some good ‘ol creativity. She podcasts it up regularly with Lucas Testo for her show, Devotee, a delectable insight into what inspires creative people. She also has written words for The Big Issue and RRR’s own Trip Magazine, as well as hosting the odd show on RRR where her creative witticism shines. But all that imagination that’s been…

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Sydney Theatre Company announces programme for 2017 season

With fifteen shows spread across four venues, Sydney Theatre Company’s 2017 season aims to “challenge, stir, and entertain” audiences, with a diverse and exciting lineup, including a musical version of Aussie classic Muriel’s Wedding. Speaking of the program, STC’s Interim Artistic Director Kip Williams said: “We are excited to present a diverse season in 2017,…

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The Age Good Food Guide Awards announces 2017 winners and hatted restaurants (Melbourne)

Following the recent wrap-up of winners and new hatted restaurants from the Sydney ceremony, Melbourne’s 37th The Age Good Food Guide Awards has tonight announced the 2017 results as well as the complete list of restaurants that have gained or maintained a chef’s hat. With 14 now being the lowest a restaurant can score before…

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Review: Kittyhawk – CBD (Sydney)

It wasn’t hard to guess that the team behind Lobo Plantation would give Sydney one of it’s very best openings of 2016 – and that’s saying a lot, it’s been a huge year for food and drink around town – but what is surprising is the loose theme surrounding this new venture, Kittyhawk. The bar…

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Win $90 worth of BurgerFuel vouchers because you’re worth it CLOSED

NZ-based burger chain BurgerFuel have always kept it consistent when it comes quality quick-service burgers. Somehow the brand has always managed to escape the chain-shaming that burger fiends around Australia regularly partake in, and that’s largely due to these burgers actually being really f’n good (scoff down a American Muscle burger with some spud fries…

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Festival Review: BIGSOUND 2016 (07.09.16 & 08.09.16)

For one magical week of the year, Fortitude Valley transforms to a musical haven; a subtropical playground bathed in the auditory ambrosia that is BIGSOUND. Christmas for the music industry has just passed, and what a week BIGSOUND 2016 has been. Dissection, examination and support of the Australian music community sustained the BIGSOUND conference during the…

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Editor’s Wrap: Sose delivers her thoughts on BIGSOUND 2016

Oh, BIGSOUND. You’ve done it again. Returning to Brisbane for my second time at the conference/music festival in 2016, I approached the trip with a list of my own personal non-negotiable, must-see artists, some recommendations from friends and a steely determination to not burn out too hard on the first night. That steely determination lasted until…

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Mitch Ansell of Northeast Party House (Melbourne) on new album Dare & touring through Australia and abroad!

A raucous six piece from Melbourne, Northeast Party House have been making indie party rock for just over six years. Their first LP, Any Given Weekend, received critical acclaim, and has seen the band touring across Australia and the globe, with a second LP Dare on the way. We caught up with guitarist Mitch Ansell to…

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The Black Sorrows embarking on epic tour in support of new album, The Faithful Satellite!

The Black Sorrows will release new album The Faithful Satellite on September 16th, their 20th release to date. On the back of that they will also head out on tour, playing a massive 50 dates between September and December. As if we needed more reasons to call Joe Camilleri the hardest working man in Australian…

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Cass McCombs touring new album Mangy Love this December!

Believe it or not, Cass McCombs just outdid himself with his latest album, Mangy Love. Cass McCombs might have eight albums under his belt already, but Mangy Love fits into the shoegaze vibe with a little bit of New York paranoia punk and Philly soul that sets itself from its counterparts. Cass McCombs will be…

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Brisbane Festival Review: Snow White, La Boite Roundhouse Theatre (performances until September 24th)

Forming part of Brisbane Festival’s Festival Focus: Snow White, and taking over the Roundhouse Theatre at Kelvin Grove’s Theatre Republic, this rendition of the Brothers Grimm classic fairytale was never going to be your standard Disney fare. Leave the kids at home, people! Featuring Snow White (Stephanie Pickett), the Queen (incredible mezzo Silvia Colloca), the Mirror (Kanen…

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Merivale’s Uccello announces some big changes led by ex-Rockpool chef (Sydney)

Merivale’s rooftop Italian restaurant Uccello has gone through some big changes now that new Head Chef Ben Sitton has taken the lead at the pool-side kitchen. The result is a brand new menu, sticking with the Mediterranean elegance that has come to define to popular dining destination, Sitton expanding the kitchen’s inspiration to include various…

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Guillaume Brahimi’s long-awaited bistro and patisserie opens in Sydney CBD

Following his much anticipated takeover of the dining room at The Four in Hand, Guillaume Brahimi has now unveiled his latest Sydney venture, an all-day dining experience titled Bistro Guillaume which includes the acclaimed French-born chef’s very first patisserie. The glamorous 130-seat restaurant joins Guillaume’s Melbourne and Perth bistros on his impressive portfolio, bringing casual…

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