Month: February 2024

cafes sydney

The 3 best cafes in Sydney right now (February 2024 Edition)

Remember when Devon Cafe and Three William Street were helping Sydney compete quite fiercely with Melbourne’s famously progressive cafe scene? All of the sudden laneway bars started to pop up over the city to take care of the night owls (at least until the lockout-law-mandated-cessation-of-service). But by day, these increasingly creative cities were taken good…

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Interview: Ethan Coen and Tricia Cooke on their unapologetic road movie Drive-Away Dolls; “Your mind just gets anchored by weird somethings”

Of all the films to be shrouded in an air of secrecy, a lesbian road movie from a Coen Brother may not seem like the most obvious choice.  But, indeed, Ethan Coen‘s Drive-Away Dolls, an original, queer-thinking comedy created with his wife, Tricia Cooke, basks in certain narrative (and visual) reveals that made for certain…

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Interview: Bad Party talk new single “Pray”, local influences and romantic advice

Brisbane metalcore act Bad Party have been turning heads with their unique electro-punk style since their debut EP Beyond Repair in 2022. After releasing standalone single “Want It” last year, the band have recently shared the sultry single “Pray” – the first with newly appointed vocalist Dale Dudeson of Revoid. Produced, mixed and mastered by…

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Wertheim Evolution Stick Vacuum Cleaner Review: A dirt-busting all-rounder

I don’t have to recycle through vacuum cleaners quite often so always find it a surprise when I see just how many brands are out there. The range offered by Godfreys is wide and surprising, showing off just how nuanced vacuum cleaners are as a category and how it’s essential to shop around to find…

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Film Review: Land of Bad is a nail-biting slice of military flourished escapism

A brutal war film that opts to forego any “true story” inspiration and commit wholly to undistinguishable-terrorists-are-picked-off-by-fictional-soldiers-with-crowd-rousingly-violent-results, Land of Bad transcends its Queensland-filmed locations and predominant Australian cast to deliver on shockingly tense and neatly executed thrills. Largely an action vehicle for Liam Hemsworth, the sweet-faced, imposingly-figured star leads the charge as Kinney, quickly dubbed…

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New Music Discoveries 16th February: Highline, Jet City Sports Club, Sahara Beck and more

We have added ten more tracks to our Discovery playlist on Spotify and Apple Music. This week, our Track of the Week is “”Believe Me I’ll Run” — from Sydney’s Highline. Highline are known for their high-energy guitar-infused indie-rockers, and “Believe Me I’ll Run” is a little more melancholic than their more recent releases. It’s…

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Middle Kids’ Hannah Joy on Faith Crisis Pt. 1, becoming a mum and rediscovering herself

Sydney’s very own Middle Kids are dropping their third studio album, Faith Crisis Pt 1 TODAY! Produced by the iconic Jonathan Gilmore and recorded in England, this album is nothing short of fantastic. I caught up with lead vocalist Hannah Joy just weeks out from having her second baby, and she was keen to chat…

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The Moon Gate

Book Review: Amanda Geard’s The Moon Gate is a refreshing historical delight

You may think that the dual-timeline historical fiction novel has had its moment. But recently there have been a number of novels which have played with the braided, three-narrative structure. While difficult to pull off, these blends of historical fiction and mysteries that span across time are very popular, especially with readers who enjoy the…

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Bloom are set to explode with their anticipated debut album Maybe in Another Life

Sydney melodic hardcore act Bloom have today unveiled their highly-anticipated debut album, Maybe in Another Life, via Greyscale Records and Pure Noise Records. The five-piece made waves with their acclaimed 2020 concept EP In Passing, followed by a live version in 2021 and pit-splitting single “Sink into the Soil” in 2022. Now, the band returns…

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Tekken 8 is one of the best entries in the franchise to date

I’ve always had a soft spot for the Tekken franchise. In fact, Tekken 3 was one of the first games I ever played, back when I got my original PlayStation all those years ago. Since then, I’ve stuck with the franchise, and while most entries have been good, not all have been great. Be it…

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Gesticulations

Track by Track: Gesticulations take us through their sixth LP, In The Wars

Gesticulations is a duo comprising Graham Ashton and his good friend Benny D Williams. They released their first album in 2021, and earlier this month released In The Wars, their sixth album in only three years. It’s fair to say they aren’t short of ideas or material. In keeping with their earlier releases, In The…

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Win a double in-season pass to Ethan Coen’s wild road comedy Drive-Away Dolls

Thanks to Universal Pictures Australia we have 5 double digital in-season passes (Admit 2) to see Ethan Coen and Tricia Cooke‘s comedy caper Drive-Away Dolls, starring Margaret Qualley, Geraldine Viswanathan, Beanie Feldstein, Pedro Pascal and Matt Damon. Written by Ethan Coen and Tricia Cooke, this comedy caper follows Jamie, an uninhibited free spirit bemoaning yet…

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Album Review: Middle Kids – Faith Crisis Pt. 1 (2024 LP)

Returning for their third album, Middle Kids enter 2024 at the top of their game. A band always capable of creating songs that are just as deep as they are sing-a-longs, the Sydney band are back with Faith Crisis Pt.1, a thirteen track dive into a frontwoman Hannah Joy questioning her faith. For a band…

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Angie McMahon

Angie McMahon announces the Making It Through Tour in support of her album Light, Dark, Light Again.

On the back of releasing her stellar 2023 album, Light, Dark, Light Again, Angie McMahon has announced an Australia and New Zealand tour, hitting up eleven theatres here and abroad this May and June. Named our favourite album of 2023 (you can read our album review here), McMahon is set to showcase all the best…

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Domi & JD Beck and wetpuddlss at The Rechabite

Live Review: Domi & JD Beck +  wetpuddlss– The Rechabite, Perth (12.02.2024)

Last night at the Rechabite, jazz-prodigy duo Domi & JD Beck finished up the last set of the tour for their first album. It was a full house, packed to the rafters with jazzheads shouting out “je t’aime Domi!” and “we love you!”. If you expected something smooth and transcendental like their album NOT TiGHT…

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The four best things to do with just 72 hours in Hobart, Tasmania

Hobart is the most underrated capital city in Australia. There’s no question. Direct access to some of the country’s finest produce has given the city’s dining scene a standard to rival the world’s greatest food cities. It’s small, walkable and incredibly relaxing. And Hobart also plays host to some of the most interesting and exciting…

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Her Sunburnt Country

Book Review: Her Sunburnt Country offers an in-depth look at the life of an early Australian literary pioneer

Are you curious about Australia’s early modernist literary movement? Then Her Sunburnt Country by Deborah FitzGerald is the perfect introduction. Many Australians should know of Dorothea Mackellar’s poem – “My Country”, with its captivating prose and beautiful description of Australia. Since the poem’s publication in 1908 it has only grown in popularity, quickly became a…

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Grand Casual

Exclusive Single Premiere: Grand Casual “Fine” (2024)

The benefits of talking about your mental health with friends, particularly when going through a bad patch, are at the core of “Fine”, the new song from Esperance-based three-piece outfit Grand Casual. This infectious and heart-warming banger is as upbeat as it is healing, and we are stoked to be premiering it before its release…

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Film Review: This Is Me…Now: A Love Story is a musical experience that earns Jennifer Lopez her flowers as the barrier-breaking entertainer she truly is

“Have you ever heard the story of Alida and Taroo?…” So begins Jennifer Lopez‘s semi autobiographical musical experience This Is Me…Now: A Love Story, a narrative accompaniment to her latest album, This Is Me…Now, an urban pop record that celebrates her reunion with now husband Ben Affleck, following their original romance some two decades prior….

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Album Review: Jennifer Lopez finds love again on lush, cohesive This Is Me…Now

An album twenty years in the making, This Is Me…Now is the sequel to Jennifer Lopez‘s 2002 romantic opus This Is Me…Then, a largely mid-tempo, old-school R&B-inspired record that musically defined her relationship with Ben Affleck. This Is Me…Now is similarly a record reflecting on her relationship with the actor, only this time she’s Mrs….

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Film Review: Bob Marley: One Love cautiously celebrates the legendary performer

With all that Bob Marley achieved before his passing at only the age of 36, it makes sense that his life be served the biopic treatment, and with King Richard helmer Reinaldo Marcus Green as a director, there’s perhaps even more of a sense of how emotionally impactful such a tale could be.  But seemingly…

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What’s new at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California (and what’s coming soon!)

Are you heading to the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California anytime soon? We just returned from a visit to the iconic park, and are happy to report a number of new experiences to enjoy across both the OG Disneyland Park, and the accompanying second gate, California Adventure. There’s even a brand new Pixar-themed hotel! Here’s…

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The Fiction Writer

Book Review: The Fiction Writer pales in comparison to its enduring antecedent

Perhaps as a reader, I have finally had enough of books that are trying to be Rebecca. Or perhaps it is just that the story doesn’t transpose well into a modern setting, but Jillian Cantor‘s latest novel The Fiction Writer didn’t quite work for me. Don’t get me wrong – it’s a compelling read. It’s got a…

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Aaron Thomas

Exclusive Single Premiere: Aaron Thomas “Mouth Of The City” (2024)

South Australia is rightly famous for it’s beautifully balanced wines, but just as alluring is the music created by Tasmanian born, and now Adelaide resident Aaron Thomas. With indie-folk running through its veins, we are thrilled to be premiering “Mouth Of The City”, the latest release from the talented musician ahead of its release on…

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Interview: Nathan Phillips on the guerilla-style filmmaking of new Australian crime thriller Kane and the joys of playing a sociopath

Benny works for old school crime boss Abe, Abe has multiple personalities and is in a gang war with the notorious Frankie. Kane is the deadliest of Abe”s personalities, the next 24 hours will be a killer. Today is a good day to die. Such is the logline for Blair Moore’s ambitious debut feature Kane,…

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Pearl Jam

Pearl Jam Australian tour announced, new album to be released in April and share title-track

It’s been teased for days, and if you were in Bondi on the weekend, there were Pearl Jam hints everywhere. The Pearl Jam tour is on! Yes, the Seattle grunge legends, Pearl Jam, will be heading to Australia, playing the Gold Coast, Melbourne and Sydney in November this year. In other massive news for the…

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Film Review: Madame Web; Well…it’s better than Morbius

Leading up to the release of Madame Web it’s safe to say that the word hasn’t exactly been overtly positive.  The usage of a certain line of dialogue regarding Dakota Johnson‘s character’s mother’s profession of working with spiders in the Amazon cemented the film’s meme status from the get-go – for the record, the line…

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The Vaccines and Everything Everything announce co-headline tour of Australia

Both returning to Australia for the first time since before the pandemic, English legends The Vaccines and Everything Everything have teamed up to announce a co-headline tour for May 2024. With both bands releasing albums this year (Everything Everything release Mountainhead on 1 March, while The Vaccines released Pick-up Full of Pink Carnations in January),…

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Taylor Swift

More Taylor Swift Eras Australia tour tickets are being released today from under $70

Good news for Australian Taylor Swift fans who still have yet to get their hands on a ticket for her upcoming Eras shows in Sydney and Melbourne, which kick off this Friday. Frontier Touring are releasing extra tickets for the anticipated shows TODAY. And this comes after the artist, arriving fresh from the Super Bowl,…

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Interview: Jennifer Lopez and director Dave Meyers on the superstar’s passion project This Is Me…Now: A Love Story

This Is Me…Now: A Love Story is like nothing you’ve ever seen from Jennifer Lopez. Alongside director Dave Meyers, Jennifer has created a narrative-driven cinematic odyssey, steeped in mythological storytelling and personal healing. Dropping in tandem with her first studio album in a decade, this genre-bending Amazon original showcases her journey to love through her own…

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