Month: September 2017

Netflix Review: Mockumentary American Vandal is the surprise of the season

When spoofing a film or television series, one could create a shot-for-shot parody of the source material, or merely utilise its formula. The latter approach is the preferred option for many, but that brings with it a need to produce original, compelling material that is worthy of viewing in its own right. Such an example…

Read More

Video Games Review: Life Is Strange: Before the Storm Ep. 1 is a worthwhile prequel

Guess what, Life Is Strange is back and guess what? I played it, you want to know what else? All my fears of it being a shoe-horn tie in for some quick payout were put to rest, Life Is Strange: Before the Storm only grows on the originals strengths and weaknesses and we are left…

Read More

Interview: Griffin Newman talks about playing Arthur in the new incarnation of The Tick

Now streaming on Amazon Prime Video, The Tick is a super hero parody unlike any other, based on the comic book of the same name. Across a three part interview, we had the chance to sit down with with actor Griffin Newman, who plays Arthur Everest, sidekick of the eponymous Tick. In part one, Griffin discusses…

Read More

You can now buy movie tickets and snacks using Qantas Frequent Flyer points

Qantas’ Frequent Flyer program and Hoyts have partnered on a redemption program that will allow Aussie locals and visitors to use their points at Hoyts cinemas to purchase movie tickets and snacks. In addition, members of Hoyts Rewards and the Qantas Frequent Flyer program will be able to earn points when catching a film. QFF…

Read More

Win a double pass to see The China National Symphony Orchestra in Sydney

The China National Symphony Orchestra will dazzle Australian music-lovers with a one-night-only performance at the iconic Sydney Opera House Concert Hall on Monday 23 October. Over 100 musicians make up this exceptional orchestra under the baton of the CNSO’s world-renowned chief conductor Maestro Li Xincao. The concert also features violinist Lü Siqing, the first Asian…

Read More

Book Review: Pulse Points by Jennifer Down is an exploration of heartbreak in all its forms

Jennifer Down‘s book of short stories, Pulse Points, opens with a story about two men who are driving home from visiting one of their fathers at a retirement home, when they discover an injured person lying in the middle of the road. It is a shocking moment, which leaves both men reeling, and yet, the story…

Read More

Foodora is delivering free cheese kits straight to your door every Sunday of September

Delivery service Foodora has teamed up with the folks behind Cracker Barrel for a new campaign designed to encourage people to be less glued to their phones and more in-tune with each other. In an attempt to bring back “real conversation”, the well known Australian cheese brand, which is produced locally by Warrnambool Cheese and…

Read More

An open-air Aboriginal arts, crafts and bushfood market is coming to Barangaroo (Sydney)

Aboriginal arts, crafts, bushfoods and entertainment are heading back to Sydney’s stunning harbour headland park at Barangaroo Reserve on Sunday 24th September. Blak Markets, a dedicated pop-up market showcasing many aspects of Aboriginal culture, will pop-up at Stargazer Lawn on the day, kicking off at 10am and wrapping up at 4pm. The open-air market will…

Read More

Newtown’s new Sicilian pizzeria is offering 100 free slices this week (Sydney)

Sicilian-style pizza by the slice will be landing in the heart of Newtown as of later this week as Ballaro opens on King Street. Drawing on the lively street food culture of the famous Mediterranean island, the new venture from Daniele Arnone and Stefano Zanco will be adding something distinctive to the plethora of multicultural…

Read More

Sydney to host a pop-up IceBar this summer

Some people love to plan for Sydney’s famously beautiful summer season early in the year, no less the organisers behind IceBar, a new pop-up bar experience set to stretch across five days in January 2018. IceBar, a space operating at minus five degrees, will be location in the CBD and offer respite from the the…

Read More

New Music to Listen to This Week (4th September 2017)

Welcome to the start of another week! As we bring Winter to a close, there’s plenty to feel good about, including your weekly Spotify playlist of brand new music. We’ve rounded up the top singles and music videos you might’ve missed or wanted to hear again, including new releases from Wafia, St. Vincent, Horror My…

Read More

Album Review: Ted Leo – The Hanged Man (2017 LP)

It’s been seven years since Ted Leo released The Brutalist Bricks, his last solo album. For someone who released five albums in the first decade of this century, that’s a notable drop-off. It’s not like he hasn’t been busy, he released an album as The Both in 2014 with Aimee Mann and seems to spend more…

Read More

Interview: Milijana Nikolic on the acoustics of sand for Griffith Opera on the Beach – Aida

The sands of Coolangatta Beach will transform into the Egyptian shoreline when Opera Australia presents Griffith Opera on the Beach – Aida this month. We caught up with mezzo-soprano Milijana Nikolic , who will be sharing the role of Amneris, to discuss this unique opera setting! So, Opera on a Beach! How will you have to adjust your voice…

Read More

It’s official! The Mormons are coming to Sydney!

The Book of Mormon has proved to be one of the most controversial and critically acclaimed Broadway shows in history, and now after much anticipation the hit musical will officially be making its way to Sydney’s Lyric Theatre on 28th February 2018. Described by our own reviewer as, ‘two-and-a-half hours of sheer intellectual and comedic brilliance,’…

Read More

A two day tunnel party is coming to Milsons Point (Sydney)

A street party in Milsons Point that isn’t New Year’s Eve? We’re down for that. Across two days in October the affluent harbourside Sydney suburb will be hosting a two-day interactive pop up designed along the theme of “Now and Then, New and Old”, borrowing patches of the 20s, 70s, 80s and 90s for an…

Read More

Aussie bands will hit the stage at Canada’s BreakOut West for the first time

In its 15th year, BreakOut West is returning this year to celebrate music in Western Canada, with an stellar international line-up. Kicking off in Alberta from September 13 to 17, there will be a range of panels, networking and live music, as well as the event hosting the 2017 Western Canadian Music Awards. For the…

Read More

Hotel Review: Darwin’s Doubletree by Hilton is a double delight

Something you should know before you check in at Hilton’s Doubletree in the capitol of the Northern Territory: there are two Doubletree hotels in Darwin. They’ve also barely got a name difference, the other being Doubletree by Hilton Hotel Esplanade Darwin. Though hot tip: they’re known locally as either Doubletree 122 or 116, their corresponding…

Read More

Theatre Review: Plunge by Kate Shearer is innovative poolside entertainment (Gold Coast Aquatic Centre to Sept 2nd)

Plunge is innovative theatre at its best. What an extraordinary experience to be able to be a part of a production where you follow the actors across various locations of The Gold Coast Aquatic Centre, soon to be centre pieced for the 2018 Commonwealth Games. The audience are provided with headphones where a mixture of…

Read More

Applications for SXSW Music now open through until October

Time is here once more, folks. The gates for SXSW Music submissions are now open for another year, with the American music festival and conference inviting musicians from all over the world to enter theirs to be in with a chance of being Austin, Texas-bound next March. Since 1987, SXSW has been providing a large…

Read More

Single of the Day: Wafia “Bodies” (2017)

When is Wafia ever releasing anything other than intensely emotional music? Never, would be the answer. Her XXIX EP firmly established the Brisbane-based artist as one to watch, though in her lyricism and musicality, it was instantly evident that there was much more potential to be tapped into that what we were seeing on surface level (which was…

Read More

Music Video of the Day: St. Vincent “New York” (2017)

Colourful, intense and stylishly quirky, St. Vincent‘s new music video for her latest single, “New York” is as vibrant as some have come to expect. The song is St. Vincent’s first release in two years and has been brought to life by visual artist Alex Da Corte. The video is aesthetically gorgeous to watch, yet the music…

Read More

Album Review: The Preatures – Girlhood (2017 LP)

The Preatures‘ second album Girlhood, follow up to their 2014 debut Blue Planet Eyes, explores matters that affect us as girls in a fun, pop-driven way. Opening track “Girlhood” blasts in without an intro, and makes me want to jump around my bedroom while singing into a hairbrush. If they were intending to make female…

Read More

Album Review: The War on Drugs – A Deeper Understanding (2017 LP)

The War on Drugs‘ Adam Granduciel has a lot to live up to with latest album, A Deeper Understanding. 2014’s Lost in the Dream received high, widespread acclaim – our review even called it a masterpiece – which means this album is given the unlucky task of upholding or exceeding the hype. A Deeper Understanding…

Read More

Feature: The Wangaratta Festival of Jazz & Blues celebrates 28 years this November – how has it changed?

The Wangaratta Festival of Jazz & Blues has been a staple of the Australian industry for over two decades now, celebrating its 28th year this November. As a live music event, the festival has grown and developed itself into a feature name on the national calendar considerably and as this year’s program further proves, the line up…

Read More

Review: Marvel’s Inhumans may be game changing for IMAX, but is it a missed opportunity?

At the end of this month, Inhumans, the latest entry into the Marvel Cinematic Universe will kick off as a television series on ABC TV in the US – the home of the successful Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. series, which will enter its fifth season later this year. Today, Inhumans – the third ABC studios series…

Read More

Win a double pass to see La Femme Nikita at In The House in Sydney

Rediscover a new kind of lethal weapon in Luc Besson’s 1991 classic La Femme Nikita in the next instalment of In The House at Event Cinemas George St, September 8th. Before it spawned a cornucopia of television series knock-offs, the stylized French crime thriller set a new standard for the girl-with-a-gun movie trope. Tickets are…

Read More

Mozart will be reimagined in sculptural instillation set upon Observatory Hill in Sydney

For its 33rd year running, Kaldor Public Art Project is showcasing The Last Resort, a world-premiere installation by internationally celebrated French-Albanian artist Anri Sala. Taking stage on Observatory Hill, the artwork, including free public programs, will run over three weeks from 13 October until 5 November 2017. Anri Sala’s installation is a compromise of sculpture and…

Read More