Year: 2023

Review: Reuben Kaye proves that love and acceptance always triumph over fear and hate

Enmore Road was buzzing. Not just because it was a crisp Saturday night in mid-winter, but because Reuben Kaye was back and his presence at the glorious Enmore Theatre was highly anticipated by the public and police alike. Many words have been written about Kaye’s appearance on The Project in April, but it was the…

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Korean Pop singer Eric Nam has announced his return to Australia and New Zealand, bringing his world tour down under early 2024.

Eric Nam to tour Australia in 2024 – here is how you can get tickets!

Korean-American Pop singer Eric Nam has announced his return to Australia and New Zealand, bringing his House on a Hill tour down under early in 2024. Ticket sales start today – find out how you can see the show below! Born in the US but making his name in the South Korean Pop industry after…

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Film Review: The New Boy is a fascinating, symbolic look at colonisation and religious autonomy

The themes tackled throughout Warwick Thornton‘s The New Boy are presented with symbolic, almost-magical and allegorical physicality.  And though its 1940’s Australian setting lends interesting conversation to its religious outlay and the clashing of beliefs at the time, the film itself doesn’t quite contain the spark needed to earn true impact; though it’s not for…

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Film Review: Joy Ride is a surprising journey of shock humour and emotional substance

With No Hard Feelings reminding audiences that, yes, adult-aimed comedies do in fact belong on a big screen, and the streaming model doesn’t have to be a singular option now that we have shifted primarily out of the pandemic mentality, Adele Lim‘s raunchy Joy Ride continues that temperament that the big screen will always benefit…

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The Silk Merchant's Son Cover

Book Review: Misguided missionaries make for fascinating history in The Silk Merchant’s Son

The Silk Merchant’s Son isn’t Peter Burke‘s first foray into writing historical fiction based on the stories West Aussies think they know. His first novel, The Drowning Dream, was shortlisted for the Australian/Vogel’s Literary Award in 1996, and was a mystery set against the backdrop of the Broome pearling industry circa the 1920s. His second novel, Wettening…

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Dande and the Lion

Interview: Dande and the Lion on “Children of the Hour”, songwriting inspiration and The Gum Ball

Dande and The Lion are a Sydney-based indie-pop band, reknowned for their high-energy melodic indie pop. Their most recent release was “Children of the Hour”, an emotive banger that examined the push and pull of a doomed relationship. The band is fronted by dual vocalists Abbey Gardner (A) (synth) and Natassa ‘Tass’ Zoë (T) (guitar),…

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Fireball & Bar Luca team up for what could be Sydney’s best burger right now

Ah, burgers in Sydney. It’s the trend that will – thankfully – never die. In fact, burgers will never fall out of fashion. Yet, they’ve been stuck on a trend over the past few years, with competitors vying for attention with what is essentially just the same burger with a few tweaks. Bar Luca and…

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Queensland Music Trails announces new festival, Sweet Relief feat. Groove Armada, The Avalanches and much more

QLD Music Trails introduces their debut Brisbane event, Sweet Relief!, a unique one-day party and springtime getaway. Expected to be a not-to-missed spectacle, the festival also announces an Australian exclusive headlining DJ sets from legendary electronic music titans hailing from the UK, Groove Armada and cult Australian dance act, The Avalanches. Alongside musical acts, there will of…

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The Golden Gaytimes

Exclusive Video Premiere: The Golden Gaytimes “The Golden Gaytimes Theme” (2023)

Hailing from Maitland, in NSW’s Hunter Valley, The Golden Gaytimes are a band cranking out fun psychedelic party tunes. They’ve recently released their debut album, Hot As Buggery, and we are delighted to have the video premiere for the latest single to drop, “The Golden Gaytimes Theme”. The band is comprised of members of Muzzy…

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Win a double in-season pass to see Carmen starring Melissa Barrera and Paul Mescal

Thanks to Madman we have 5 double in-season passes (Admit 2) to see the romantic and exhilarating Carmen, starring Melissa Barrera and Academy Award nominee Paul Mescal, in cinemas from July 13th, 2023. Carmen, a captivating and determined young woman, leaves her family and community behind to escape a brutal Mexican cartel. Grief stricken following…

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Massive lineup revealed for BIGSOUND 2023

The full lineup of artists to showcase at BIGSOUND 2023 in Brisbane’s Fortitude Valley from 5-8 September has dropped, and it’s jam-packed with your next-favourite bands. BIGSOUND is a thrilling slice of the best of the emerging Australian music scene. With eighteen venues within walking distance of each other, Fortitude Valley comes alive during BIGSOUND….

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The AU’s Most Anticipated Books of 2023: Jul – Sep

Somewhat inexplicably we are over half way through the year. This means, for publishers at least, it’s time to start thinking about Christmas, with September often seeing some of the year’s biggest titles drop.  We in the AU Books Team aren’t thinking about Christmas just yet, but we are here to bring you some more…

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Aussie Indie Artists: David Chen talks about his Adventure RPG SPIRITWELL

Aussie Indie Artists is a new series of interviews with lesser-known Aussie creators across all forms and fields. The goal is to share exciting new works, find new angles towards the art, and peek behind the scenes. The adventure RPG Undertale starts with a kid falling down a hole into a fantastical world of silliness…

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Photo Gallery: Bad//Dreems + Children Collide – Factory Theatre, Sydney (01.07.23)

What a Hoo Ha! Legendary Adelaide rock band Bad//Dreems wrapped up their Australian tour on the back of their 4th studio album Hoo Ha! playing Marrickville’s The Factory Theatre to a sold out crowd, supported by a stellar line-up of Children Collide, Dr Sures and Sad Girls Sex Club. The audience was well primed to…

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Photo Gallery: Middle Kids + Elizabeth M. Drummond – Northcote Theatre, Melbourne (30.06.23)

Middle Kids graced the Northcote Theatre stage on Friday, playing to a more than eager crowd who patiently waited two years for a headline show. The Sydney-siders were well supported by Elizabeth M. Drummond, who held the stage easily in her own right. Eloise was up front and centre to snap pictures of both stellar acts. Middle…

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Film Review: Streets of Colour is a rough untamed gem of Aussie suburban unrest

The impact of drugs, violence and racism has always gripped the hearts and minds of audiences the world over. It’s quite a refreshing coat of paint to see that in your own Aussie backyard helmed by a writer-director with unquestionable lived experience in the matter: Ronnie S Riskalla. Yet after I left the Orpheum world…

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Nothing But Thieves

Album Review: Nothing But Thieves welcome you to Dead Club City

UK rock band Nothing But Thieves are marking their 10-year anniversary by entering a new era. Dead Club City is their fourth LP, an 11-track concept album that was born during the end of the pandemic. ‘Dead Club City’ is a members-only club. It’s a mindset and a universe that explores concepts around personal relationships/experiences, the…

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Theatre Review: Tick, Tick… Boom! doesn’t fully explode

Tick, Tick… Boom! is the semi-autobiographical story of playwright Jonathon Larson, who was most notable for creating the musical RENT. This story focuses on his time as a struggling writer, living in New York, writing his first musical, Superbia. The story opens with the sound of ticking, the sound that becomes louder and louder in…

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How does technology bring one closer to nature? Illuminate Adelaide’s new programs Resonate and Mirror Mirror will show you how

In a time where technology seems to isolate us, Illuminate Adelaide uses large-scale technology to embrace and connect ourselves to the natural world. Last year, we saw Illuminate Adelaide’s Light Cycles program transform the Adelaide Botanic Garden into an ethereal experience with nature. This year, the creators of Light Cycles, Moment Factory, are turning the “cold”…

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Guest Playlist: Bonded Jacky shares her favourite fellow queer artists (and songs)

Bonded Jacky is the musical project of Maddie Ballard, a Los Angeles-based, queer musician and singer-songwriter, and self-described gangly girl with unmistakable schoolboy energy. She’s also an up-and-coming talent, releasing a slew of singles last year (including the AU Discovery playlist featured “Didgeridoo”) before releasing her debut EP back in February. This week she is…

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Tech Review: The BlueAnt X6 party speaker provides punch and value

BlueAnt is no stranger to the Bluetooth speaker game. While we’ve reviewed some smaller speakers in the past like the X0i and X1i, we now have the pleasure of checking out one of BlueAnt’s larger offerings. Valued at A$579, the X6 party speaker provides some impressive, balanced sound along with a laundry list of handy…

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Jada Weazel

New Music Discoveries 30th June: Jada Weazel, King Stingray, Kirsteen Harvey and more

As we hit the half-way point of 2023, we’ve added ten more tracks to our Discovery playlist on Spotify and Apple Music, including one track we exclusively premiered earlier in the week. Our track of the week is “Skin” from First Nations artist Jada Weazel. Jada is an emerging singer/songwriter from Woorabinda in Central Queensland….

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7 Sydney and Melbourne punk bands to play GONERFEST 20 in Memphis

GONERFEST, an annual punk-focused festival in Memphis, is set to celebrate its 20th anniversary with an explosive lineup of international bands, including seven of our very own Australian acts. Organized by the renowned Goner Records, a beloved record shop and label known for its dedication to punk and garage rock, GONERFEST has become a staple…

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Album Review: Brooke McClymont & Adam Eckersley deliver that feel good fix in Up, Down & Sideways

Award winning country duo Brooke McClymont & Adam Eckersley drop their second album Up, Down & Sideways tomorrow. Brooke McClymont is one third of top-selling, award-winning Australian country music trio The McClymonts. She has over 200,000 album sales, 40 million streams, two ARIA Awards, fifteen Golden Guitar Awards, one CMA (USA) Award, one APRA Award and…

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Film Review: Reality is a stranger-than-fiction experience bolstered by an impeccable Sydney Sweeney

Described as a “verbatim description” of what happened to Reality Winner (yes, that’s an actual name), an American Air Force veteran, who was suspected of leaking classified government information to the media while she was working as a translator with top-secret security clearance in June 0f 2017, Tina Satter‘s stage play “Is This A Room”…

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Game Review: Aliens: Dark Descent is a competent, yet uneven experience

I’m a massive fan of the Alien franchise. So much so, that Aliens still sits well within my top ten films of all time. Yes, there’s a list, but let’s put that aside for now. Aliens: Dark Descent is yet another attempt to bring validity and ultimately justice to the long-running franchise in video game…

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Eagle Eye Jones

Track by Track: Eagle Eye Jones take us through their atmospheric debut album, New Growth

Sydney/Eora based Eagle Eye Jones have just dropped their dreamy debut LP, New Growth. The band are difficult to pigeon hole genre-wise.  The album is blessed with dreamy psych rock feels, orchestral swirls and lush soundscapes vividly complementing the yearning for connection and reflection throughout the lyrics. The songs reflect on traumatic events, addiction, mental…

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Paramore announce Australia and New Zealand tour

Buckle up for some of the most anticipated tour news of the year – Grammy Award-winning powerhouse Paramore will touch down in Australia and New Zealand this November! Following the release of their sixth studio album, This Is Why earlier this year, Hayley Williams, Zac Farro and Taylor York are about to set fire to…

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Jess_Hitchcock

Interview: Jess Hitchcock on Unbreakable, songwriting and representing First Nations artists in the Australian music industry

Unbreakable by the talented singer-songwriter Jess Hitchcock is out this Friday, 30th June 2023. In her second album, the proud First Nations artist serenades us with an achingly beautiful reminder that we can find power in ourselves to become unbreakable. Unbreakable is a follow-up to Jess’s acoustic debut Bloodline (2019), which was inspired by her…

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Film Review: Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny; the whip is limp in underwhelming send-off

There’ll always be a certain excitement in seeing Harrison Ford don a fedora and crack the whip when embodying one Indiana Jones.  After a tight, though not always flawless, original trilogy across the 1980’s (Raiders of the Lost Ark in 1981, Temple of Doom in 1984, and Last Crusade in 1989), many believed the magic…

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