We are thrilled to close out the week with the video premiere of “Grateful” from singer/songwriter Patrick James. A song born perhaps from the bleakness of Covid, it is a positive reflection of all those things we are grateful for. James has been carving out a name for himself for the last decade or so….
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The latest PlayStation State of Play broadcast spotlit Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, the PS5’s first truly huge exclusive. The 16-minute gameplay trailer gives a clear idea of what Insomniac’s vision for the game is, who Rivet the mysterious female Lombax is, and how the game uses the PS5’s hardware to best effect. Spectacle seems…
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“Action-capable hero seeks revenge following the murder of his wife” is one generic genre outline that many an action film has adhered to. And whilst Tom Clancy’s Without Remorse (as it’s being touted) is a film stocked with considerable talent who all deserve better than such a configuration afforded, their combined efforts can’t exactly lift…
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Charlie Collins has today released the video for her emotive new single, “Fuck It”. The track deals with a difficult break-up that has become public. More about the background to the track later, as Charlie has given the AU an exclusive insight into the story behind the song. The video was directed by Madeline Purdy…
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It’s every parent’s desire for their children to start reading from an early age. The number of literate children aged 5-24 has been increasing since 1985. A lot of headway has been made since then and to continue with this trend, we need to encourage children to read more. In a world filled with gadgets…
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Julia Stone‘s keenly anticipated latest studio album Sixty Summers is out on Friday, teaming up with producer Thomas Bartlett and St Vincent aka Annie Clark, along with cameos from The National‘s Matt Berninger plus Hollywood stars Susan Sarandon and Danny Glover. Stone’s latest LP, which comes nine years after her previous solo album – 2012’s…
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Singer-songwriter, campaigner, and national treasure Archie Roach has re-packaged his acclaimed memoir Tell Me Why for a young adult readership. Whilst it’s an abridged version, it’s no less inspirational, and contained not only his voice and story, but the stories and voices of many other Elders, as well as young people. Roach was taken away from his family…
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After making a name for himself in the late 90’s/early 2000’s with his distinct brand of British gangster villainy, writer/director Guy Ritchie seemed to trade in authenticity for capital. The success of such studio projects as Sherlock Holmes and Aladdin seemed to gradually distance Ritchie from his more unkempt beginnings, before 2019’s The Gentlemen seemingly…
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Set in 1820’s Northwest, First Cow tells the story of two travellers. The first being Otis “Cookie” Figowitz (John Magaro), a taciturn chef who is travelling with a group of fur trappers. The second being King-Lu (Orion Lee), a Chinese immigrant on the run for killing a Russian man. The two eventually become friends over…
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SAYAH has returned after a two-year hiatus with her latest single, “Fruit” – a collaboration with Sydney producer Taka Perry about a toxic ‘situationship’ she found herself in a few years back. The track is a pop bop that plays on the duality of wanting someone and getting them out of her life. Taka brings an…
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Every good road trip needs a playlist that tracks the highs and lows of the trip. From those opening hours where excitement reigns, to the middle hours where the enthusiasm ebbs and flows, before picking itself up again just as the trip reaches its culmination. For girl in red, it’s these road trips that helped…
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The 2021 shortlist for the Women’s Prize for Fiction has been announced at a virtual event overnight. This year’s shortlist is one for the newcomers, with none of the six shortlisted authors having been previously shortlisted for the Prize. The six strong shortlist, which was selected by Chair of judges, Bernardine Evaristo and her judging panel…
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The winners of this year’s ABIAs (Australian Book Industry Awards) were announced at Carriageworks in Sydney as part of the Sydney Writers’ Festival this evening in a hybrid online and in-person event. Julia Baird took out the top award for Book of the Year for her non-fiction release Phosphorescence, described by guest presenter Cate Blanchett…
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If you want to find out what the real Mississippi blues sounds like, take a listen to Cedric Burnside. He is the real deal, with a blue-blood pedigree behind him. The grandson of the great R.L. Burnside, Cedric is on the cusp of releasing a new album, I Be Trying, which is just the tonic after…
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Satirical without ever being savage, YouthMin adopts a cringeworthy mockumentary style of approach to its narrative, bringing to mind the same uncomfortable comedy that made The Office such fascinating viewing. Whilst its thematics of being primarily raised in the protestant church and the subsequent camps that came with such faith is more likely to resonate…
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Brisbane rockers Concrete Surfers have just released their latest banger, “Driving”. With howling vocals, ripping guitars and a knock-out beat, this is a kick-arse tune. The song examines how we manage the challenges which we face daily. This is classic garage rock. They are a band with a purpose, using their hard-hitting rock prowess, and…
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This Friday marks the release of Manchester Orchestra‘s 6th Studio Album, the highly anticipated The Million Masks of God. You may have already heard the single “Bed Head”, watched the concert film (you’ll see the both later down this article), or even watched the video for the beautiful “Telepath”, which was released yesterday. Ahead of…
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Indigenous hip-hop artist Eskatology hails from Adelaide and has been steadily making his mark in the Australian hip-hop scene. We are thrilled today to have the premiere of his latest track, “Good Trouble”, which features the killer vocals of soul legend, Steve Clisby. If you are in Adelaide, there is a show at Zhivago this…
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The teen-centric, modernised adaptation of classic literature is a road travelled before throughout cinema. Jane Austen’s Emma was revamped for the Valley girl-focused Clueless; Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew was the basis for Heath Ledger’s taming of Julia Stiles in 10 Things I Hate About You, and, however surprising it may be, Christopher Nolan’s The Dark…
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When Pastor Vern and the Gifts of the Spirit Church bring rain to Peaches, the drought-stricken townsfolk can’t embrace their saviours fast enough. But, as the drought drags on, and her mother is banished, fourteen year old Lacey May begins to question her role in the church that holds such a grip on the Californian…
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Hot off the heels of releasing her latest single “I’ll Be Lonely”, we caught up with Australian singer/songwriter Layla Kay. Kay has just returned to Australia amidst the Covid-19 Pandemic, after spending three years in the UK. While in quarantine, we spoke about what it’s been like returning home, writing her aptly named single while…
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As much as The Oak Room‘s narrative basis of “A man walks into a bar…” sounds like a gag set up, Cody Calahan‘s slow burning thriller is anything but a humorous punchline. The man walking into said bar is Steve (RJ Mitte), a prodigal son of a small Canadian town who, as we learn through…
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Yb. is Brisbane’s next big thing. And considering the track record of the city, he’s about to be huge. The recent writing rooms and nods of industry are a testament to his trajectory, with Touch Sensitive, Winston Surfshirt and Stevan all jumping at the chance to collaborate and the likes of Tom Misch sliding into his…
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With Nomadland having just earned Academy Award accolades as the Best Picture of 2020, a film like Land being released is curious timing. It’ll inevitably be compared to Chloe Zhao’s inward masterpiece and, in its own way, it’s something of a more digestible, audience friendly take on the narrative of finding yourself in the wilderness. The…
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Laura Bates is an author, educator and the founder of the Everyday Sexism Project. In interviews she states that she’s witnessed a change in the young men she’s been teaching; and that she has more hostility and resistance to her lessons about feminism and sexism. In identifying this, she had the kernels of an idea…
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Someone really didn’t want Northeast Party House‘s (NEPH) Perth Factory Festival show to happen. The gig was rescheduled four times due to COVID-19 restrictions, eventually going ahead in the shadow of Perth going into lockdown at midnight that evening. But the party went ahead, with NEPH hitting the stage at 9:30pm, two-and-a-half hours before Perth’s…
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Arriving off the back of a successful run at the Adelaide Fringe, A Flying Photon at Giant Dwarf in Sydney is science, with a twist. The twist being – it’s actually interesting. We are introduced to Rachel Rayner, Science Explainer, who is a ‘science communicator, poet and performer’. With a background in physics, Rayner begins…
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It Takes Two is a charming, cooperative adventure game by Hazelight Studios. The game centers on Cody and Mae, an estranged couple beaten down by the complexities of their unfulfilling lives. Their dreams, individually and together, are unrealised. The passion of their early relationship is long extinguished. The slim thread that has kept their relationship…
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Stumps played a pair of sold-out shows at the Lansdowne this weekend. In a strong lineup, they were supported by Kitschen Boy and The Grenade Jumper Band. The band was on a high, after a long wait for these rescheduled shows to take place. I’ve seen the band live a few times now, and each…
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With Mother’s Day coming up, the inevitable choice anxiety is starting to settle in. “Mother’s Day Gift Guide” is frantically being searched on Google in the hopes that dependable publishers will sort through the product bog and serve up some curated suggestions. We aren’t sitting this one out at the AU review. Here’s our annual…
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