Year: 2017

Music Video of the Day: City Calm Down “In This Modern Land” (2017)

Melbournian alt-pop group City Calm Down are known for new wave jams that induce long, thoughtful stares into the distance. Their latest offering is no different, “In This Modern Land” serving up a melancholy exploration of loneliness in the internet age. Frontman Jack Bourke’s bold baritone offers striking vocals, with the slow burning track building…

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Interview: Backstage at FOTSUN with Triple J Unearthed winners, Mild West

As with every year, Port Macquarie’s Festival of the Sun provides a stage for not only some of Australia’s best known talent, but the fresh and emerging faces of our music scene, to show off their skills and continuously cut their teeth as live performers. This year, we met Mild West, who took out the triple j…

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Six festivals primed to make your New Year’s Eve and Day a brilliant time out

With New Year’s just around the corner, and Australia’s sweltering summer season vastly approaching, now is the best time for you festival goers to start thinking about which gigs you want to hit, where they will be, and how you can get your hands on tickets. Check out our guide below of our top six…

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The Iris’s Game of the Year Top 10: Honourable Mentions

2017 was such a fantastic year for games that we had to cut a great many titles we really loved from our final Top 10. There were a few titles, however, that we felt were well worth shouting out, titles that made an impression on us throughout the year. Ones we’re still thinking about now….

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Games Preview: Far Cry 5 feels very familiar. Whether that sounds like good news or bad is up to you

The moment I jumped into Far Cry 5 at E3 this year, the thing that struck me was how familiar it felt. Ubisoft have been pushing a very particular vision for the series since Far Cry 2 comprehensively reworked Crytek’s 2004 original action adventure title into something more akin to survival adventure, a design template they’ve been gradually…

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Dead Rising 4: Frank’s Big Package (PS4, 2017) delivers a sleigh of mixed content

First things first, Dead Rising 4: Frank’s Big Package has a great sense of humour, as you can tell from the title, and its original release on the Xbox One was received well enough that PlayStation fans can now get a piece of the action as well.

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Games Review: LocoRoco 2 Remastered: Wholesome and Pure Fun

LocoRoco 2 Remastered doesn’t belong in 2017. Or more accurately, 2017 doesn’t deserve its presence. LocoRoco 2 represents all that is wholesome and pure in the world of gaming, and harkens back to simpler, more innocent times. It’s not the hero that we deserve, but we’re very glad to have it.

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Film Review: Just To Be Sure (Ôtez-moi d’un doute) (France, 2017) is a fun & whimsical little farce

Just To Be Sure (Ôtez-moi d’un doute) is a French comedy that doesn’t take itself too seriously. It deals with some important and weighty issues like: family, identity and roots but handles these in a quirky and funny way. What could have been a self-proclaimed neo-Greek tragedy actually turns out to be a fun and…

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Film Review: Coco (USA, 2017) is yet another irresistible fable from a studio uniquely versed in their ways of storytelling

We really shouldn’t be overly surprised at this point when Pixar release yet another beautiful, thought provoking, emotionally stirring film. What’s more important is the respective film’s ranking in the overall studio canon, and if it will earn longevity (ala Toy Story) or leave little impression (2015’s The Good Dinosaur). Time will tell if Coco…

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The Iris’ 2017 Game of the Year Top 10

The year’s end is upon us once more and that means yearly wrap pieces. It’s been a pretty amazing year in the games industry. Microsoft launched the most powerful console ever made, and Nintendo released an altogether new one. We saw AAA disasters, runaway indie successes and an combative relationship with microtransactions as publishers figure…

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Radisson to debut in Mumbai with 112-room property planned for 2019

Come 2019 renowned hotel brand Radisson will make its debut in Mumbai, Maharashtra with the 112-room Radisson Mumbai Andheri MIDC. Set to accelerate Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group’s overall growth and expansion plans in the country, the new hotel will be developed in partnership with GHV Hospitality India Private Limited in one of the most prominent…

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Review: A Very Kransky Christmas has the audience in (festive) stitches

The Kransky Sisters have set out on a national Christmas tour from their hometown in Esk, Queensland, to share their memories of Christmases past. Before the sisters arrive, the audience is treated to an intriguing slide show of their adventures to date, featuring the big Koala and the big potato amongst other charming places. Eve,…

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Review: Club Swizzle sizzles and entertains at Space Theatre in Adelaide

Amongst the rubble of the Festival Theatre, buried deep in the Space Theatre, Club Swizzle is a welcome distraction to the outside world. Transformed into a burlesque bar, the atmosphere hits long before the show even begins. Waiters wander and the MC, Reuben Kaye mingles and greets the guests as they take their seats. The…

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Book Review: Best Australian Stories 2017 brings together a mix of the new and the familiar

Each year, Black Inc bring out three volumes which wrap up a selection of the year’s best Australian stories, poems and essays. These collections have been edited by various authors over the years, among them Robert Drewe, Geordie Williamson, Cate Kennedy, Amanda Lohrey, and, most recently, Charlotte Wood.  The 2017 collection of short stories was…

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Rarities and unique drinks on the shelf for Newtown’s new P&V Wine & Liquor (Sydney)

Lou Dowling of Mary’s has teamed up with the beloved burger joints co-founders, Jake Smyth and Kenny Graham, as well as renowned wine and drinks expert (and well-known journalist) Mike Bennie to open P&V Wine & Liquor in Newtown. Located on Enmore road, the recently opened drinks concept is being described as “part bottle-o, part…

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Tech Review: Microsoft’s Surface Laptop dominates its price range with superior battery life

At first it may seem odd Microsoft present such a standard-looking laptop following their run with the Surface Pro and Surface RT series, a wearily received but now beloved family of tablets that really reinvented the company’s image to the casual tech consumer. Their goal of creating new product categories is nowhere to be found…

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Games Review: Hello Neighbor (Xbox One, 2017): Goodbye player

Dynamic Pixels Stealth Survival Horror is a pretty hefty banner to place on their title of Hello Neighbor, especially after recently trying to drift through games such as Outlast 2 and even the beautifully well made Little Nightmares. Hello Neighbor comes about as close to horror as your nanna’s dirty unwashed knickers: it’s creepy, cringe…

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The William Inglis Hotel is South West Sydney’s first five-star luxury boutique hotel

Next month South West Sydney will be getting it’s very first boutique five-star luxury property with The William Inglis Hotel, part of the high-end MGallery by Sofitel collection which also includes The Como Melbourne and Harbour Rocks Hotel Sydney. The eight-level, 144-room hotel will form part of the new $140 million precinct near Warwick Farm,…

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Review: Nespresso take a giant leap forward with the futuristic VertuoPlus

Such a substantial departure from the long-established pods that have been churned through Nespresso machines for years is a bit of a risk for such a dominant company. Introducing their new Vertuo line-up earlier this year represented a huge leap for the brand, presenting several models – some made by Breville and DeLonghi – onto…

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Maurice Terzini and Adrian Reed open Luigi’s Hot Pizza in Canggu (Bali)

Maurice Terzini, the renowned chef behind Australian icon Icebergs Dining & Bar in Sydney (and others), has teamed up with Adrian Reed (of Motel Mexicola) once again to open Luigi’s Hot Pizza in the heart of Bali’s Canggu junction. The duo, whose first Bali collaboration Da Maria Bali is a beloved spot for Italian dining,…

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Adrian Reed of Motel Mexicola opens Luigi’s Hot Pizza in Canggu, Bali

Maurice Terzini, the renowned chef behind Australian icon Icebergs Dining & Bar in Sydney (and others), has teamed up with Adrian Reed (of Motel Mexicola) once again to open Luigi’s Hot Pizza in the heart of Bali’s Canggu junction. The duo, whose first Bali collaboration Da Maria Bali is a beloved spot for Italian dining,…

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Thousands of free grapevines on offer as Sydney to become the world’s largest Urban Vineyard

A new initiative dubbed The Urban Vineyard Project is coming to Sydney over the holidays with the aim of giving away thousands of grapevines to be planted across the city, including on balconies, in backyards and even windowsills. The idea is to turn Sydney in the world’s largest urban vineyard, recalling the city’s central Macquarie…

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Interview: Actor Adeel Akhtar reflects on Victoria & Abdul; working with Judi Dench and Stephen Frears

Starring Judi Dench and Ali Fazal, Victoria and Abdul is Stephen Frears’ latest film, chronicling the unlikely friendship of Queen Victoria and her Indian attendant, Abdul Karim, in the late 1800s. The film was released on DVD and Blu-Ray this week, and to get some more perspective on the project, I caught up with British…

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United Airlines will fly you to Texas for free if your first or last name is “Houston”

If your first or last name is “Houston” then you have a damn good reason to be excited about United Airlines’ new daily nonstop service between Sydney and Houston, Texas which will be introduced on 20th January 2018. To celebrate the inaugural flight, the airline has put a call out for anyone with the aforementioned…

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Surfs Up! Cebu Pacific introduce direct flights between Manila and Siargao

Cebu Pacific has announced the introduction of direct flights between Manila and popular surfing destination Siargao just in time for Australia’s summer holidays. With year-round fares from Sydney starting at AU$384, this increases accessibility to the tear-drop shaped island, which is located 800km southeast of the Philippines capital in the province of Surigao del Norte….

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A new resort from Radisson Blu is opening in Uluwatu, Bali next month

The increasingly popular area of Uluwatu on the southwestern tip of Bali is set to welcome a new property in January 2018 with Radisson Blu Bali Uluwatu, a resort from the world renowned brand that boasts direct access to one of the island’s most popular surfing beaches as well as numerous pristine shores and popular…

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Aussie travellers are now able to apply for a Brazilian visa online

The Brazilian Government has just made it much, much easier for Australian passport holders looking to travel to Brazil with a new online visa which features a response time of 72 hours. The new electronic visa takes some of the hassle out of planning a trip to the highly sought after desintation, which is ranked…

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Lufthansa plan new business class product for forthcoming Boeing 777-9 fleet

Come 2020, passengers on Lufthansa will be opened up to a swift upgrade in privacy and comfort as the airline has this month unveiled plans for a new Business Class product for their forthcoming Boeing 777-9 fleet. This will range from seats with more desk space to new mattresses, duvets and even pyjamas. The focus…

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Wailoaloa Beach’s Crowne Plaza set to be the largest hotel resort in Fiji

InterContinental Hotels Group have signed a management agreement with Quantum Hi-Tech Group Limited to develop the largest hotel resort in Fiji. Set to open in 2020, Crowne Plaza Fiji Wailoaloa Beach will be positioned just a 10 minute drive from the island’s primary Nadi International Airport, boasting a beachfront location and five restaurant and bar…

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The best New Year’s Eve parties around Brisbane for 2017/18

The loosest day of the year is upon us! New Year’s Eve is going to bounce us into 2018 and it’s your choice whether you want that to be in style or in shambles. It’s long known that deep in the heart of the CBD is exactly where you do not in any way, shape…

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