Year: 2019

Live Review: Hilltop Hoods close Splendour In The Grass, Day Three, Byron Bay, (21.07.19)

Splendour In The Grass’ final day of performances saw the acts wind down and a softer mood take over the festival. Folk performances were aplenty with Matt Corby and The Lumineers putting together some incredible moments, intermingling with the raucous energy of masterful performances by SZA and Hilltop Hoods. Of course, the day was haunted…

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Live Review: Spin Off Festival – Adelaide Showgrounds (19.07.19)

Adelaide played host to the Spin Off Festival, the annual mini-Splendour event which featured headliner Childish Gambino, alongside an impressive lineup of international and local acts. The one-day festival took place at the Adelaide Showgrounds on what turned out to be a sunny Friday for Adelaide in winter. The event tried a new set-up this…

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Spotify now has a dedicated Disney hub for classics, Marvel and Star Wars

Disney-loving streamers using Spotify have some pretty nostalgic listening sessions ahead of them, as Spotify launches a dedicated “Disney Hub”. Created in response to the increasing popularity of Disney tunes on the service, the new list of curated playlists within Spotify was launched just last week from a partnership between the two companies. Just this…

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This Bondi hotel is giving guests the chance to live like an “Instagram influencer’

Are you an Instagram influencer? If you answered yes to that question, then that’s probably a no. Not that it matters though, especially since for the next two months sun-kissed hotel QT Bondi are committed to treating all guests like VIP influencers, irrespective of how many followers they have on the ‘gram. It’s no secret…

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Book Review: Bindy Pritchard’s Fabulous Lives offers a series of rich vignettes from a motley crew of characters

A suburban family finds a prehistoric egg. A lonely woman aids a fallen angel. An American woman plots to take the Parisian honey industry by storm. These are just a few of the moments captured in Bindy Pritchard‘s stunning short story collection Fabulous Lives. Curious, yet always relatable, Pritchard’s vignettes are filled with the sort of…

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Track of the Day: Sampa the Great “OMG” (2019)

Exploring the idea of home through her African heritage has evidently given Sampa the Great a whole new burst of creative energy, because “OMG” (along with preceding single “Final Form”, which shares a Sylvers sample with Ghostface Killah’s “Be Easy”) represents the emcee’s finest work to date. Lifted from her forthcoming album The Return, due…

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Photo Gallery: Splendour in the Grass – Byron Bay, Day 2 (20.07.19)

The second day of Splendour in the Grass is underway with another glorious day and plenty of music to keep everyone entertained. Check out this gallery of Wolf Alice, Dean Lewis, Catfish and the Bottlemen and much, much more. John Goodridge was on the ground to bring these images.

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Photo Gallery: Spin Off Festival – Adelaide Showgrounds (19.07.19)

Adelaide’s Splendour In The Grass side festival Spin Off grew to a whole new level in 2019 with an amazing line up featuring Catfish and the Bottlemen, Wolf Alice, Ballpark Music, Ocean Alley, Hockey Dad, Mallrat, Kwame and Ruby Fields. Kerrie Geier was there to take some snaps for the AU review.  

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Live Review: Childish Gambino nourished our spirits – Splendour In The Grass, Day Two (20.07.19)

After the high spirit opening day of Splendour In The Grass’, its second had a lot to live up to. Of course, this was no problem with a line-up that would be the envy of most other festivals in Australia. While a minority of the crowd skulked through the gates, looking a bit rougher around…

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Live Review: Maribou State + Swooping Duck – Forum Theatre, Melbourne (18.07.19)

Completing their run of Splendour slideshows before their inevitable super set on Saturday, Maribou State put on a brilliant set for those unfortunate enough to miss out on the festival action over the weekend. The London duo used the evening to stamp their quality as they melded live instrumentation with some golden production work. While…

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Splendour Interview: Odette (AUS) on her SITG debut, poetry and James Blake

Odette is an ephemeral angel, quite frankly. Both in performance and in person. Her debut Splendour performance was just that, with transcending lighting states and dance moves that sent the crowd to another planet. Currently on-site at Splendour, The AU Review chatted to her ahead of her set to see how those debut-nerves are doing….

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Splendour Interview: Meg Mac (AUS) on her SITG surprises, Hope and collaborating

Meg Mac drew one of the largest crowds to the G.W. McLennan tent at Splendour In The Grass: Day One (check out our review: HERE) Dressed in all-white with her now iconic wide-brimmed hat, her sun-down performance echoed around the festival as she played her tracks from the early days to now. We got the chance…

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Flight Review: Business Class from Melbourne to Hong Kong with Virgin Australia (VA69)

This month marks the one year anniversary of the debut of the Sydney to Hong Kong Route – the maiden flight of which we were very excited to be a part of. So how have Virgin’s flights to Hong Kong changed in that time? We started further south this time around, and flew Business Class…

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It’s better where it’s wetter: New York City’s newest attractions are perched by its rivers

When I think of New York City, I think of a bright concrete jungle with the famous Central Park at its epicentre. But in recent years, the city has been pushing its hotspots out closer to its rivers – the Hudson River on its West between Manhattan and New Jersey, and the East River, between…

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My Friend Pedro Review: Tony Hawk’s Pro Shooter

My Friend Pedro plays almost exactly like an old Xbox game called Total Overdose, which is to say that it sits somewhere between Max Payne and Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater. It’s a game about stylish murder, one that teaches you to look for ways to make the most of your carnage. It rewards effective play,…

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Chance the Rapper cancels headline set at Splendour in the Grass

Due to headline Splendour in the Grass on the festival’s final day, Chicago emcee Chance the Rapper has unfortunately been forced to cancel on his highly anticipated headlining set. Citing illness, the rapper hasn’t even been able to board the flight to Australia. News that will no doubt put a huge disappointment for fans who…

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Photo Gallery: Splendour in the Grass, Byron Bay, Day 1 (19.07.19)

What a beautiful sunny day to start the three day Splendour in the Grass music festival in Byron Bay. With stellar performances from the likes of Tame Impala, Foals, Broods, and Wolfmother, there was something for everyone. John Goodridge was there to bring you these photos.  

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Splendour Interview: KAIIT (AUS) on her SITG debut, manifesting and thrift shopping

KAIIT is a 21-year-old R&B protegé currently based in Melbourne, but making some serious waves across the nation. Her debut EP Live From Her Room has garnered her an incredible amount of attention and even landed her the Unpublished award at the 2019 Vanda & Young Global Songwriting Competition. At such a young age, this performer appears well…

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Live Review: Splendour In The Grass 2019, Day One, North Byron Parklands, (19.07.19)

After selling over 40,000 tickets this year – a sell out, as always – Splendour in the Grass led up to headliners Tame Impala with a string of stunning performances by both international and Aussie acts. A testament to how strong the festival’s curation has gotten, those strictly in it for the love of live…

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Theatre Review: Come From Away arrives in Melbourne for a night of endless fun and laughs

This Canadian musical kicked off in Ontario back in 2013 before finally making its way to Broadway in 2017. Now, in 2019, the town of Gander has landed in Melbourne for its Australian premiere at the Comedy Theatre. Come From Away takes place in the week following the 9/11 attacks, where 38 planes and almost…

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Photo Gallery: Little Simz – Factory Theatre, Sydney (18.07.19)

English rapper Little Simz brought her Splendour In The Grass sideshow to The Factory Theatre in Sydney last night treating he audience to a powerful delivery of tracks from her new album GREY Area and more. Belinda Dipalo was there to bring you these photos.    

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Live Review: An Evening With The Punch Brothers – State Theatre, Melbourne, (16.07.19)

While Australia fancies in the upcoming Splendour In The Grass and the indie/pop music it brings with it, folk guns and Grammy award winners; The Punch Brothers have snuck in under the radar to put on a memorable evening. The group made up of mandolinist Chris Thile, guitarist Chris Eldridge, banjoist Noam Pikelny, double bassist…

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Photo Gallery: Wolf Alice + Green Buzzard – The Lansdowne, Sydney (17.07.19)

Wolf Alice are in the country for Splendour in the Grass, and played 2 intimate shows as a warm up, one each in Sydney and Melbourne. We were lucky enough to be at the Sydney show at The Lansdowne Hotel and it was an incredible night. Green Buzzard opened proceedings and kept the crowds attention, not an…

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Book Review: The Oremere Chronicles draws to a close with Helen Scheuerer’s action packed War of Mist

After a terrifying clash with the enemy in the Havennesse mountains, our gang of rebels and Valian warriors have headed back to Queen Eydis’ castle to regroup and plan for the war ahead. But with Bleak’s head still reeling from revelations about her past, and the captive they planned to use as leverage against Ines…

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Exclusive Video Premiere: 3SIDEZ “Something About Mary” (2019)

Today we have the exclusive video premiere of an exciting hip hop artist from Adelaide, 3SIDEZ, illustrating his latest single “Something About Mary”. Adventurous and soulful, he blends various genres into his hip hop, delivering an ecelectic and certainly very infectious style. “Something About Mary” has a really lovely upbeat groove running through it, with…

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Track of the Day: Anna Smyrk “Home” (2019)

The second single from singer-songwriter Anna Smyrk‘s sophomore EP, “Home” combines stunning vocals with a haunting, almost folkloric sound. It’s a glorious piece of musical storytelling, and we’re so excited to be naming it as our final Track of the Day for the week! From growing up on a Central Victoria lavender farm, to two…

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How to make the most of a weekend getaway to Brisbane

While it is cooler in the southern parts of the country, Brisbane is boasting sunny skies and warmer weather, making it an attractive option for a weekend getaway. Though it’s not just the climate putting the city on our radar for a weekend trip this August. Now it’s for the city’s booming art scene and…

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Track of the Day: Midas.Gold Feat. Boy Graduate “The Mood” (2019)

We’ve been anxiously waiting to see what’s next for one of Australian hip hop’s brightest stars, Midas.Gold, following last year’s huge two-step infused single “Passions”. Turns out it’s pushing away from the electronic waves of previous work and moving more towards contemporary hip-hop. Employing heavy use of auto-tuned effects and a spaced out production, Midas…

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Here are all the guests coming to the 2019 Melbourne Documentary Film Festival

The Melbourne Documentary Film Festival kicks off tomorrow at Cinema Nova and Backlot, and along with it will come an impressive list of special guests. Running from the 19th to the 30th, they’ll be in town to present their films, and you can get all the details of when and where you can see the…

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Melbourne Documentary Film Festival Review: Waiting: The Van Duren Story (Australia, 2019) is a touching film about your new favourite artist

The name “Van Duren” may not mean much to most people. But to Greg Carey and Wade Jackson this Memphis musician is king. The pair went on a journey to discover more about this artist. The result, Waiting: The Van Duren Story is like Searching for Sugar Man, because it sees some fans searching for…

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