Month: October 2018

Limited Edition LEGO Overwatch Omnic Bastion has just been released

Overwatch, released in 2016 allows you to control one of several Heros in 6 v 6 shooting matches. Released on PS4, Xbox and Windows, this game is now being brought to reality… by reality I mean joining blocks together, using this thing you might have of heard before called LEGO! With a player base of…

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Bethesda reveals Pete Hines, Tim Willits and Matt Firor are coming to Melbourne for PAX Aus

Annual gaming festival Penny Arcade Expo (PAX) is held in multiple cities around the world, and luckily for us Melbourne is one of them! These festivals combine table top gaming, arcade gaming and video gaming and host a stack of tournaments, panels and performances all in the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre. A unique aspect…

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Meet 5 deserving acts who just scored their first ARIA nominations

Well well well, Amy Shark should be blushing a big right now. After writing her most recent hit “I Said Hi” about the music industry ignoring her until the release of her 2016 breakout hit “Adore,” the industry itself has just done her a huge favour, nominating her for nine different ARIA awards, the most…

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Track of the Day: Harvey Sutherland feat. Nubya Garcia “Amethyst” (2018)

Melbourne producer Harvey Sutherland today dropped his new single “Amethyst”, a jazz infused broken beat transcontinental odyssey featuring London-based saxophonist Nubya Garcia and drummer Kahlil Memphis. “Amethyst” is another step in what is an already unpredictable career from Harvey Sutherland. Whilst the producer, DJ and funk synthesist may have made a name for himself amidst…

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Album Review: Bootleg Rascal’s Anónimo (2018 LP) expertly blends genres to show off a band at the top of their game

Bootleg Rascal have done it again, releasing a phenomenal album, worth wasting away the hours relaxing too. Anónimo, their second LP, continues the band’s growth, keeping the signature sounds, covering a range of genres whilst also adding in some subtle new sounds to keep it as fresh as their vibes require. The ten song album covers everything…

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5 reasons you can’t miss Liveworks Festival of Experimental Art in Sydney

We’re counting down to the annual Sydney event, the Liveworks Festival of Experimental Art, which this year runs from the 18th to the 28th of October. Presented by Performance Space and held at Carriageworks, this 10 day festival showcases many new works from artists right though Australia and Asia Pacific. Jeff Khan, CEO and Artistic Director of Performance…

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Live Review: Kesha + Ben Abraham – Eatons Hill Hotel, Brisbane (10.10.18)

I’ll be honest. Walking in to a Kesha concert, my expectations were pretty low. However, I can say that this gig was WILD (and I’ve been to Miley Cyrus). Melbourne act Ben Abraham opened the night and although his style is unlike Kesha’s, the crowd fell in love. The singer-songwriter oozed a humble charm that…

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Interview: Stuart Coupe on recording 200+ hours of interviews with Roadies for his book’s ultimate, AAA pass

Stuart Coupe is part of the (black t-shirt) fabric of Australia’s music industry. In a career spanning four decades, he has worked as an author, journalist, promoter, artist manager, publicist and broadcaster. Coupe has written several books about Australian music. His latest one, Roadies, features stories from the hard-working men and women who toil behind-the-scenes…

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Album Review: Jess Glynne – Always In Between (2018 LP)

British pop sensation Jess Glynne has dropped her second studio album after teasing it on the airways with her singles “I’ll Be There” and “All I Am”. If you are a fan of those tunes, I can assure you you’ll be a fan of this album, Always In Between. I say this because the production of the…

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Track of the Day: Me And My Friends “High As The Sun” (2018)

Ahead of the release of their new record Look Up later in the year, UK quintet Me And My Friends have given us a taste of what to expect with the release of their new single: “High As The Sun”. Me and My Friends take their cues from an eclectic range of influences, drawing inspiration from Ghanian highlife, afrobeat,…

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Review: Shatner’s World is a warm, funny and occasionally surprising evening with a celluloid legend (Perth)

Monday night saw William Shatner kick off the Australian tour of his one-man show Shatner’s World: The Return Down Under in Perth. It was an evening of warmth, humour and philosophical musings. All. Delivered. In. That. Distinctive. Cadence. However, it was also not without its surprises. For example, whilst Shatner is likely best known for his role…

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This Asian country just overtook Singapore to claim “The most powerful Passport in the world”

The results are in and Japan has overtaken Singapore to claim the top spot on the 2018 Henley Passport Index. This triumph comes as a result of Japan gaining visa-free access to Myanmar earlier this month, meaning Japan now enjoys visa-free/visa-on-arrival access to 190 destinations. Beating out Singapore by just one destination, the two have…

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Interview: Ben Panucci (Sydney) talks debut album Age of Consequence and its personal nature

Ben Panucci‘s debut album Age of Consequence is a deeply personal divergence from his previous sounds. Inspired by humanity, the album was written and produced by Ben himself and is set for independent release on Friday 12 October. Reflecting a change in gear for the Sydney guitarist and producer, Age of Consequence allowed Ben to refocus his life,…

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Live Review: Lost Picnic’s Melbourne debut sizzled with great weather & a fun family atmosphere

The first iteration of Lost Picnic in Melbourne was greeted by a sunny day throughout Sunday afternoon in Flemington. The festival, cultivated around the idea of a loungey picnic with friends, good music and tasty food, would have been seen as a veritable success as thousands poured through the gates to enjoy the day. The…

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Interview: Dave Prowys of The Paper Kites (Melbourne) talks about imagining strangers’ lives on their new LP On The Corner Where You Live

Dave Powys’ one-and-a-half year old daughter has just returned home from day care and bounced into her father’s arms. “Oh, hello!” he greets her. “Hey darling, how are you?” She responds with a series of chirps while receiving kisses on her forehead. It’s a warm scene; one that could be part of the collage of…

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Film Review: In Like Flynn (Australia, 2018) is predominantly fizzy and shamelessly cheesy

Director Russell Mulcahy, the Melbourne filmmaker whose career has seen him graduate from Elton John music videos to varied levels of cinematic quality (the 1984 wild boar in the outback horror flick Razorback, the ill-advised Kim Basinger vehicle The Real McCoy, and the Geoffrey Rush drama Swimming Upstream just a few of his efforts) is…

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Track of the Day: Sandra Kolstad “Halflife” (2018)

Sandra Kolstad has deservedly earnt herself the title of Norway’s “electronic pop queen” and with this fresh offering of synthy dreamy goodness, she’s set to win hearts worldwide. Trained as a classical pianist, Kolstad rose to national fame in Norway after storming onto the scene with three captivating and critically acclaimed studio albums that introduced her…

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Why you need to experience Damien Chazelle’s First Man in IMAX

When one praises a film, one of the many positives that one would say is that the storytelling is incredibly immersive from a visual perspective. Films with such praise would include Christopher Nolan’s Dunkirk, J.J Abrams’ Star Trek Into Darkness and Francis Lawrence’s The Hunger Games: Catching Fire. But what all those films mentioned have…

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Microsoft reveals Project xCloud, changing the way you game forever

On Monday Microsoft unveiled its plans and development for new game streaming service Project xCloud, which will allow users to play from any device, anywhere. Designed to work across consoles, PCs, tablets and smartphones, the core aim of Project xCloud is to allow users to experience a high quality, immersive gaming experience without the necessity…

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Album of the Week: Kurt Vile – Bottle It In (2018 LP)

When I first sat down to listen to Kurt Vile’s new release, Bottle It In, I did not know what to expect. 75 minutes later, I still could not place what I had heard. It was after a good two hours and a half that the LP finally started growing on me. Don’t expect a…

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Games Review: The World Ends With You: Final Remix (Switch, 2018) is the triumphant return this hidden gem deserves

The World Ends With You is frequently spoken of as one of the greatest games developed for the original Nintendo DS, with a killer story and gameplay that used the full capacity of the innovative touch screen. Despite how well-received it was, TWEWY also went somewhat unloved in the wider gaming scene, and has come…

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Photo Gallery: Lost Picnic ft. Tash Sultana + Meg Mac and more – The Nursery at Flemington, Melbourne (07.10.18)

The first ever Melbourne Lost Picnic was held at The Nursery at Flemington on October 7th, featuring the likes of Tash Sultana, Meg Mac, Marlon Williams, Odette, Big Words and the Hot Potato Band. Daniel Hanssen was there and brings us back these photos. And don’t miss the next event on 13th October in Sydney’s Domain! For…

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Games Preview: Rockstar will make history with Red Dead Redemption 2, that much is clear

Rockstar changed the face of gaming in October 2001, and they did it by taking a pretty bold risk, the impact and effects of which are still being felt throughout the industry almost 20 years later. The game they dropped in October 2001 represented a seismic shift in immersive gaming that is often imitated but…

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Win a Motorola Z3 Play and Moto 360 Camera

Ready to upgrade your smartphone? Our good buds at Motorola Australia have given us one of their latest and greatest Android handsets, the Moto Z3 Play, and a Moto 360 Camera attachment to give away to one lucky punter. The Moto Z3 Play is feature packed — it boasts an edge-to-edge 6″ Full HD screen…

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Photo Gallery: Kesha – Margaret Court Arena, Melbourne (07.10.18)

Kesha played Melbourne’s Margaret Court Arena on Sunday night, and Rebecca Houlden was there to capture all the magic of ther acclaimed performer in action as she embarks on a national tour of Australia, with Brisbane and Sydney dates remaining. You can get all the tour dates and details HERE.

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Review: Foo Fighters’ festival Cal Jam 18 proves a joyous celebration of Rock n Roll

This weekend, I travelled about an hour outside of Los Angeles to San Bernadino, to experience the second year of the festival Cal Jam – an event programmed and run by the Foo Fighters, featuring an eclectic mix of rock bands from around the world, and celebrating the 25 years of the band’s career with…

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Hotel Review: Singapore’s Oasia Hotel Novena offers wellness with top-tier service

Two train stops from Singapore’s shopping street, Orchard Road, lies Oasia Hotel Novena. With its own lift access to the Novena MRT station via its basement level (which also takes you directly to/from your room floor), you’re instantly connected to the rest of Singapore. Nesting between three hotels, this hotel attracts a lot of medical…

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OzAsia Festival Review: Of Fathers & Sons (Syria, 2017) lifts the veil on religious extremists

Of Fathers & Sons should come with a warning. This is likely to induce nightmares even though it’s not strictly a horror film. It is however, a horrifying documentary that chronicles a religious zealot and his young, jihadist-in-the-making sons. The result is a visceral and eye-opening look at this largely-unknown world. Filmmaker, Talal Derki is…

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Travel Deals: Mantra properties Art Series, Peppers, BreakFree and more cut prices across Australia, NZ and Hawaii

One of Australia’s most ubiquitous hotel groups, Mantra, have come around to their popular annual “Global Sale” to make holidaying for Aussies a bit more accessible over the next few months. And it’s the most substantial sale from the group yet, with a serious number of the country’s best properties – from budget to luxe…

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Album Review: The Black Queen – Infinite Games (2018 LP)

Experimental metallers The Dillinger Escape Plan rarely ventured below a heart-attack inducing pace. During their 20 year reign, the band played intricate and frantic shredding while unhinged frontman Greg Puciato shredded his throat screaming threats. Infinite Games is Puciato’s second album with The Black Queen and first release since Dillinger split up, and it’s a…

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