Year: 2019

Melbourne International Documentary Film Festival Review: Boom! is a rocking trip along some sonic highways

Boom! A Film about the Sonics is a documentary that is cut from the same cloth as Searching for Sugar Man and Waiting: The Van Duren Story. You may not have heard about American group, The Sonics but chances are you’ve heard their influence through other people’s music. This film is an overwhelmingly positive one…

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Theatre Review: Tender Napalm will get in your face and under your skin

Tender Napalm is a dynamic play by English storyteller Philip Ridley bought to life in the Holden Street Theatre by Scuti Productions. Under the razor-sharp direction of Rachael Williams,  Man and Woman (played brilliantly by Mark Healy and Carol Lawton) act out a veritable storybook of fantastic tales. The set is simple, stark and effective….

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SNL alumni reunite as The Lonely Island play their first ever headline show in New York City

“The Year was 2005,” said former Saturday Night Live (SNL) star and head writer (now host of Late Night) Seth Meyers, as he reflected on his friends – and former SNL co-writers and stars, Andy Samberg, Jorma Taccone, and Akiva Schaffer, aka The Lonely Island – arrival on the infamous show. At first, the rest was…

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Photo Gallery: A look back at Bonnaroo Festival 2019 in Manchester, Tennessee

The AU Review traveled to the farm in Manchester, Tennessee for this year’s Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival. From Avett Brothers to Childish Gambino all the way to Maya Rudolph’s Prince tribute band, Princess, we were there for it all.

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Judgment Review: Shoeleather detective work

After almost 15 years of games buried deep in the criminal psyche, the Yakuza series makes an abrupt pivot to the other side of the law in Judgment, a spin-off title about a worn-down private detective working the mean streets of Kamurocho. A Japanese crime thriller with a few action and RPG aspects thrown in…

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Track of the Day: Chalk “The Sometimes Always” (2019)

It’s been twenty four years since Brisbane rockers Chalk last showcased any new music, so now, with their first full length album on the way, we’re stoked to be naming “The Sometimes Always” as our Track of the Day! A celebrated fixture of the Brisbane live music scene in the 90s, Chalk released a string of…

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Australian Premiere: Belgium’s Warhola releases “Look at Me” music video ft. Glints & Tessa Dixson

Released back in April, Belgian rising star Warhola‘s track “Look at Me” – taken from his album Young Loving and featuring Glints and Tessa Dixon – found itself added to playlists and best of lists around the world. And now today we’re excited to have the world exclusive premiere of the track’s music video. The…

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Live Review: Deborah Conway and Willy Zygier with The Men, Hamer Hall, Melbourne (16.06.19)

If you’ve wished to see the pinnacle of lyrical songwriting with a pragmatic twist, you definitely need to find yourself listening to an album of Deborah Conway. Alongside her long time partner, Willy Zygeir, the two have crafted some sensation works over the past twenty five years. Sunday night was an opportunity to hear these…

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Interview: Tricia Helfer on Battlestar Galactica‘s legacy, voiceover work, and pretend running and driving.

Canadian actress, Tricia Helfer is best known for her roles as Number Six in Ronald D. Moore’s re-imagined Battlestar Galactica series and Charlotte Richards/Mom in the newly-renewed series, Lucifer. She can also currently be seen playing Dracula in Syfy’s Van Helsing. I spoke to the former model-turned-actress while she was in Melbourne for Australia’s Ultimate Pop…

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Track of the Day: Mambali – “Yuwani” ft. Emily Wurrumara (2019)

There is a treasure-trove of music from our First Nations’ people. Mambali are well known for fusing traditional cultural songs and rhythms, with contemporary sounds and beats. One of the more recent emerging talents is Emily Wurrumara, so it’s a delight to see a collaboration here between the traditional sounds of Mambali and the fresh voice…

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Cadence of Hyrule Review: Face the music

Listen, if you haven’t played Crypt of the NecroDancer then I think you should remedy this right away. One of the most enjoyable and inventive roguelike titles released in the last five years, NecroDancer married rhythm games with dungeon delving in a way that hooks the player and won’t let them go. It borrowed the…

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Megan Evans takes home 2019 Footscray Art Prize

PARLOUR, a powerful photograph that examines the impact of colonialisation on identity, was chosen from from over 800 entries, and scores its creator, interdisciplinary artist Megan Evans, a $10,000 prize. The judging panel, made up of ACMI’s Katrina Sedgwick, ACCA’s Hannah Presley and VCA’s Raafat Ishak, selected Evans’ work from a shortlist of 33 works, spread…

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Sydney’s newest Italian cafe is letting Nonnas eat for free

The team behind the seductively playful QT Sydney have recently overhauled the hotel’s street-level diner and transformed it into the city’s newest Italian eatery, Parlour Cucina. Inspired by the café scene in Milan during the 1960’s, the space moves away from the beloved Parlour Lane Roasters and onto something entirely dedicated to traditional, uncomplicated Italian…

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Void Bastards Review: Across the universe (for crime)

Void Bastards is an independent space shooter produced by Blue Manchu, a studio based right here in Aus. While it borrows liberally from numerous science fiction games, it shares a great deal of conceptual space with roguelikes in the vein of FTL. Indeed, if one were so inclined, it would be easy to view Void…

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Exclusive Premiere: Nikkita Ra “747” (2019)

From the ashes of the riotous girl-squad She Rex, their front woman Nikkita Ra has emerged to forge her own solo career. We are delighted today to have the Exclusive Premiere of her second single and it’s accompanying video, “747”. The song ls a lovely lush dreamy track. You can put on your dancing shoes,…

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Photo Gallery: Deborah Conway + Willy Zygeir, Hamer Hall, Melbourne (16.06.19)

Deborah Conway and Willy Zygeir were a masterclass of Australian music as they crossed over The Words Of Men and Bitch Epic at Hamer Hall over the weekend.

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Sydney Film Festival Review: The Chills: The Triumph & Tragedy of Martin Phillipps is a love letter to a brave, post-punk poet

Martin Phillipps is a brave, post-punk poet. The leader of the New Zealand band, The Chills has had a long and varied career writing heavenly pop tunes that are filled with dark undercurrents. The Chills: The Triumph and Tragedy of Martin Phillipps is a revealing look at an eccentric protagonist in his own tragicomic story….

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Track of the Day: Common Feat Dwele & Daniel Ceaser “HER Love” (2019)

Flipping his 1994 classic “I Used to Love H.E.R”, Chicago emcee Common has decided to hype his forthcoming album Let Love Have The Last Word with “HER Love”. A sequel to one of hip hop’s most treasured concept cuts, the soulful ode to culture has Common rhyming over a previously unheard J Dilla beat, broken…

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Film Review: Toy Story 4 tailors its heart and humour to audiences across the board

If you’ve asked yourself why Disney and Pixar bothered making Toy Story 4, you are not alone. With 2010’s Toy Story 3 serving as the perfect ending to the series, this fourth go-around felt more like a cash-grab than an organic continuation, and though the series as a whole has been that rare breed of…

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Bonnaroo Day 4: Brandi Carlile’s set was so good, the Mayor gave her the keys to the freakin’ city

Sunday marked the end of Bonnaroo and the blistering heat and weathered faces of those in attendance made the freezing temps of day one seem like ages had passed. But the sun and lack of shade didn’t keep the thousands of fans from winding down Bonnaroo with an eclectic mix of headliners ranging from American…

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Sloan Peterson, Lola Scott and Pearl the Girl coming to the Oxford Art Factory

We are excited to have the Exclusive announcement today that three very exciting women in Sydney’s music scene are coming to the Oxford Art Factory on August 10th. Sloan Peterson is the headliner of this all-girl affair. She has been working on a new album and has recently released the catchy track Here. Sloan recently…

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Live Review: Yeasayer take Erotic Reruns on the road in North America

On Saturday night, New York trio Yeasayer hit Toronto, Canada for the third date of their Erotic Reruns North American tour – celebrating the group’s fifth full length record of the same name. Along the ride for the first few weeks of this tour are Olympia based outfit Oh, Rose. The Washington quartet reeked of beauty;…

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Review: Buffalo’s Albright-Knox Gallery Rockin’ 2019 ft. Death Cab For Cutie + Tank and the Bangas + Phosphorescent + Mom Said No (16.06.19)

Out the front of the Albright-Knox Art Gallery in Buffalo, New York, is held an annual concert series, “Rockin’ at the Knox”. With artists like Beck, Collective Soul and Hollerado playing the event in recent years, it attracts an eclectic lineup of performances to say the least. This year was no exception, with yesterday’s event…

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Track of the Day: All The Colours “Tear It Down” (2019)

All The Colours are barking into the latter half of 2019 with the lo-fi grumble of “Tear It Down”. The Melbourne trio’s penchant for injecting moody, rich textures into classic garage alt-rock is as vital as ever on this new single, which features a hefty list of credits having been produced by Grizzly Bear’s Chris…

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Exclusive Premiere: Stephanie Penrose “Don’t Make It Easy” (2019)

I don’t know about you, but I’m already ready for Friday. Luckily we’ve got a great remedy to get you through Hump Day – an exclusive look at the latest single from Stephanie Penrose! “Don’t Make It Easy” is the second track from the Tamworth singer, who once dreamed of becoming an Olympic equestrian before…

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Interview: Tyne-James Organ (AUS) on his latest single, teasing his EP and his influences.

Tyne-James Organ is a Wollongong singer-songwriter who YouTube named as one of their ten ‘Artists To Watch’ for 2019. And rightfully so – this 22-year-old has been making waves online, amassing an impressive YouTube following from uploading stunning covers and collaborating with musicians Allday and Mallrat to name a few. Currently touring around the nation in…

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Theatre Review: Things I Know to be True will leave you shaken and amazed

A word of advice about Things I Know to be True – do not read any reviews about this play. Just see it. Immediately, if not sooner. Do not risk any twist, turn or roundabout being ruined for you. Having said that, here’s my thoughts. I went into this play with no expectations, having heard…

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Sydney Film Festival Review: XY Chelsea is barely the first chapter in Manning’s story

You get the sense that the stage was set for a great documentary about Chelsea Manning. It was May 2017 when the former US army soldier and intelligence analyst had her sentence commuted by President Barack Obama. She also granted a documentary film crew unfettered access to her life. And yet what follows is a…

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Live Review: Polish Club + Dulcie + Approachable Members of Your Local Community – Manning Bar, Sydney (15.06.19)

There’d almost be nothing as satisfying for a band than releasing one of the year’s best releases to only follow it up with a sold out home town show just weeks later. For Sydney two piece Polish Club, this is exactly what they’ve managed to do in the past month. Playing to a loyal and…

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Photo Gallery: Barunga Festival (The Music) – NT (07-09.06.19)

This years edition of the Barunga Festival had as always a very strong lineup of First Nations musicians and close friends. As with the last couple of years Justine Clarke has worked with the local kids for their moment of fame on the main stage. This year with the aid of Serina Pech, they produced a…

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