Month: August 2022

Luke Hansen

Exclusive Single Premiere: Luke Hansen “Scream” (2022)

  Sydney singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Luke Hansen is back with a new track, the contemplative and moving “Scream”. The track was recorded with his five-piece backing band at Studios 301 in Sydney. It will be on Luke’s debut album, The Air is Thin, which is slated to be released in April next year. A gifted musician,…

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TCL 30+ Phone Review: You gave me a plus, now give me the guts

When you think of mid to low range phones, who do you think of? Oppo, Google’s A series, Samsung, Xiaomi maybe even Huawei. TCL, anyone? Probably not. Best known for their dexterity in the consumer tech world, you may not have realised their venture into the smartphone world. It’s a lucrative market, the most lucrative…

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The Brink

Book Review: Adolescents reach breaking point in Holden Sheppard’s The Brink

Holden Sheppard‘s sophomore novel The Brink is a tension-filled, hormone-fuelled, no-holds-barred deep dive into a group of teenagers experiencing their first week of freedom from parents, teachers, and society. It’s told from the alternating perspectives of three of the group – Leonardo, Kaiya, and Mason – a car-load of WA school leavers who end up…

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Film Review: Bosch & Rockit is a spirited and emotional film that succeeds off its own scrappiness

A meditative presence, a sometimes-actor, and now writer/director, Tyler Atkins seems to revel in the difficulty of categorisation.  And it’s that loose scrappiness that shapes his feature-length debut, Bosch & Rockit, a spirited and emotional film that’s equally as uneasy to singularly designate. Based on Atkins’ own childhood, the film flirts with multiple genre temperaments…

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KISS: The End of the Road tour hits Australia

KISS ‘The Hottest Band In The World’ in August/September 2022 are about to embark on their last tour ever in Australia. The End Of The Road tour started way back in 2019, but the tour was first cancelled in 2019 after Paul Stanley was advised by doctors to rest due to a bad case of influenza….

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Please Baby Please muses on gender and orientation in a manner that’s more sleazy than it is stylish: Melbourne International Film Festival Review

A gaudy game of cat-and-mouse and pseudo-philosophical musings on sexual orientation and gender sit at the core of Amanda Kramer‘s Please Baby Please, a wild but, sadly, insufferable drama that’s more sleazy than it is stylish. Set in 1950’s New York, the film reveals its bizarre, sexualised tone in its early minutes when bohemian couple…

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Director Sophie Hyde on Good Luck To You, Leo Grande; “I think we’ve seen really limited stuff on sex work.”

An award-winning director, producer, writer, and founding member of the film collective Closer Productions, Australian filmmaker Sophie Hyde is a force to be reckoned with.  She’s also incredibly delightful, as our own Peter Gray discovered when chatting with her for the forthcoming release of her latest feature, Good Luck To You, Leo Grande. An intimate…

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Yazmindi

Exclusive Album Premiere: Yazmindi – Dream On (2022 LP)

Cooktown-born, Byron Bay-based singer Yazmindi has unveiled her awaited debut album Dream On, out tomorrow. The 11-track project is a reflection of her journey through adolescence with unique skill and hard work. “I share my songwriting journey from dreaming teen to ambitious young woman, my experiences of love, loss, tongue in cheek earnest situations, questioning…

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Film Review: Good Luck To You, Leo Grande is an intelligent and refreshing comedy about the joys of shameless sexual awakenings

Whilst there’s no surprise revealed in the fact that Emma Thompson truly deserves to be considered one of the greatest living actresses working today, it’s always appreciated when a performance solidifies such a statement.  And in the deliriously charming and strikingly emotional Good Luck To You, Leo Grande, Thompson turns in career-best work that leans…

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Spider-Man: Remastered PC Review: The wall-crawler sticks the landing

A PC remaster of a game always has a lot to live up to. And when said game is critically-acclaimed, universally-lauded by fans and industry members, multi-time Game of The Year (2018) recipient Marvel’s Spider-Man you know you’ve got some big webby shoes to fill. At minimum, PC punters are hankering for the exact marvellous…

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Flight Review: Ryanair from London Stansted to Bremen, Germany

Once you’ve done the long-haul journey from Australia to Europe – where no one enjoys compromising on comfort or food quality – there’s often only one airline that is available for short, very affordable hops around the continent: Ryanair. I was travelling from London to Bremen, Germany, and there were no direct flights from London…

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Live A Live Review: Old dog, new tricks

At first glance, Live A Live feels like an older, more experienced JRPG that boldly returned to show the younger kids just how it’s done. It feels even stranger however, to discover that’s exactly what this is. Live A Live was released way back in 1994 by developer Square, then known as SquareSoft, but never…

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Live Review: Sigur Ros stuns with epic three-hour concert in Sydney

It’s really not fair that Sigur Ros lives over there, and not over here. The iconic Icelandic band is still one of the most unique live acts in the world, regularly spurring these incredible live performances that are forever stamped all across YouTube above an invariably adoring comment section built with praise like “life-changing” and…

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ABC iView reveal new miniseries Soundtrack To Our Teenage Zombie Apocalypse

What do you do when you get trapped in an abandoned building during a zombie apocalypse? Write a song about it, of course. ABC iView have today revealed the exclusive new miniseries Soundtrack To Our Teenage Zombie Apocalypse (STOTZA for short). The 10 half-hour-episode feature follows four teenage musicians on a mission to win triple…

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QT hotels dyson

Every single room at every single QT Hotel is now powered by high-end Dyson technology

There are a few less obvious markers that always separate a quality hotel from an average one. We aren’t talking about an overarching design, plush beds or high-end hotel restaurants – although they do all help of course. Quite often the magic is found in the smaller details. And those smaller details – well, they’re…

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Theatre Review: Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde is dynamism and intensity personified

Audiences watching Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde either know the drill or at least have some concept of what happens. But it’s a testament to Kip Williams and the Sydney Theatre Company that this production bedazzles and surprises. This is a rendering that is brimming with so many different layers, that it…

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Amy Taylor

Photo Gallery: Amyl and the Sniffers – Enmore Theatre, Sydney (12.08.22)

Amyl and the Sniffers concluded their “Comfort to Me” tour at the iconic Enmore Theatre in Sydney on Friday night. It was the hottest ticket in town, with the show being sold-out. It didn’t disappoint either. The band was simply mesmerising. High energy, unrepentant and maximum energy from start to finish. Set list: Balaclava Lover…

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Canberra is still one of Australia’s greatest weekends away: a 48-hour guide to our nation’s capital

Canberra is the most underrated state in Australia. Bold statement, I know. But if you haven’t visited the land of the politicians since your year six excursion to Questacon, it’s time to dust off the nostalgia, shine up the tyres and commence operation Capital. Here’s a quick list of must-dos if you’ve got 48 hours…

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Flux Gourmet is a kinky delight with one helluva cautionary message to boot: Melbourne International Film Festival Review

Nobody quite does obscure like director Peter Strickland.  Finding that delicious balance between eccentric and perverse, Flux Gourmet – set over a month-long period in an institute for sonic caterers (yes, that’s a thing) – is perhaps his funniest yet, indulging in the mischief that comes with his unique blend of deadpan dialogue and a…

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Win a double in-season pass to see Bosch & Rockit starring Luke Hemsworth

Thanks to Madman Films we have 10 double in-season passes (Admit 2) to see the new Australian comedy/drama Bosch & Rockit, starring Luke Hemsworth, Isabel Lucas and Rasmus King. In the late summer along the Australian coast, young father Bosch hits the road in a hurry to avoid a run in with the law. In…

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Live Review: Amy Shark + Cult Romance at The Events Centre, Caloundra (11.08.22)

Gold Coast indie-pop superstar Amy Shark proved that she is one of the best entertainers of our time at The Events Centre in Caloundra last night. The sold-out show was the first of the Queensland leg of her massive 60-date regional See U Somewhere Australia tour, supported by Cult Romance. Patrons steadily filed into the…

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Sly Withers

New Music Discoveries 12th August: Sly Withers, The Tyne, Elizabeth and more

This week we’ve added another ten tracks to our Discovery playlist on Spotify and Apple Music. Our Track of the Week is “Radio” from Perth’s indie-punk band Sly Withers. In a big week for the band, they released this pearler of a track, announced that their next album, Overgrown will be released on the 28th…

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Album Review: WAAX get rowdy on poignant sophomore record At Least I’m Free

Stop what you’re doing because Brisbane rock group WAAX have today released their poignant sophomore album At Least I’m Free via Dew Process. Produced by Bernard Fanning (Powderfinger) and Grammy Award-winner Nick DiDia (Bruce Springsteen), the 11-track project is a leap forward from their 2019 debut Big Grief. Featuring the singles “Read Receipts”, “Most Hated…

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NBA 2K23 Unveils New Trailer for the Jordan Challenge

2K has released a new trailer for NBA 2K23, highlighting the return of the iconic Jordan Challenge, initially launched way back with NBA 2K11. While the return of the mode itself had been announced along with the initial reveal of NBA 2K23, we now know exactly which games and moments of Michael Jordan’s illustrious that…

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Victim is an effectively suggestive thriller detailing domestic disturbance: Melbourne International Film Festival Review

Throughout Victim‘s 14 minute running time, the tension laid forth by writer/director Robin Summons is near-unbearable as it traces a radicalised teenager and his increasingly concerned mother. Offspring favourite Kat Stewart brings a sweet yet stern nature to the role of Chrissy, a single mother whose seeming one wish is to have a collected dinner…

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Peace Ritual drop new single “Cold Shoulder” and announce debut EP

Sydney pop rock outfit Peace Ritual have excited with dreamy new single “Cold Shoulder” and the announcement of their self-titled debut EP last Tuesday, out 2 September via Last Ride Records. Peace Ritual is comprised of Joel Martorana (Endless Heights, Colletto Bianco) and Thomas Elliott (Caged Existence, Harbours), with production and writing assistance from Sam…

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Interview: Kat Graham on her intense role in ensemble thriller Collide; “It is therapeutic to see a character fight back”

Chronicling three couples over the course of one fateful night in an LA restaurant, Collide is a gripping new thriller from writer/director Mukunda Michael Dewil. Ahead of the film’s On Demand release in the United States, Peter Gray spoke with one of the film’s stars, actress and singer Kat Graham, about her intense turn as…

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Andy Martin

Exclusive Album Premiere: Andy Martin – Reverie (2022 LP)

Tomorrow, Brisbane-based singer-songwriter indie-rocker Andy Martin releases his formidable debut album, Reverie, and we are delighted to be hosting the premiere of this long-awaited release. The collection of songs on Reverie reflects upon the journey of the talented songwriter, weaving a rich tapestry of stories covering love and love lost, friendships and struggles with mental…

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A guide to drinking rosé in winter, from the experts at Brown Brothers

Picture this: it’s a gloomy night, rain is thundering against the window, and it’s cold – by Australian standards, at least. What sort of drink would you be craving? Let me guess: a red wine or perhaps a whiskey? That certainly would be the usual. But according to the wine connoisseurs at Brown Brothers, we…

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Cult of the Lamb Review: Worship like a baa-ass

There are two kinds of people in this world: those who already have a real life army of followers dedicated to praising their glory, and those who simply fantasise about it. I’ll leave it to your imagination as to which camp I’m in, but why let cult dreams be dreams when you can act out…

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