Month: March 2019

Exclusive Video Premiere: Colin Lillie “Human Kind of Life” (2019)

Colin Lillie hasn’t taken the conventional path, but he has certainly taken an interesting one. The Northern Territory-based Scotsman has lived a torrid life well. It wasn’t until he reached his mid-thirties that he started to share his songs with the world, and his award winning album Glass Homes was released in 2016. 2018 proved…

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Track of the Day: The Oogars “Scream” (2019)

Earlier this month Gold Coast quartet The Oogars released their debut single “Scream”, on ode to embracing those moments that matter, and to stop wasting your time on things and people that just aren’t worth your time or attention. With a delightful blend of surf pop and doo wop “Scream”, is bright, fresh and unabashedly…

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Live Review: “Not a single scooter anywhere the eye can see” at the Revival Experience outside of SXSW

Earlier this month, I was invited along to an impressively pitched day party / festival / experience called the “Revival Experience“, about an hour out of Austin during SXSW. Curated by Matthew Logan Vasquez of Delta Spirit, the event took place in Dripping Springs, Texas, at a place called “Camp Lucy”, and promised a VIP…

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Hotel Review: Peppers King Square beats fast in the heart of Perth

On the Western edge of Perth’s densely packed CBD, opposite the vibrant piazza of Kings Square, and a short walk from the nightclub lined streets of Northbridge and Perth’s busy RAC Arena, stands the modest Peppers Kings Square. It’s a hotel that boasts an enviable, dynamic location and has a lot to offer guests and…

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Flight Review: Delta Air Lines – Los Angeles to Sydney (DL41)

US airline Delta has been delivering daily service between Sydney and LAX since 2009, around the same time that “V Australia” – Virgin Australia’s then international brand – was introduced to the same route. The competitors then partnered up in late 2011, with each airline offering codeshare on the trans-Pacific route. This allowed for seamless…

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Theatre Review: Muriel’s Wedding is a colourful celebration of the Australian way of life (Melbourne)

The 1994 motion picture Muriel’s Wedding, written and directed by PJ Hogan, thrust stars Toni Collette and Rachel Griffiths to International stardom and instantly became an Australian cult classic. Grossing an equivalent of AU$117 million, today, even those unfamiliar with its origins know its iconic quotes. Now adapted into a humorous, smart and colourful stage…

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Live Review: Fergus James makes Melbourne headline debut as he packs out The Workers Club

After debuting his first singles “Golden Age” and  “What Are We Waiting For”, the young streaming rising star Fergus James has already taken crowds by storm. Fitzroy’s very own Workers Club was fortunate enough to host his first ever Melbourne headline show. After packing out the intimate Workers Club Bandroom, he started off the night…

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Watch Grammy winner Brandi Carlile and Handmaid’s Tale‘s Elisabeth Moss fan over each other at SXSW

Watching Grammy winning singer-songwriter Brandi Carlile interview Emmy Award-winning actress Elisabeth Moss (The Handmaid’s Tale) earlier this month at SXSW was like watching two fans gush over each other in front of a packed auditorium. These are two artists who have immense respect and adoration for each other, and they came together on this stage after…

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Hotel Review: Courtyard by Marriott’s newest location in Downtown El Paso thrives with comfort (Texas)

Set in the heart of Downtown El Paso, and having just opened up mid last year, is the new hotel and convention centre from Courtyard by Marriott. Sitting in a hub of museums and just around the corner from the El Paso train station, the 9 floor hotel boasts a stunning outdoor pool that overlooks…

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Kim Dickens and the crew behind The Highwaymen talk about the 15 years it took to bring this story to our screens

We hit the red carpet earlier this month to meet the cast and crew behind the brand new Netflix original film The Highwaymen. Some 15 years in the making, the film’s writer John Fusco, actress Kim Dickens (Fear The Walking Dead), Producer Casey Silver and Director John Lee Hancock, reflect on the journey to bring the film to our…

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SXSW Interview: Jarryd James talks about “Slow Motion”; “I spend a lot of time by myself in weird places”

Earlier this month, Larry Heath had the chance to sit down with Aussie singer/songwriter Jarryd James ahead of his performance at Australia House as part of The Aussie BBQ during SXSW. During our chat, Jarryd talked about the craziness of the event, playing the Neon Gold Showcase, about how wonderful Lizzy Plapinger from MS MR is….

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Track of the Day: Tess Guthrie “WUTO” (2019)

An alumnus of the Push Songs program, Melbourne based Tess Guthrie’s first single “WUTO” (Were You the One?) is a killer blend of honest lyrics, raw emotion, and stunning vocals. Citing Jeff Buckley, Eva Cassidy, and recent SXSW Grulke Prize winner Angie MacMahon as influences, Tess built her sound in beachside venues along the Surf Coast,…

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SXSW Interview: Fatai (Australia) talks taking the “Road Less Travelled” in the Chicago Blues scene

I first sat down with Australian artist Fatai at SXSW 2018, where we spoke about her making her SXSW debut and getting comfortable in Chicago – the US city she calls home. Fast forward a year and the artist has returned to SXSW, with a brand new single “Road Less Traveled” in tow, and a…

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SXSW Interview: Sam Fender (UK) on starting conversations with his music and Splendour in the Grass rumours

One of our favourite artists at the AU over the last year or so has been rising UK star Sam Fender (he even came in at number two on our best track of 2018 list). And though he has yet to come to Australia, earlier this month he made his debut at Australia House at…

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Book Review: Zoë Foster Blake’s Love! gives us a fresh and modern perspective on matters of the heart

Relationship advisor Zoë Foster Blake takes us on an enthusiastic journey through matters of the heart and offers a fresh perspective in her new reference guide: Love! The book offers hints, solutions and ideas on how to deal with many of the issues us women experience when dating, whilst also giving some insight into why we…

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Flight Review: WestJet Encore – Vancouver to Kelowna (WS3320)

There are a string of new budget carriers popping up in Canada, but the two major players in the market remain Westjet and Air Canada; with each airline placing the “Encore” and “Express” brands alongside some of their shorter routes. Towards the end of last year, I tried out the service from WestJet Encore, on…

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Film Review: Fighting With My Family (UK, 2019) is a satisfying crowd-pleaser that will wrestle your funnybone as well as your heart

Based on a true story (well-documented in the Channel 4 documentary The Wrestlers: Fighting with My Family), born into a tight-knit wrestling family, Paige (Florence Pugh) and her brother Zak (Jack Lowden) are ecstatic when they get the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to try out for the WWE. But when only Paige earns a spot in the…

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PAX Aus 2019 tickets go on sale tomorrow

We’ve known for a while that PAX Australia, the nation’s biggest gaming convention, will return to the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre for its seventh consecutive year. However, in a break from previous years, the show will shift slightly from its traditional late-October slot to the middle of the month. The show’s new dates are…

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Album of the Week: Brendan Maclean’s debut album And the Boyfriends (2019) has depth and soul

Brendan Maclean has had a varied career in film and music, from starring alongside Marcia Hines in the cabaret show Velvet in the 2015 Adelaide Fringe, to well known Triple J radio presenter for many years and to having his sexually explicit 2015 video to “House of Air” being banned by Youtube. So after several…

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Photo Gallery: The Magic Numbers + BATTS – Corner Hotel, Melbourne (22.03.19)

UK indie outfit The Magic Numbers returned to Melbourne this week playing songs off their new album Outsiders, for the first time since 2010. Supported by BATTS and Nat Vazer, this was an all round excellent night of indie rock. The band have one remaining tour date in Australia this week: Tuesday March 27th at Capitol in…

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Theatre Review: Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour’s West Side Story proves that thunder & rainbows only happen when it’s raining

It was Wet Side Story at Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour on Friday night. Leonard Bernstein’s Broadway classic was an emotionally-charged and important affair. It may have been over 60 years since this musical first premiered in the States, but its themes and feel remain as fresh and resonant as ever. This production is the…

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Festival Review: Wine Machine proves a long and deflating day in the Hunter Valley

After a drizzly week in Sydney, the skies miraculously cleared for a radiant Wine Machine day at the Roche Estate in the Hunter Valley. Little did upbeat punters know, Mother Nature was planning to absolutely blindside them with a literal show-stopping electrical storm in the evening to come. Hold on to your ponchos because this…

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Photo Gallery: Charlie Collins + Andy Golledge + Tilda – Lansdowne Hotel, Sydney (22.03.19)

Supported by Tilda and Andy Golledge, Charlie Colins performed at The Lansdowne Hotel in Sydney on Friday night. Belinda Dipalo was there to bring you these photos

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How a mutual love of Led Zeppelin brought this musician and filmmaker together for Mr. Jimmy

While at SXSW, I sat down with Director Peter Michael Dowd to talk about his new documentary Mr. Jimmy, about Japanese musician Akio Sakurai (aka Mr. Jimmy) who has modeled himself after the legendary Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin. We were joined at the interview by the subject himself, as we found out how the pair…

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Hotel Review: Shangri-La’s twin towers stand stately over Bangkok’s Chao Praya

I can’t take my eyes off the bedhead in my Deluxe River View Room. First my phone scans it – vertically and horizontally (because social media demands both orientations now) – and then my eyes. I’m mesmerised. The scene of gold, Elephants and gods painted across dark wooden panels, is the most striking feature of…

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Flight Review: How does Malindo Air compare on the Kuala Lumpur to Singapore route? (OD805)

Prior to this, I have never heard of anyone flying Malindo Air and I’ve only ever seen anything about the airline on billboard adverts scattered around Kuala Lumpur. I fly the KL to Singapore route a lot with other airlines, so how does Malindo compare to the likes of Jetstar, Singapore Airlines or Air Asia?…

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Album Review: Flume – Hi This Is Flume (Mixtape) (2019)

With only 24 hours notice, veteran Flume dropped a 17 track mixtape with full accompanying visuals on Australian label, Future Classic.  Hi This Is Flume (Mixtape) will be one of the most important releases of the year and reminds us that Flume is an artist but also a visionary. Breaking his two year silence, Flume and…

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Photo Gallery: West Side Story Opening Night, Sydney (22.03.19)

Celebrities and guests walked the red carpet for the opening night of Handa Opera’s West Side Story currently playing at Mrs Macquaries Point in Sydney Harbour, until 21st April 2019. For tickets and more details, head HERE.

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Film Review: Hotel Mumbai (Australia, 2019) is an intense but humane, white-knuckle thriller

Adapting tragic events of the world to the cinema screen can be a very risky proposition. There are many ways to get it wrong and very few ways to get it right. The wrong ways can lead the film to be considered exploitative, cheap, insulting, xenophobic and even laughable. It would also depend on the…

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Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice Review: Difficult in a different way

The more of them I play, the more I’ve come to understand that From Software’s catalogue of games are not for me. My Souls-loving friends assure me there will be a moment of clarity, a a beautiful instant suspended in time where the final piece of the Souls puzzle snaps into place. In that moment, they say…

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