Year: 2022

Film Review: Where the Crawdads Sing laces its dirty setting with a filtered gloss

Where the Crawdads Sing seemed like the type of film primed for success before it was even released.  Delia Owens‘ 2018 novel was one of those reads that became the prose to intake during its first run (boosted by Reese Witherspoon‘s Hello Sunshine bookclub pick), leading it to be crowned the best-selling fiction title of…

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Stone Town

Book Review: Big city problems and small town politics collide in Margaret Hickey’s Stone Town

Stone Town is an Australian rural crime novel set in rural South Australia. It’s the second Detective Sergeant Mark Ariti crime novel from Margaret Hickey. Ariti has moved back to his home town near the historic gold rush-era Stone Town and is working as the local police officer. Three teenagers have just discovered the body…

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Mario Strikers : Battle League Football Review: Run, Kick, Repeat

Mario and the team are back in the long-awaited follow-up to the 2007 Wii game, Mario Strikers Charged. Various sports games infused with loveable Mario characters have definitely become a fan favourite over the years. While it has been 15 years since the previous game, the Nintendo Switch offers a brand new take on the…

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Interview: David Rodriguez chats about Godtet performing for Illuminate Adelaide

In a special co-curated program with Light Adelaide, light and sound will converge at The Lab over four electric weekends with some of the most cutting-edge new music locally and nationally. We spoke with David Rogriguez of Godriguez about his upcoming performance with his band Godtet. Hope you haven’t had too many floods or anything…

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Opera Review: Opera Queensland turns the tragic into magic with Verdi’s La Traviata

With Moulin Rouge wowing audiences in Sydney, Brisbane’s Lyric Theatre is hosting its own tragic tale of Parisian courtesans and ill-fated love affairs. Verdi‘s iconic La Traviata opened last week, led by Lorina Gore and Kang Wang as star-crossed lovers Violetta and Alfredo. A joint venture between Opera Queensland, State Opera South Australia, and West…

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Aue

Book Review: Untangle the ties that bind in a new edition of a powerful New Zealand debut Aue

Though Becky Manawatu’s debut novel Aue was originally released in 2019, readers may not have been surprised to see it on the new release shelves this past March. After its original publication by small NZ based publishers Makaro Press, the book went on to win the Jan Medlicott Acorn Prize for Fiction, the MITOQ Best First…

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Beer and BBQ Festival

Photo Gallery: Skegss and Bodyjar ensure Beer and BBQ Festival opening night goes off with a bang

There was plenty of action at the Wayville Showgrounds for the first night of the annual Beer and BBQ Festival. Beer trophies were awarded to Kick Back Brewing, Left Barrel Brewing, Vale Brewing, Otherside Brewing, Nowhereman Brewing, Swell Brewing and Brightstar Brewing. Plenty of craft brewers had beers to taste, there were briskets galore and…

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History-making comedy Bros and the anticipated Knives Out sequel to premiere at TIFF ’22

As cinephiles eagerly await the official schedule on August 23rd, the 47th annual Toronto International Film Festival has announced its first slew of premiere titles for its first in-person celebration following two years of pandemic-disrupted programming. 11 days of international and Canadian cinema, special events featuring some of the biggest names in film, and TIFF’s…

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Live Review: Glass Tides + Shangrila + Citadel + Grizzlyshark – The Zoo, Brisbane (14.07.22)

Brisbane’s emos were treated to some of the country’s most promising heavy acts on a school night last Thursday. The second instalment of monthly music event Burnt Out at The Zoo saw interstate acts Glass Tides and Shangrila grace a Queensland stage for the first time, supported by established locals Citadel and Grizzlyshark. First off…

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New Music Discoveries 15th July: Courtney Marie Andrews, Marlon Williams 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 “Loose Future” from the GRAMMY-nominated singer-songwriter Courtney Marie Andrews.  “Loose Future” is the title track from her forthcoming album which is out October 7th on Fat Possum. It’s a beautiful track that combines…

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Sametime share “Golden” video and their top five artists right now

Sunshine Coast indie-pop duo Sametime have today unveiled the provocative video for their latest single “Golden”, released 7 July. The news was coupled with the announcement of a five-date East Coast tour, wrapping up on Saturday 23 in Sydney. “The theme for the song was sex. It was an area we hadn’t explored musically and…

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Interview: Mura Masa on Guernsey, Splendour In The Grass and starting out

Self-taught Grammy Award-winning producer Mura Masa is set to arrive on Aussie shores next week for the return of Splendour In The Grass, alongside his own sideshows in Sydney and Melbourne. The Guernsey-native has had a whirlwind of a career. From relocating to Brighton at 18, being nominated for the prestigious Grammy Awards and moving…

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Ally Palmer

Exclusive Album Premiere: Ally Palmer – Need You Around (2022 LP)

Byron Bay’s multi-instrumentalist and singer-songwriter Ally Palmer has been teasing out singles since last year, and we are beyond excited to be premiering Need You Around, her debut album from the talented artist. With a tip of the hat to ’60s surf pop, ingrained with solid folk roots and a love for old soul music,…

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Homesickness

Book Review: Janine Mikosza’s Homesickness is a searing look at displacement and trauma

For many of us, home is where the heart is. A safe environment and the epitome of ‘homely.’ But, for Janine Mikosza it was more complicated than that. In her memoir, Homesickness, she explores the many childhood homes she lived in before turning eighteen. Mikosza has previously published essays and short stories. She brings some…

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Top 10 Books Every Uni Student Should Read

Many say that University students hate reading. But my opinion with all these stories is that people who say they dislike reading have not found the right genre for them – yet. Reading helps Uni students tremendously. Indeed, reading theory books might not be the right choice for many students. However, the literature universe is…

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Win a double in-season pass to see The Black Phone starring Ethan Hawke

Thanks to Universal Pictures, we have 5 double in-season passes (Admit 2) to see the chilling new horror film The Black Phone, starring Ethan Hawke and directed by Scott Derrickson (Sinister, Doctor Strange). The phone is dead. And it’s ringing.  Director Scott Derrickson returns to his terror roots and partners again with the foremost brand…

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Exclusive Video Premiere: Ellery Cohen “Demons”

Alt-pop artist Ellery Cohen is about to drop latest single “Demons” and we’re stoked to be able to bring you an exclusive look at the track’s music video! “Demons” was a long-time coming for Ellery, who emerged from the Melbourne lockdowns with a newfound approach to both life and music. Working with No Frills Twins’…

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The House of Fortune

Book Review: Jessie Burton returns to 18th Century Amsterdam in The House of Fortune

It’s not often that a sequel to a beloved novel lives up to its predecessor. Particularly, as is the case with Jessie Burton’s latest novel, The House of Fortune, when there was never a sequel promised in the first place. When The Miniaturist was published in 2014 (and became a million copy bestseller), there was…

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Interview: Foals’ Jimmy Smith on Life Is Yours, Glastonbury and the silver-lining of lockdown

The UK’s alt-rock favourites Foals are back with their seventh studio album Life Is Yours, but their first as a three-piece outfit. Created through London lockdowns, Yannis Philippakis, Jack Bevan and Jimmy Smith transported themselves and now listeners to a utopian place for escapism. “Personally speaking, I was stuck in London for a year away from…

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Check out Adelaide’s Illuminate Festival at the Lab this July

This July sees Adelaide transforming into a kaleidoscopic beacon of light and creativity as part of the annual Illuminate Adelaide celebrations. While the entire city is transformed into a hive of activity, it’s Light Square venue The Lab that is set to feature some of the most iconic and unmissable events on offer. The Lab…

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Jabra Elite 7 Pro Review: A home run in a very crowded market

With a sturdy IP57-rated design, seamlessly adjustable active noise cancelling and up to 30 hours of battery time, the Jabra Elite 7 Pro is another world-class entry into the market of truly wireless earbuds for the brand. And while Jabra may be best known amongst gym-goers for their Active series, these lifestyle-focused earbuds muscle into…

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E3 will return in 2023 as an in-person event

After a three year hiatus, the world’s premiere celebration of all things gaming and interactive entertainment, E3, will be returning as an in-person event, and is set to take place in June, 2023. The Entertainment Software Association (ESA) will also be partnering with ReedPop, the event production company behind PAX, New York Comic-Con and Star…

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Anticipated Books Jul Sep 2022

The AU’s Most Anticipated Books of 2022: Jul to Sep

Somehow we’re halfway through the year. Which means the publishing world is beginning to start gearing up for Christmas. Soon, the shelves are going to be inundated with biographies and celebrity memoirs. We’ll also start to see the release of new books from the literary world’s commercial big hitters. As always with so many books…

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New Music Discoveries 8th July: Isabella Manfredi, Kav Temperley and more

Ten more tracks have been added to our Discovery playlist on Apple Music and Spotify; including our Track of the Week – “Naive” from Isabella Manfredi. “Naive” is the second single from Manfredi’s upcoming album, izzi, which has just been announced, and will be released on Friday, 2nd September. The track features Nigerian-born-Australian-based singer-songwriter rapper Pricie. Reflecting…

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The All-New PlayStation Plus Review: A solid foundation for the road ahead

The all-new PlayStation Plus has finally launched in Australia, dividing the subscription service into three separate tiers, each with exclusive features and perks. Admittedly, this review is going to run a little differently to our standard reviews in terms of structure. We’ll also conclude without an overall score, as I believe the experience for many…

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Jeremy Loops unveils awaited third studio album Heard You Got Love

South African singer-songwriter/producer/eco-activist Jeremy Loops has finally unveiled his awaited third studio album Heard You Got Love, out today. Featuring the singles “Better Together”, “This Town” and “Happy Birthday”, the project boasts 13 cruisy anthems in his own brand of energetic acoustic pop. Jeremy Loops has amassed over 250 million streams, performed headline shows around…

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Best Albums 2022

The 20 Best Albums of 2022… so far

With 2022 just past its halfway point, we’re taking a look at some of our favourite albums released over the past six months. 2022 has started off with plenty of quality releases that are sure to remain on repeat as we head into the second half of the year. With the year already off to…

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NBA All-Star Devin Booker has been revealed as the cover athlete for NBA 2K23

After the news broke that Michael Jordan would feature on the special editions of NBA 2K23, questions immediately circled the reveal of the cover star for this year’s standard editions. After an incredible season, Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker has been revealed as the cover athlete for the standard and digital deluxe versions of NBA…

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Interview: Craig Roberts on directing The Phantom of the Open: “I didn’t want to make a little British kitchen-sink drama”

For the past decade-or-so, Welsh actor/writer/director Craig Roberts has made sure that his career could never be pigeonholed.  The darker aspects of comedy have often been his exploration as a filmmaker, having penned and directed the acclaimed duo of 2015’s Just Jim and 2019’s Eternal Beauty, whilst as an actor he’s just as likely to…

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Interview: The Phantom of the Open writer Simon Farnaby on celebrating “The world’s worst golfer” and what inspires his comedic musings

A writer and performer whose resume boasts such acclaimed works as The Mighty Boosh, Horrible Histories, and both Paddington films, Simon Farnaby and the comedy genre practically go hand-in-hand. For his latest big screen outing, the English creative is adapting his own work, bringing his musings on infamous golfer Maurice Flitcroft to life with The…

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