Month: December 2018

Hotel Review: Felix sets a new standard for Sydney’s airport hotels

You wouldn’t expect Sydney Airport to welcome a greatly finessed, high concept boutique hotel, would you? The sprawl of hotels dotted around both the domestic and international terminals has historically favoured properties which play it safe. Some are great – actually, most are – but almost all of them are in dire need of some…

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David Bowie’s Lazarus musical coming to Melbourne in May 2019

In a thrilling announcement, The Production Company have spilled that they are bringing David Bowie’s Lazarus musical to life on stage in Melbourne, May 2019. Lazarus was David Bowie’s final project, first seen on stage in New York in late 2015 and London in 2016, before his tragic passing. Premiering for the first time in Australia, it will be…

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Festival Review: Sydney leg of Paul Kelly’s Making Gravy tour diluted by a terrible weather recipe

Rain will put a dampener on just about any outdoor activity. But when it’s a summer festival, and the rain is torrential, well, that just plain sucks. Unfortunately, Mother Nature must have been upset with the Sydney crowd attending Paul Kelly’s Making Gravy and pulled a classic stitch up on those in attendance and the…

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From drumming gorillas to Skins: Counting down our Top 5 Phil Collins moments

Phil Collins is an artist who doesn’t take himself too seriously. The solo musician and former member of Genesis has written a memoir titled, Not Dead Yet, as you do. He has been on the receiving end of some jokes but he takes them all with good humour. Ahead of his Australian and New Zealand…

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Theatre Review: Evita – Arts Centre Melbourne (Performances to 23rd February)

The opening night of Evita was met with praise and applause as Tina Arena took to the stage in her starring role as Eva Perón. Adapting her wonderful pop vocals to such an iconic role would of been a challenge for the most seasoned performer, however Arena carried herself with poise and grace and pulled…

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Book Review: Mads Peder Nordbo’s The Girl Without Skin marks the start of an impressive new crime series

When what appears to be the corpse of a mummified Viking is found, journalist Matthew Cave is first on the scene. But by the next day, the body is gone, and in its place lies the flayed corpse of the policeman left to keep watch. Silenced by the local constabulary as they investigate the crime,…

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Track of the Day: Ruby Tuesdays “Why You Always Gotta Fight Me” (2018)

Wollongong five piece Ruby Tuesdays have capped off a solid 2018 of releases with their excellent new single “Why You Always Gotta Fight Me”.  Recorded and produced out on the South Coast with 19Twenty’s Syd Green, “Why You Always Gotta Fight Me” is the very definition of a slow burner, with the track gradually building…

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First Taste: Doncaster’s popular Fish & Burger Co is back

Last Wednesday saw a launch night to celebrate the re-opening of trendy restaurant, Fish & Burger Co (F&BC). Located in Doncaster East just outside of Melbourne, the venue has been beautifully decorated and modified by design agency, Studio Equator. Light bulbs and greenery dangle from the ceiling, whilst natural light floods through to create an open…

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Tour Diary: Crocodylus take us behind the scenes on their recent East Coast tour with Bleeding Knees Club

Rapidly becoming one of Sydney’s most in-demand bands, Crocodylus recently embarked on an Australian tour with fresh, coastal songs drenched in their signature sixties style. You might already be across their recent single “My Baby”. Already, the band has played with the likes of Hockey Dad, ORB, The Lemon Twigs (USA), The Bennies and more,…

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Interview: Mountain Sounds bound SLUMBERJACK (AU) on their favourite moments of 2018 and what the duo have planned for 2019

Australian electronic duo, SLUMBERJACK have been adding their signature feelsy, melodic sound to wonky trap tracks for years now. Busy touring the world with TroyBoi, Ekali, Alison Wonderland and playing huge festival sets round the world they haven’t played many shows in Australia in 2018. Luckily they will be back with big things in 2019, saying…

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Interview: Bishop Briggs talks Falls Festival, returning to Australia, “Baby”, Hong Kong and songwriting

I’ve been lucky enough to catch up with US based artist Bishop Briggs a few times now, and every time we catch up things just seem be getting bigger and better for the every growing star. Our chat earlier this month, ahead of her pending visit to Australia for Falls, was no exception. We talk about…

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ADSL internet makes PC Gaming almost unbearable in modern Australia (and other first world problems)

In 2018, most new releases across the board from AAA video game titles are around 40 gigabytes in size. This is huge when you consider that games were much lower not too long ago. Skyrim was only 6GB when it was released in 2011. Assassins Creed II was 8GB in 2010, and Crysis was 7GB…

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Live Review: Polish Club tears up the Gasometer stage for their closing show in Melbourne

Saturday night was the concluding show for Polish Club‘s ‘Get Some Clarity’ tour and there is no doubt that the boys wholeheartedly went out on a high. In October, the rock duo (David Novak and John-Henry Pajak) released the first glimpse of their forthcoming second album with their latest single ‘Clarity’ – a mammoth track…

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Photo Gallery: Paul Kelly – Making Gravy – The Domain, Sydney (15.12.18)

The heavens descended upon the Domain last night, throwing back the start and resulting in slightly abbreviated sets, but it certainly didn’t dampen the enthusiasm for a fantastic night for Paul Kelly’s ‘Making Gravy’. It was a stellar lineup with Angie McMahon, D. D Dumbo, Alex Lahey, Angus & Julia Stone all playing sets, before the mercurial…

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Marriott International’s hipster Moxy Hotels opens in Washington, D.C

Marriott International have taken a big step with their trendy millennial brand Moxy, opening up a brand new hotel in Washington, D.C with aims to boldly reinvent the typical lifestyle hotel experience in the nation’s capital. Built within a historic building which dates back to 1870, Moxy D.C represents a modernisation of the city’s hospitality…

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Finnair to open up new European routes in time for summer 2019

Australian travellers heading off to Europe for the peak summer season next year will enjoy better connectivity between the Scandinavia and Nordic regions and the highly sought after destinations of Portugal, Italy and France. Finland’s flag carrier, Finnair has announced that they will be preparing for the peak tourist period by opening up the three…

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Track of the Day: The Francos “Back To Basics” (2018)

2018 has been a good year for Wollongong indie pop trio The Francos, with the band releasing their sophomore EP Absolute Scenes, along with a handful of singles. Determined to end the year on a high, the band have recently released one more track: “Back To Basics”. “Back To Basics” is a three minute blast…

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Book Review: Island Story: Tasmania in Object and Text is a tribute to everything visitors and locals alike love about Tasmania

Tasmania lies just below mainland Australia like a hidden jewel, with its rainforests still standing, cooler temperatures, a treasure for the foodies and art and culture are found on nearly every corner. Island Story: Tasmania in Object and Text provides a juxtaposition of text and images, allowing both elements of shine, but neither to dominate….

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Photo Gallery: Great Gable + Butter + Dulcie + Nika Mo – Rosemount Hotel, Perth (14.12.18)

Perth’s Great Gable have spent much of December out on the road, touring their new single “Golden Slums”, but Friday night saw them return home for the final date of the tour, with the band delivering an awesome show at The Rosemount Hotel. Joining in on the fun were Butter, Dulcie and Nika Mo. Stuart Sevastos was…

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Interview: Stephen Lopez talks about dancing up a storm in the salsa musical In The Heights at Sydney Festival

Melbournian actor, Stephen Lopez played Usnavi De La Vega in the debut Australian production of In The Heights in Melbourne in 2015. The show, a quadruple Tony award-winning work, written by Hamilton creator and Moana composer Lin-Manuel Miranda, is a modern summer musical boasting hot, Latino rhythms. A return staging of the show will be hitting the Sydney…

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Book Review: Olga Tokarczuk’s Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead is a murder mystery, but not as you know it

Janina Duszejko (though never call her Janina) lives just outside an isolated village. She spends her days tending to the empty holiday homes nearby, teaching at the local school, and mourning the disappearance of her two beloved dogs. But when prominent members of the local hunting club are found dead, Duszejko is on the case….

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Video games and world building: Taking players somewhere they’ve never been before

2018 has been crazy good for RPG’s. The worlds that have been massive and immersive, and deep in content. What is curious is how the developers of these games let players in on the facts of the worlds they’ve built. Information is given to players in interesting ways that differ from game-to-game. From letting players…

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What could be the selling points of the next generation of consoles?

We have, if you can believe, almost reached the end of the current generation of consoles, and with news of PlayStation pulling out of E3 in 2019 in rumoured preparation of a hardware announcement, speculation is mounting as to what the selling points could be for the next generation. 2019 is going to be an…

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Late winter just became the best time to visit New York City for deal seekers

For the first time ever, NYC & Company – the official destination marketing organisation for New York City – will align their three signature programs across the same stretch of dates, bringing together NYC Broadway Week, NYC Restaurant Week, and NYC Must-See Week. Under the new collective name of NYC Winter Outing, the new mega-program…

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Melbourne’s CouchWarriors Crossup is a Dragon Ball FighterZ World Cup global qualifier and you shouldn’t miss it

With Super Smash Bros Ultimate scratching that fighting game itch pretty well at the moment, you might be on the hunt for some fresh challengers. Good news — this weekend’s CouchWarriors Crossup is not only debuting its brand new Smash Ultimate competition, it’s also a significant stop on the Dragon Ball FighterZ World Cup qualifier…

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This hotel just broke the world record for most Michelin stars under one roof

The guiding light of Michelin stars have been luring people to memorable meals for decades now, but never before have so many of them been clustered under the one roof. With the recent unveiling of the Michelin Guide 2019 Hong Kong – Macau, one hotel has proudly set an impressive global benchmark for having the…

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Deliveroo to deliver free Messina to Sydney beaches using speedboats

Although Sydney will be getting a few patches of rain here and there this weekend, plenty of the city’s most visited beaches will no doubt be packed full of summer-loving folk. That’s why Devliveroo have launched speedboat deliveries, in partnership with Messina, to keep those lazing on the sand well fed throughout the day. Across…

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Chill out mates, Beau Ryan and PlayStation are gonna tell you how to #PlayItCool this summer

PlayStation Australia know that being a gamer in the summer is a bit rubbish. You have to have the windows open so its hard to see the TV during the day, which is no good. If you want to close the place up to create a little darkness, it means running the aircon while you…

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Why Canberra’s Gingerfest is not to be missed this weekend

Remembering the Ginger Ninja are a not for profit organisation that have organised punk rock festivals in honour of their close friend Nicholas Sofar-Schreiber, and this Saturday at MOLO Live, situated just upon ANU Campus, the great organisation is gearing up for a day of great music, great beer, and to commemorate the titular Ginger…

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Interview: Paul Capsis (Aus) talks Sydney Festival and working with Jethro Woodward

Paul Capsis is one of Australia’s most versatile performers and is equally at home in the world’s of theatre, film & television, and of course cabaret. He’s a gifted interpreter of song, and has sung with a diverse and varied group of musicians and singers, including the Australian Chamber Orchestra, Russell Crowe, the Soweto Gospel…

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