Month: December 2021

Film Review: The French Dispatch is Wes Anderson at his self-effacing and extravagant best

The French Dispatch tells a series of stories through a framework of a newspaper publication known as The French Dispatch. The framework begins with the death of Arthur Howitzer Jr. (Bill Murray), the editor of said publication and we follow the stories of the final farewell issue; which consists of three major articles, a minor…

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Halo Infinite Single-Player Campaign Review: Welcome back Chief

On this, the 20th anniversary of the franchise and the Xbox platform as a whole, Halo has sparked many questions in the minds of its fans. Has the series run its course? Is the Master Chief a relevant hero for the modern age? Can such a dated franchise really exist without pushing new boundaries? Well…

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WA gets Out Of The Woods with Angus & Julia Stone, Ball Park Music, The Jungle Giants and more

As Western Australia prepares to open up to the rest of the country, Macro Music has announced the Out Of The Woods festival in Busselton in the state’s south-west region for April featuring Angus & Julia Stone, Ball Park Music, The Jungle Giants and Hot Dub Time Machine. The two-day festival, scheduled to run on…

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Here’s where and when you can watch The Game Awards 2021 in Australia

Geoff Keighley’s annual Video Game Awards presentation has rolled around again for 2021, handing out accolades for the best the year has had to offer in gaming. It’s admittedly been a tough year for game delays, with many of the year’s hotly anticipated games pushed to 2022, from the likes of God of War Ragnarok…

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Interview: Middle Kids talk touring the US in a pandemic, ARIA win and Jameson House of Rounds

Sydney indie-rock trio Middle Kids have quickly become one of the country’s most prominent and adored bands, capturing hearts worldwide with their gritty pop anthems and unparalleled storytelling. And it’s been another another huge year for the band, with the release of their new album Today We’re The Greatest in March, a national tour in…

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Philips All-In-One Cooker Review: The virtue of saving time and space in the kitchen

Saving time in the kitchen has always been a matter of carefully buying the right products, but having a device that saves space as well can profoundly change the way you navigate and engage with your food at home. The Philips All-In-One Cooker is such a device that consolidates many of your kitchen appliances into…

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December’s PlayStation Plus games are now live

December’s PlayStation Plus offering is as well-rounded as it is critically acclaimed; for the most part. Godfall: Challenger Edition stands as the PlayStation 5 entry for this month, while Lego DC Super Villains and Mortal Shell follow as forward compatible PlayStation 4 titles for those on next generation consoles. While it’s clear Godfall is looking…

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Interview: Australian filmmakers the Spierig Brothers on the 20th anniversary of their cult horror hit Undead; “There’s something to be said about leaving directors alone to go and make their movie”

Before making waves in the horror genre with such box office successes and critical winners as Daybreakers, Predestination, and Jigsaw, German-born, Australian-raised brothers Michael and Peter Spierig pooled their talent, connections and coins together for Undead.  Originally released in 2003, the low-budget Australian zombie thriller was an homage to the B-grade horror entries of the…

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Lisa Caruso

Track of the Week: Lisa Caruso “It Doesn’t Feel Like Christmas” (2021)

Having released her stunning debut album, In Feelings, in 2020, Lisa Caruso has released her follow-up single, “It Doesn’t Feel Like Christmas”. This is a tune written for those of us who might be feeling just a tad, or a lot, disaffected by the onset of Christmas. Let’s face it, for many of us, 2021…

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Basic Comfort

Exclusive EP Premiere: Basic Comfort – Visions (2021 EP)

Basic Comfort is an alternative synth-pop band heralding from Kalamazoo in the state of Michigan. We are stoked today to be premiering their latest EP, VIsions, ahead of its release on Friday. The band has been around for a while now, led by Tony Mitchell, with the lineup settling in 2019. Since then, they’ve been…

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Film Review: The Protege is a serviceable action film elevated by its cast

New Zealand-born director Martin Campbell is no slouch when it comes to the action genre.  Sure, there was the stumble that was the thorn in Ryan Reynolds’ side, Green Lantern, and Beyond Borders, despite suitable work from both Angelina Jolie and Clive Owen, was a boring misstep, but having reinvigorated the Bond films at times…

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Festival Review: Jameson House of Rounds shouts Byron Bay a day of live music

The eminent Jameson House of Rounds returned for a night of whiskey, food and music at iconic bar The Rails in Byron Bay on Saturday, 4 December – and you can bet that we were there for every bit of it. As New South Wales emerges from lockdown, Jameson House of Rounds provided a unique…

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Blackbirds FC

Exclusive Single Premiere: Blackbirds FC “Transport Planes” (2021)

Melbourne’s Blackbirds FC create beautifully layered lush sonic journeys, telling their stories with warm vocals. “Transport Planes” is the latest track to drop from the band, and we are delighted to be premiering it prior to its release on Friday. A full-length album is due early in 2022. The jangly guitars and keyboards are joyfully…

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Highline

Sydney’s Highline share their 6 favourite B-Sides

What to put on the B-side for your about to be released single? Perhaps a conundrum almost as challenging as what to call the band. There have been some memorable B-sides over the past few decades. “Green Onions” from Booker T and the MG’s was the B-Side to their track “Behave Yourself”. “God Only Knows”…

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Aussie restaurants are set to bring the PlayStation experience to the plate

Gaming fans and foodies alike can rejoice as PlayStation launches PlayStation to Plate, giving Aussies across Sydney and Melbourne a taste of the many exclusives the platform has to offer. From 3 December, three restaurants will bring to life meals inspired by classic franchises including The Last of Us, Ratchet and Clank and Uncharted. Dish 1:…

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Interview: Dear Evan Hansen director Stephen Chbosky on adapting the stage musical and the isolating feeling of making a film during the pandemic

A coming-of-age stage musical that won immediate critical acclaim from its opening in 2015, Dear Evan Hansen‘s inevitable stage-to-screen adaptation was always going to be a mammoth task to whichever filmmaker dared to take it on.  For Stephen Chbosky, it was a challenge he tackled with open arms. As the film arrives in Australian cinemas…

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Lyre’s Spirit Co hooks up with QT Sydney for alcoholic-free Bar None in Sydney

A few years ago most discerning drinkers would have scoffed at the idea of a bar exclusively slinging non-alcoholic spirits, but times have almost certainly changed. In 2021, Lyre’s Spirit Co – a company that produces award-winning non-alcoholic spirits – is sitting pretty with an impressive $500 million valuation, and the appetite for sippin’ on…

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These are the 3 best Sydney restaurants with live music

Restaurants are back. As Sydney keeps on opening up, more and more people are flocking back to their old and new favourite spots to make up for lost time when it comes to eating well, drinking even better, and catching up with friends. Throw some live music in the mix from talented local bands, from…

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Film Review: Benedetta is a blasphemous, confronting farce from director Paul Verhoeven

If there’s one thing director Paul Verhoeven loves to do, it’s poke the bear.  As he has so gleefully outraged audiences and critics across his career, his latest exploitive project – the “based on a true story” nunsploitation drama(?) Benedetta – could easily be dismissed as blasphemous, but there’s also an alarming sincerity to his…

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December 2021 Australian cinema releases: Five films you need to see

For so many of us the theatrical experience remained out of reach for a large portion of 2021.  With cinemas back open and thriving in the wake of a double dosed population, these coming weeks look to end the year that was with a considerable bang. From the much-hyped multiverse tease of (potentially) multiple Spider-men…

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Photo Gallery: Shining Bird+ Johnny Hunter + Bored Shorts – Factory Theatre, Sydney (01.12.21)

  It was a stellar night of music at the Factory Theatre last night. At the top of the bill was Shining Bird, on the back of their fabulous album Deadlands, which was released earlier in the year. With beautiful instrumentation and high energy, their set left us wanting more. Co-headling was the irrepressible Johnny…

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Film Review: The Card Counter deals a hand that benefits the house more than the player

Kenny Rogers so famously told us “You gotta know when to fold ’em”, and in The Card Counter writer/director Paul Schrader seems unsure as to which hand he wants to confidently play.  It’s not that this film is poorly made, nor is his commitment to the representation of desolation anything other than pure, but it’s…

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Film Review: 13 Minutes channels your favourite childhood disaster flicks

Remember those natural disaster films from the ’90s? You know, Deep Impact? Volcano? Dante’s Peak? Twister? Well, if the recent Amazon hit Greenland has whet your appetite for disaster, then 13 Minutes will also satisfy your urge. Writer/Director Lindsay Gossling has assembled an all-star cast – including Anne Heche (to bring us back to Volcano for a…

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Quolls

Book Review: Harry Saddler’s Questions Raised by Quolls is a thought-provoking and caring read

Questions Raised by Quolls, written by Harry Saddler, is aimed at educating us all about the plight of the quolls and the environmental situation in Australia. It is a book which raises important questions, and asks us all to reflect on the situation in this country. For example, did you know that Australia has the…

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The Teskey Brothers

Album of the Week: The Teskey Brothers – Live at Hamer Hall (2021 LP)

In the two years since releasing their magical debut album, Run Home Slow, The Teskey Brothers have been incredibly busy and become overwhelmingly accomplished. Playing numerous completely sold out tours (despite the live music landscape being in complete disarray), winning awards and accolades left, right and centre, the Melbourne band has still managed to find…

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Tom Harrington

Exclusive Single Premiere: Late November “Birdbrain” (2021)

North Queensland’s Late November are a five-piece indie-rock outfit creating uplifting songs celebrating the transition into adulthood. They met in high school, and create songs that fuse their energetic math-rock riffs with soulful indie melodies. We are thrilled today to have the premiere of their latest tune, “Birdbrain”. Their material has often touched on themes…

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Film Review: Dune merges its blockbuster aesthetic with a desolate mentality.

Despite reading Frank Herbert‘s 1965 novel many moons ago and viewing David Lynch’s bizarre 1984 adaptation during my youth, Dune was still a title that felt foreign to me when entering the theatre to bare witness to Denis Villeneuve‘s much-discussed imagining.  Sure, I can clearly see the inspiration this operatic story had on the science-fiction…

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Masked Wolf & The Kid LAROI join BTS & Olivia Rodrigo atop Apple Music & Shazam’s 2021 Global Charts

Today Apple Music unveiled their global charts for 2021 for both their streaming services as well as Shazam, and the news is pretty remarkable for Australian artists. Topping the Shazam charts, as the #1 most Shazamed Song globally in 2021, is Australian hip hop artist Masked Wolf, for his track “Astronaut in the Ocean”. Within…

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Death’s Door Review: A Door Worth Knockin’ On

Gaming has always been the past time for a bit of escapism. Now more than ever, the sheer variety of games has allowed us to be whisked away to worlds we would never have even imagined. For one, you can now self-insert as a cute little crow working for the Reaping Commission Headquarters as a…

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Splendour 2022 Line-up Drops: YUNGBLUD, Glass Animals, Kacey Musgraves and more join a stacked July festival!

After a long 2021, we waited with bated breath as Splendour In The Grass expanded its line-up for 2022, with a massive announcement loaded with Australian sounds and big-hitting internationals. Previously confirmed headliners of Gorillaz, The Strokes and Tyler, the Creator will be joined by newly announced acts, Glass Animals, YUNGBLUD, Liam Gallagher, Yeah Yeah…

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