Month: January 2019

Live Review: Mahalia and Jack Gray captivate at Sydney’s Lansdowne Hotel

Fresh from the Falls and Field Day circuits, British artist Mahalia rocked a sold-out show at The Lansdowne Hotel on what could have otherwise been a quiet Monday night. Opening for her was Jack Gray: the combination of beachy waves, a silk shirt and old school boyish charm. The Sunshine Coast singer had the crowd…

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How to get $40 tickets to see Harry Potter and the Cursed Child in Melbourne

Harry Potter Fanatics and cheap theatre ticket chasers assemble! As the Potterites amongst you are likely already aware, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is about to finally arrive in Melbourne, with the first preview performances taking place next week. Whilst the price of the show (especially the need to attend two performances) may be…

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Review: Hong Kong’s Hotel VIC offers supreme luxury without the price tag

With 671 rooms/suites and an overall aesthetic that has been finessed by three different firms – Rocco Design Architects for the building, AFSO for three dining spaces and public areas, and Hirsh Bedner Associates for guest rooms – the stunning Hotel VIC on the Harbour is certainly an ambitious undertaking, even for Hong Kong. Operated…

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Album Review: MIKE’s War in My Pen (2018 LP) is a concise exploration of maturity and loss

This project from prodigious New York rapper MIKE dropped just before the end of last year, and may have flown under the radar as a result. Though it proves more than deserving of proper attention, despite being lost in the flurry that is the holiday season. MIKE’s style of music is an incredibly experimental take…

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Nike are throwing it back to 90’s tech this month with the Epic React Flyknit 2

The Nike Epic React Flyknit was one of the most popular running shoes of last year, so its no surprise that a line-up expansion is coming so soon. Set to release later this month, the Epic React 2 doesn’t do much to dramatically change the successful silhouette, but eagle-eyed sneakerheads have noticed that the heel…

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Photo Gallery: Falls Downtown Day 2 – Fremantle Oval (06.01.19)

It was the second day of the Falls Festival tour in Fremantle. Day 2 presented a mouth-watering line-up that featured the likes of Vance Joy, Interpol, Hilltop Hoods, Toto, DMA’s, Ocean Alley, Tired Lion and more. Our photographer Stuart Sevastos was there to capture the highlights of the day.

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Carriageworks gets new pop-up Spanish restaurant for Sydney Festival

multi-award winning chef, caterer, restaurateur and lecturer Darren Taylor is bringing a special pop-up restaurant to Carriageworks over the next few weeks, inspired by the buzzing energy of Sydney Festival. From tomorrow until 27th January, COSECHA will be bringing inspired Spanish dishes to the art institution, operating from lunch right through to dinner. With Carriageworks…

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Live Review: OVO Sound’s dvsn show Sydney what R&B really is

The recent debate about who is the current “King of R&B” (sparked by a claim from Cash Money artist Jacquees) is not as clear cut as it has been made out to be. This isn’t the first time someone who has claimed to be the king of a genre or style of music. T.I once…

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This boutique hotel in Sydney uses botanics to transform their rooms

West Hotel Sydney, Hilton’s recently opened designer boutique from their Curio Collection, is offering a sweet sensual summery experience for guests with the temporary ‘Sleep Amongst Botanics’.  The botanical room take-over is part of their second ‘Meet the Creatives’ collaboration, where they team up with local design gurus to bring a unique and exciting flair…

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Live Review: The Vaccines show their strength at Sydney’s Metro Theatre

Kicking the year off again with another Falls Festival sideshow, I ventured on down to Sydney’s Metro Theatre to take in the goods that The Vaccines are currently delivering as part of their current Combat Sports album tour. Opening up the night were Newcastle band Vacations. Making the trip down to Sydney, the touring five-piece…

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Hotel Review: QT Perth translates the wild west with swagger and theatre

The QT Hotels & Resorts brand has now firmly established its own distinctive language, without coming across as formulaic. The quirky, off-kilter designs and high-concept luxury boutique approach has given the brand a unique way of interpreting and translating location, whether it’s bringing in just enough of Surfers Paradise to brighten the grand QT Gold…

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Live Review: Toto – Festival Hall, Melbourne (04.01.19)

After forty years on the road, one could forgive Toto for having lost something over their long touring history but if the band’s Friday night performance at Festival Hall was anything to go by, Toto will probably be touring for many more years to come. The run sheet for Toto’s performance was an interesting one…

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Photo Gallery: Falls Downtown Day 1 – Fremantle Oval (05.01.19)

The sun was out and everyone was having a good time as the Fremantle was the last stop on the Falls Festival tour. Day 1 featured the likes of CHVRCHES, Catfish and the Bottlemen, Flight Facilities, Amy Shark, Dean Lewis and more. Our photographer Stuart Sevastos was there to capture the highlights of the day.

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The Australian Open is hosting a $500,000 Fortnite tournament and you can enter

Margaret Court Arena will play host to a massive Fortnite tournament for the second time in the space of six months. The Australian Open, the nation’s biggest and popular tennis event, is running on a pair of tournaments, the combined prize pool of which comes to $500,000. The first 500 players to register on the…

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Tech Review: HyperX Alloy FPS RBG Mechanical Keyboard gives you speed and accuracy in the colours of the rainbow

I like the HyperX Alloy FPS range of mechanical keyboards, that much is fairly Well Documented by now. It’s also getting harder to review them because, to be perfectly honest, there isn’t exactly a ton of variation model-to-model. Part of this is that HyperX already make a bloody solid board. It isn’t broke, so there…

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Album Review: On I am > I was (2018 LP), 21 Savage emerges victorious despite all odds

21 Savage has, for the past few years, stood as a divisive character in modern hip hop. Though, regardless of countless criticisms he has definitely become an established figure on the scene – becoming one of the most commercially successful and well known members of the early soundcloud-rap renaissance of 2016. As a result, following…

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Live Review: The Vaccines radiate their punk persona in Melbourne

Twenty Nineteen is finally at our feet and to mark the moment, The Vaccines flew across the entire globe to give Aussies something to remember during the first week of the new year. The English group appeared at The Croxton Bandroom (Thornbury) alongside Newcastle band, Vacations, and left the sardine-packed crowd drenched in a sublime blend of both perspiration and…

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Rainbow Six: Siege scratches an itch Overwatch seems to have forgotten about

In mid-November 2018, popular Overwatch streamer and former pro player Brandon “Seagull” Larned posted a video to his YouTube channel titled The State of Overwatch. In it, Seagull breaks down a number of criticisms of Overwatch as a game at present. He takes issue with the state of the game’s ongoing GOATS Composition meta and the abundance…

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Hotel Review: San Francisco’s Hotel Zephyr sticks out at Fisherman’s Wharf

You’d be correct in assuming that San Francisco claims some fantastic boutique hotels across all price ranges. After all the city has long been known as one of the most creative and free-spirited in the U.S, and it’s hotel scene has benefited greatly from all that openness. From the beatnik throwback of Hotel Boheme and…

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Photo Gallery: Beyond The Valley Day Four – Lardner Park, VIC (31.12.18)

The final day of Beyond The Valley brought the fun with PNAU, English powerhouses The Kook’s, Ball Park Music and Remi all there to celebrate the chiming of the new year!

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Film Review: Eighth Grade (USA, 2018) is an empathetic, uncompromising & honest piece of work

Teenage films have been quite a huge staple for me in the past decade. Whether they would be quality films (like Heathers, Stand By Me), plain fun (Mean Girls, Easy A, Say Anything etc.) or just plain silliness (Porky’s, American Pie), this reviewer has always found some enjoyment for entertainment reasons as well as nostalgic…

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Photo Gallery: The Vaccines + Vacations – Croxton Bandroom, Melbourne (03.01.19)

The Vaccines played their first Falls Festival sideshow at the Croxton Bandroom with support from Vacations to a huge crowd, playing hit after hit song. Photos by Rebecca Houlden.

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Opera Review: La Bohéme is all at once decadent and tragic at the Sydney Opera House

A world of starving artists, love at first sight, decadence and jealousy – so sets the scene for Puccini’s formidable La Bohéme. The performance begins with four friends, each a poor artist, struggling to survive another winter. By the end of the first act Rodolfo, a poet, has fallen in love with Mimí, a seamstress,…

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Travel Deals: Flights around Europe are going for as low as £5 right now

Every so often European budget carrier Ryanair drop their places to ridiculously low prices, opening up the continent to eagle-eyed budget-minded travellers quick enough to take advantage of the flash sales. It happened a few times last year, and these flashes are seemingly getting more and more common. There’s actually one happening right now. And…

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Live Review: Beyond the Valley Day Four – Lardner Park (31.12.18)

The final day of Beyond the Valley continued the trend of an eclectic festival focussing on the enjoyment of all the participants with countless acts across multiple genres as electronic heavyweights Duke Dumont, Dom Dolla and Yotto stood alongside Indie rock juggernaut The Kooks and Australian sweethearts Ball Park Music. The final day hit the…

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Film Review: How To Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World (USA, 2019) is a fitting end to a coming of age saga

When Cressida Cowell’s book series How To Train Your Dragon was developed into a film, its success took the world by storm and spawned a number of television series, short films, video games and even live performance shows. Now the third, and final film installment has arrived with How To Train Your Dragon: The Hidden…

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Photo Gallery: Falls Festival (Day 3) ft. Chvrches, Amy Shark, Interpol, Jack River and more – Byron Bay (02.01.19)

Day 3 of the Falls Festival at Byron Bay featured Chvrches, Amy Shark, Interpol and Vance Joy. Toto had the crowd singing along to Africa, The Vaccines rocked and LPX – the side project of Lizzy Plapinger from MS MR delivered a truly joyous set. Other highlights included Bishop Briggs, Jack River and Tired Lion from…

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Live Review: Field Day delivers a great New Years Day celebration in Sydney’s Domain

On New Years Eve, parties at Watson’s Bay, the fireworks in the city and NYE In The Park festival divide Sydney party goers. However, on New Years Day there is no competition. Field Day at The Domain Is the best celebration in the city and arguably the country. Field Day hosts a huge electronic and hip hop lineup,…

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Book Review: Jacqueline Raposo’s The Me, Without is a self-help guide that subtracts the negative from the positive

In 2005 Nigel Marsh wrote Fat, Forty & Fired about his year embracing life away from the office. In some ways, Jacqueline Raposo’s The Me, Without: My Year on an Elimination Diet of Modern Conveniences is cut from the same cloth. Raposo’s book is both memoir and a case study into her failed life at…

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Photo Gallery: Falls Festival (Day 4) ft Bishop Briggs, TOTO, Catfish and the Bottlemen & more – Lorne (31.12.18)

The final day of the Lorne Falls Festival heralded in the New Year with an energetic performance by Catfish and the Bottlemen. During the day Odette entranced with beautiful tunes, Bishop Briggs snarled and prowled and there was a huge sing-a-long with Toto‘s perennial hit song “Africa”. John Goodridge was there for the AU Review…

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