Year: 2021

The Shape of Darkness

Book Review: The Shape of Darkness reinforces Laura Purcell as a master of building suspense

Laura Purcell’s fourth novel with Raven Books once again sees the ‘queen of the sophisticated and spooky page turner’ serve us up a Gothic, historical treat. Whilst none of her subsequent books have been quite so spine-chilling as 2017’s The Silent Companions, this latest offering, The Shape of Darkness is a suitably spooky novel about violence, grief…

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Sundance Film Festival Review: In the Earth is Ben Wheatley back on maverick, transgressive, genre-shifting form

Set in a tumultuous time in the world that is overtaken by a virus, Joel Fry stars as Martin Lowery, a doctor who is tasked on a mission to venture to reach test site ATU327A, a research area that is deep in the Arboreal forest; led by Dr. Wendle (Hayley Squires). Lowery is guided by…

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Theatre Review: Belvoir’s Fangirls is a teen dream hypercolour pop party

Being a teenage girl is rough. Expectations are high, bodies are changing, social media is all consuming and society deems your interests as silly. There have been countless attempts to represent teen girl culture both on stage and screen, yet most rarely seem to get it right. Originally premiering in 2019, Fangirls attracted a buzz…

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Sundance Film Festival Review: Eight for Silver is an enjoyably gnarly time from director Sean Ellis

Set in the late 1800s, a pathologist John McBride (Boyd Holbrook) has been sent to a distant village that has been terrorized by a wild animal, resulting in numerous deaths. He has been sent there to find a missing child; whom the parents (Alistair Petrie and Mary Reilly) presume with utter conviction that he is…

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Photo Gallery: USER + The Howling Fog + The Condos + Visitors – Jive, Adelaide (05.02.21)

DARK TRANSMISSIONS: psyched-out Shoegaze, Post-Punk, Synth and Noise taking you on a hazy and hypnotic Ride. Melbourne band USER made the trip over to join local Adelaide bands The Howling Fog, The Condos and Visitors. John Goodridge was there and brings us these photos from the night.

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Valentine’s Day gift ideas that aren’t boring in 2021

Let’s face it, Valentine’s Day is not just about romantic gestures that go heavy on the cheese and cliché (not that there’s anything wrong with that). It also happens to be the first established gift-giving occasion on the calendar year, and given 2020 was an absolute shitshow, that means a lot. Brightening up your signature…

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D-Link COVR-X1873 Mesh Wi-Fi 6 Review: Fast, reliable, and very well-connected

The new COVR-X1873 from D-Link is a powerful triple node system of AX1800 Dual Band Seamless Mesh Wi-Fi 6 towers – the latest in the company’s award-winning COVR series and absolutely one of the most impressive. I’d go so far as to say this is one of the best mesh Wi-Fi 6 systems you can…

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Album Review: Foo Fighters play it safe with Medicine at Midnight, but that’s not a bad thing

Today marks the day that iconic American rockers Foo Fighters return with the long-awaited release of their tenth (!!) studio full length, Medicine at Midnight. The release – their first since 2017’s well received Concrete and Gold – coincides with the band’s 25th anniversary, and was set to be released in a year when they were…

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Sydney’s Enmore Theatre to reopen with Gala night featuring Ian Moss, Alex The Astronaut, Red Riders and more

Sydney’s iconic inner-west live music venue, the Enmore Theatre, is officially reopening and celebrating their well timed refurbishment with a grandiose Gala night on Monday February 22nd. The Sounds of Sydney (Re)Opening Night Gala is more than a party for the historic renovated building, but also a celebration of Sydney’s music scene, with an array…

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Fringe World Review: The Kaye Hole nails loose late night debauchery & variety

Mix Reuben Kaye with a 10:15pm timeslot and you’re bound to get scandalous late night debauchery, filthy fun and plenty of laughs. The Kaye Hole at the Rechabite, as part of Perth’s Fringe World Festival, didn’t disappoint. The Kaye Hole is Reuben’s variety show (separate to his earlier solo show), supported by his band, featuring…

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Film Review: Bliss is heavy on ideas but light on execution

A science fiction film dealing with the powers of telekinesis and virtual reality, and starring Owen Wilson and Salma Hayek for good measure, Bliss is heavy on ideas but light on execution as Mike Cahill‘s ambitious outing takes only mere minutes to fall apart at its artificial seams. Wilson headlines as Greg, a supposed biggish…

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Sundance Film Festival Review: The Pink Cloud is more than just an eerie prophecy of the world today

One of the things that is very reflective about film is how cinematic storytelling can reflect the current condition of the world today. But it is that very same quality that can make the storytelling of said film feel dated. The main reason would be due to the time spent on development in getting the…

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The Boys With The Perpetual Nervousness

Album Review: The Boys With The Perpetual Nervousness deliver positivity, hooks and jangle on new album Songs From Another Life (2021 LP)

If you like your guitar’s jangly, then look no further than Songs From Another Life, the sophomore album from indie rock duo The Boys With The Perpetual Nervousness.   By way of introduction, the band are something of an atypical endeavour. The band’s two members – Gonzalo Marcos (from Spanish indie popsters El Palacio de…

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Film Review: Greenland is a surprisingly emotional and human tale for a disaster themed action film

When it was known that Gerard Butler would be reuniting with his Angel Has Fallen director Ric Roman Waugh for a disaster movie, I think we all had an idea of what type of movie it could be.  Guaranteed, Greenland would not have been the outcome in anyone’s frontal cortex.  Shifting focus away from the…

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Lotus Dining Group launches new restaurant ‘Chi’ in Barangaroo

After recently opening Lotus Double Bay by new general manager, Hamish Ingham, Lotus Dining Group has launched its latest restaurant in Barangaroo, Sydney called Chi.  Encompassing the heart of Chinese Street food and inspired by Beijing’s Ghost Street, the aesthetic of the venue features an abundance of lucky Maneki Neko cats above the open kitchen….

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Sturle Dagsland

Album Review: Sturle Dagsland captivates with vocal versatility on his self titled debut

Armed with an impressive array of obscure and worldly instruments and an astounding vocal, Norwegian artist Sturle Dagsland has crafted an album that is extraordinary, compelling and undoubtedly idiosyncratic. That it is his debut, makes it all the more remarkable. When I reviewed “Kusanagi”, the album’s lead single back in October, I remarked that it…

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Interview: Odette on Herald, Borderline Personality Disorder and insects

Odette‘s 2017 debut album To A Stranger earned her national recognition with ARIA nominations for Best Adult Contemporary Album and Breakthrough Artist. Not to mention gold certifications across two singles. Following up its success was bound to be a daunting task, but the 23-year-old’s second album Herald is a superb body of work tackling mental…

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SHYGA!

Album of the Week: Psychedelic Porn Crumpets put the world on notice with SHYGA! The Sunlight Mound (2021 LP)

Australia has always been a keen exporter to foreign markets. From traditional resources like coal, wool and copper, to the non-traditional, like Paul Hogan and wine. But, one thing that Australia’s always been pretty consistent in exporting is quality music. Currently, one of Australia’s biggest exports globally is our psychedelic rock scene. Having gradually risen…

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Book Review: Randa Jarrar is provocative and unabashed in her memoir Love Is An Ex-Country

Love Is An Ex-Country is the compelling new memoir from Arab American writer and academic Randa Jarrar. The book (much like its author) is provocative, powerful and utterly unabashed. Presented as a travel memoir, Love is an Ex-Country begins with Jarrar heading on a cross-country road trip, emulating a similar trip taken by celebrated Egyptian…

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Friendless

Exclusive Single Premiere: Friendless ft. Jannah Beth “DRIP” (2021)

Friendless is back with another hypnotic dance floor banger, “DRIP”, featuring his long-term collaborator Jannah Beth. This follows on from the bonkers “Lemonade” which was released late in 2020. We are excited to have the exclusive premiere of this track before its release on Friday. From the opening beats, this is a track which sucks you…

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Interview: Long Story Short actor/director Josh Lawson on the challenges of filmmaking and returning home to Australia

Academy Award nominated writer/actor/director Josh Lawson is back behind the camera to follow up his 2014 debut The Little Death with the time-warped romantic comedy Long Story Short.  Ahead of the film’s local release (it’s set for Australian theatres on February 11th), Peter Gray caught up with the star to discuss the film’s origins, the…

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Why Wine Machine is the party we all deserve after 2020

There’s no doubt that 2020 was a gruelling year. It was especially tough for our friends in the music industry, but things are finally coming back to normal. Artists are making new music, gigs are back on – and what we’ve all been waiting for, festivals are officially allowed to run once more. The festival…

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Sundance Film Festival Review: Passing is a fantastic directorial debut from Rebecca Hall

Passing is the feature-length directorial debut from acclaimed actress Rebecca Hall. She is best known for her astounding performances in Vicky Christina Barcelona, Professor Marston and the Wonder Women and Christine; as well as her appearances in blockbusters like The Prestige and Iron Man 3. Her interest in adapting the source material of the same…

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Maple Mall

Track of the Week: Maple Mall “Coastin'” (2021)

Indie rock continues to be in fine form in Australia, with another band throwing their hats into the ring. Maple Mall are a four piece from the Illawarra region of New South Wales, who have just released their sophomore single “Coastin’”.  It’s very much early days for the lads from Illawarra – they only played…

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Mass Effect Legendary Edition

Mass Effect Legendary Edition will launch in May

The long-awaited Mass Effect Legendary Edition will launch on May 14, 2020. Mass Effect Legendary Edition will include content from all three mainline Mass Effect games, remastered and running at 4K60FPS HDR. All three games have received a visual facelift, with “remastered character models and tens of thousands of up-rezzed textures. Improvements to shaders and…

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Sundance Film Festival Review: Judas and the Black Messiah is an impactful drama that’s all too aware of its topical relevance

After proving a formidable plot point in last year’s The Trial of the Chicago 7 – however secondary it may have been – the killing of Black Panther chairman Fred Hampton in 1969, at the age of only 21 years, is given the right, timely treatment in Shaka King‘s equally impactful (perhaps even more so)…

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Sundance Film Festival Review: The Blazing World is a tarnished world of immense beauty

The Blazing World is the type of film where the ideas of logic, plot or conventional storytelling need not apply; and that is absolutely fine with the story it is telling. Expanded from a short film of the same name, it is the feature-length directorial debut from established actress turned writer/director Carlson Young. The short…

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SEABASS

Exclusive Video Premiere: SEABASS “Always Kidding” (2021)

Adelaide-based indie-rock quartet SEABASS have dropped “Always Kidding”, the title-track off their debut EP. It’s a beautifully emotive song, with warm harmonies, and a comforting nostalgic feel about it.  We’re excited to have the first look at the video for “Always Kidding”, which has a strong visual deftly complementing the tone of the track. The…

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Win a moto g 5G plus smartphone from Motorola worth $499

Built to work seamlessly across both 4G and 5G networks is the new moto g 5G plus from Motorola. And given how strong their smartphone offerings have been lately, it’s safe to expect big things from such a feature-rich set. Bolstering those blazingly fast speeds you’ve got a quad-camera set-up, led by a 48MP sensor…

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Born Into This

Book Review: Adam Thompson’s Born Into This spotlights Tasmania and its people

The Tasmanian landscape and a whole host of engaging, charming and well drawn characters populate the stories that make up Born Into This, the debut short story collection from Adam Thompson; an emerging Aboriginal (pakana) author from Tasmania.  The collection comprises sixteen stories, often brief, but always impactful. In spite of this brevity, Thompson is…

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