Month: November 2016

Single of the Day: Society of Beggars “An Angel Called Night” (2016)

Melbourne-based Adelaide rock group Society of Beggars are soon to be back in South Oz, hitting the Crown and Sceptre Hotel tomorrow night with new single “An Angel Called Night”. Having spent a large chunk of this year in studio with Lindsay Gravina working on a new EP from which this new tune has been lifted, the…

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How A Festival Called PANAMA has emerged as one of the country’s best

This week, we learned of the latest additions to A festival called PANAMA for 2017. Alongside the likes of Kurt Vile, D.D Dumbo, Koi Child and Margaret Glaspy join some incredible musicians including Big Scary, Emma Louise, Julia Jacklin and NGAIIRE. To look at the festival line up, now in its full glory, is a thing of beauty – representative of some stellar international visitors…

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Cloud Control and Dope Lemon revealed as first two acts for The Hills Are Alive 2017

The Hills Are Alive always ensures its punters and artists are in for a good time and for their March 2017 edition, it’s looking like the organisers are heading into another stellar festival. Announced this morning, Cloud Control and Dope Lemon will be appearing at Hill next year, while the festival expands to include a new Comedy Stage….

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MGM’s Sebastian Chase to be recognised as recipient of the 2016 ARIA Industry Icon Award

An Australian music industry icon is set to be recognised as such at this year’s ARIA Awards, to be held tonight in Sydney. Founder of MGM Distribution and member of the ARIA Board, Sebastian Chase, will be gifted with the 2016 ARIA Industry Icon Award for his contributions and work within the industry over the years. Having…

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The Sunny Cowgirls (Victoria) talk Here We Go, live shows & more

Sitting down with country music duo The Sunny Cowgirls out at the Deni Ute Muster this year, Mallory finds out more about the Victorian group’s latest album, Here We Go, their experiences on the road and more.

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We spend a night on Royal Caribbean Cruises’ Voyager of the Seas (Departing from Circular Quay, Sydney)

Back in 2014, Royal Caribbean Cruises returned their ship Voyager of the Seas to service in Australia, following a $3 million overhaul that included everything from a brand new “Surf Rider at Sea” – the FlowRider – to three new restaurants, a 3D Cinema and more. Back around that time, we told you about the…

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Carriageworks announce over 160 stalls for annual Christmas Market (Sydney)

Over 160 stallholders across restaurants, providores, designers, homewares and lifestyle brands will be spaced throughout Carriageworks for the art hub’s second annual Christmas Market. Those seeking gifts and artisanal produce at the very last minute will relish the opportunity to stock up on pretty much everything one needs, getting the chance to be across fresh…

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Learning more about Sorry, the debut solo album from Scott Darlow!

Scott Darlow may be a new name to you and for others but he’s been kicking around this music game and as an Indigenous activist for 10 years now. In his debut solo album Sorry, Darlow has become introduced to a larger amount of music listeners who are no doubt just getting to know more about the work…

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Sydney trio Glades run us through This Is What It’s Like ahead of December tour!

Sydney group Glades has been working their way up Spotify charts and into the hearts of both radio lovers through this year, with singles “Speechless” and “Drive” raking in some huge numbers online. The indie trio are soon to be on the road with their debut EP This Is What It’s Like – a quick east coast tour taking…

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Review: Birds of Tokyo bring fiery new sound back to Adelaide’s Thebarton Theatre

The first time I remember seeing Birds of Tokyo headline a show in Adelaide was back in…2011, I want to say. Ian Berney hadn’t been in the band long and their self-titled, third album was celebrating Platinum status. Since then, my relationship with the band and their music has come and gone in waves. The band I first remember…

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Album Review: A.B ORIGINAL – Reclaim Australia (2016 LP)

Back in September, I sat opposite Briggs and Trials in Brisbane as they told me about Reclaim Australia, the debut album by their collaborative project A.B Original, and how it stood to shake up not only the Australian music industry, but our social community as a whole. Generally, you learn to take such grandiose claims…

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Matt & Alex commencing final days at triple j with five-date rave tour

Yesterday, Matt Okine and Alex Dyson announced that their time as hosts of triple j’s breakfast show would be coming to an end this December; for Dyson, the end of a 10 year-long career at the broadcaster. Okine of course, came on board in 2014 to replace former host Tom Ballard. For both, it’s been years of early mornings, memorable…

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Single of the Day: Holy Holy “Elevator” (2016)

“Elevator”, along with “Darwinism” (which was released earlier this year), are the two official singles from indie-rock duo Holy Holy‘s upcoming second album, Paint, due for release February 24th 2017. “Elevator” is a classic upbeat burner that features swells of guitars and Timothy Carroll’s beautifully rich vocals. “You were a heart-breaker, I couldda told you that,” repeats…

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Telltale’s The Walking Dead: Season Three starts next month

Telltale Games have announced that the third season of their acclaimed episodic adventure series based on The Walking Dead, entitled The New Frontier, will kick off on December 20.

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Blizzard redesigns Symmetra, will become first Overwatch hero with two ultimates

Up until now, it’s been understood that heroes in Overwatch were only capable of deploying a single ultimate ability. This all changed this morning when Blizzard released their new Developer Update, confirming that the character is about to undergo a substantial redesign.

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Australian Box Office Report: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them slays at the box office this week

It appears the Wizarding World beats the Marvel Universe, at the box office this week anyway.  Well and truly knocking last week’s no. 1 film, Doctor Strange, out of its top spot, is this week’s absolute cracker of a film, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.  It has done so well that it accounted for at least two…

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Netflix’s Obama biopic Barry to see an Aussie newcomer in the lead role

President Obama’s time in the White House is almost at an end, so in honour of the 44th president, Netflix are debuting a new film entitled Barry, focusing on the man himself. Appearing at the 2016 Toronto Film Festival to critical-acclaim, Barry is a nuanced, artistic exploration of a pivotal year in the life of a…

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Doctor Who: The Return of Doctor Mysterio to screen at selected Australian cinemas on Boxing Day

BBC Worldwide Australia & New Zealand (ANZ) and Sharmill Films have announced that there will be special Boxing Day screenings of this year’s Doctor Who Christmas special: The Return of Doctor Mysterio, at cinemas around Australia. The special will see the Doctor team up with a Batman/Superman-esque comic-book superhero in New York. The cinema event will…

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The new Cars 3 trailer is out and it sure looks grim

Though it is arguably the least respected franchise of the venerable Pixar stable, the Cars series has no doubt flourished at the box office. It’s no surprise then that it is now the second franchise to get a trilogy (behind Toy Story,) and today we get a brief look at the 2017 release thanks to…

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The Iris’ Weekly Australian TV Picks: 22-28 November

From Wizards to Superheroes and Robots in the West, here are this week’s TV picks on Foxtel and Free-to-Air… Tuesday,  22nd November Kevin Can Wait, Ch 9, 8:00pm AEST A police officer retires and plans to spend time with his family, but soon finds out that’s his greatest challenge. Supergirl, Fox8, 8:45pm AEST Supergirl is…

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TV Review: The Walking Dead Season 7 Episode 5 “Go Getters” sees a lack of any real tension

If last week’s “Service” showed me anything it was that the very excellent Jeffrey Dean Morgan is turning in an uncharacteristically dull performance as Negan. There’s something about having pretty much the same cadence for every single darkly jolly line that starts to get dull after awhile, so it was nice to leave him behind…

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Video Games Review: Dishonored 2 (PS4, 2016)

I was in the minority when the original Dishonored came out back in 2012. When it seemed like the entire world was throwing roses at the game’s feet, I found it to be a competent if uninspired homage to the Thief series with a few superpowers thrown in. Dishonored 2 is certainly a better game than its predecessor in many ways,…

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Win a double pass to see Keeping Up With The Joneses at Ben & Jerry’s Openair Cinemas in Sydney

There a few signs which signal summer is truly here – longer days, warmer weather and the return of Ben & Jerry’s Openair Cinemas. The University of Sydney Union is thrilled to be host again this year for the quintessential summer event returning to Cadigal Green at University of Sydney, bringing new releases and cult…

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Win a copy of The Secret Life of Pets on DVD

The Secret Life of Pets is a comedy about the lives that pets lead after their human companions leave for school or work each day. The animation follows Max (Louis C.K.) a rescue dog who’s convinced that he’s the centre of owner Katie’s (Ellie Kemper) universe, finds his ideal relationship shattered when she brings home…

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Win a copy of Jason Bourne on DVD

Mat Damon (The Martan, Greenzone) returns to his most iconic role after a nine year hiatus in Jason Bourne, the next chapter in the explosive Bourne franchise, available to own on 4K ULTRA HDTM, Blu-ray, DVD & Digital from November 23, 2016. This high octane, edge of your seat, espionage thriller features an all-star cast…

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Exclusive: Catherine Alcorn shares her travel diary of some of America’s most famous music sites

Ahead of her new show Cathartic, Award-winning cabaret artist Catherine Alcorn toured around the US visiting some of the country’s most famous music sites. During the tour Catherine kept a travel diary so she could share the experience exclusively with the AU. Read about all of her exciting adventures below! Carthartic will be a one night only performance Wednesday…

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Think Inc. unveil their 2017 line-up of big thinkers and offer fans an annual pass

If you’ve been to a public lecture in Australia over the last couple of years, there’s a good chance you’ve been to a Think Inc. event. Over the last couple of years the group have brought the likes of Dr Cornel West, Dr Neil deGrasse Tyson and Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak to Australian shores –…

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Theatre Review: The Accused – Pavilion Theatre: Castle Hill Players (until 10th December 2016)

Written by Jeffrey Archer, The Accused is an edge-of-your-seat courtroom drama in which the audience are the jury. Directed by Bernard Teuben, we see a man accused of murdering his wife through poison and are presented with several witnesses who argue his guilt. An abrupt judge, two bickering barristers and a colourful cast of witnesses…

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InterContinental Hotels & Resorts are celebrating classic cocktails with a slick new menu

70 years in and InterContinental Hotels & Resorts are still at the forefront of premium travel around the world. And as one of the leading hotel brands, it only seems right that they celebrate such a milestone by connecting many of their finest properties around the world through one celebratory cocktail menu, fashioned as the…

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Details announced for Meatstock Melbourne: The Delta Riggs, Burgers by Josh and more

With tickets for BBQ-loving food, music and drink festival Meatstock Melbourne now on sale, details are starting to take shape about exactly how the two day extravaganza will go down. The organisers aren’t playing around when they say they are making this their biggest event yet, managing to rope in some of the best bands…

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