Pond played to a packed out Carriageworks for Vivid Sydney on a very wet Sydney night and I’m calling it gig of the year 2024! Supported by the excellent Melbourne garage-punk outfit Delivery. With the imminent release of Pond’s 10th studio album Stung! we were treated to new songs “(I’m) Stung”, “Neon River”, “Black Lung”…
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After premiering at last year’s SXSW Film & TV Festival, the acclaimed Cora Bora is finally introducing herself to the masses; the film is set for a release in theatres in the United States from June 14th. Starring Megan Stalter (TV’s Hacks) as the titular Cora, the film tells of her fear that her relationship…
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Whilst there’s no doubt that Megan Stalter is a talented comedienne (“Hi Gay!”, anyone?), the type of social-media-sketch-performer-turned-feature-actress trajectory isn’t always a guaranteed translation for both their respective humour and an audience’s positive reaction. Thankfully, her starring role in Cora Bora is a more dramatic transition for the actress, displaying a vulnerable, shaded, even confidence-lacking…
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Luke Hemmings‘ show in Melbourne on Wednesday, June 12th, marked a significant milestone in his career. This was his first solo performance in Australia, a highly anticipated event for fans of the frontman of the beloved Aussie band 5 Seconds of Summer. The band’s latest album was released in 2022, while Luke’s solo journey began…
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‘An Evening With Marlon Williams‘ was simply that, a seated theatre style show with Marlon alone on stage… sometimes acapella with his head covered by a hoodie and lit by dark orange lights, or joyously dancing around the stage with his soaring voice guiding us to another world. An intimate, personal and at times very…
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As much as Vincent Grashaw‘s Bang Bang revels in the alpha masculinity that oft dominates the boxing industry and the men it produces, this hard drama laces its narrative with a sadness and humanity that consistently brings the film above its gruff exterior. And much of that belongs to the impeccable Tim Blake Nelson, leading…
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Luke Hemmings has well and truly redefined himself. The Syndey-born musician’s career, who now spends most of his time in Los Angeles, was born out of the successful boyband 5 Seconds of Summer. Though remnants of their adoration were clear at his Melbourne show on Wednesday, with an ample amount of screaming fans – it’s…
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A character losing themself to nature in order to find solitude or correct the course of their life is not a road seldom travelled on screen. And in the case of The Outrun, it’s the windswept Orkney Islands off the northeastern coast of Scotland that serve as a place of rejuvenation for Rona (Saoirse Ronan,…
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Since 2018, CUPRA has developed a reputation as one of Europe’s fastest-growing car brands. Originating from Spanish manufacturer SEAT’s motorsport division, Cupra Racing, the move for the brand to launch in its now standalone form has led to growing popularity in a number of markets, including Australia. CUPRA’s line of vehicles brings the performance dynamics…
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In 2004 MF DOOM released Madvillainy and MM..FOOD, often cited as the two best albums of his career, in 238 days. For the years following up until DOOM’s death in late 2020, these two albums and the entirety of his discography have garnered consistent critical acclaim, frequently appearing in year and decade-end lists. Universally accepted…
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Shin Megami Tensei V might have been released back in 2021 but didn’t really catch much traction with Western audiences. It was back then, a fantastic traditional JRPG with some unique story elements, and is still considered a relatively great game. Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance, however, feels like the definitive release, complete with new…
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The prospect of being stuck in a cab for 90 minutes with a driver that isn’t afraid to wax lyrical about the dynamics of men and women doesn’t exactly sound like the most pleasant experience. And whilst that it is the entire premise of Christy Hall‘s conversation-provoking Daddio, audiences pre-empting their annoyance at such a…
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We’re somehow nearly at the halfway point for the year and we’ve added ten more tracks to our Discovery Playlist on Spotify and Apple Music. This week our Track of the Week is “Calm The Sea” from folk artist Kim Churchill. Fresh from a European tour and following the release of previous single “Hobbies”; “Calm…
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San Francisco’s experimental awesome foursome rock band Deerhoof played at the newest and coolest Sydney venue Machine Hall for Vivid Sydney supported by the wonderful Annie Hamilton playing solo. Deerhoof dazzled with their punchy eclectic pop tunes with bassist and lead vocalist Satomi Matsuzaki dancing and kicking her way for what was a delightful fun…
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A staple of screen, stage and the small screen for five decades now, David Hyde Pierce is one of the most celebrated actors of his time, with his most recognised turn as Dr. Niles Crane on the acclaimed sitcom Frasier (1993 – 2004) lauding him four Emmy Awards and two SAG Awards. His latest role,…
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Whilst it’s understandable that audiences may assume The Exorcism is somehow related to last year’s The Pope’s Exorcist – and given both their closeness in title and sharing of Russell Crowe, you can see why – but Joshua John Miller‘s genre entrant is more a dramatic character study, with many of the horrific elements feeling…
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Following the widespread acclaim of her debut solo record Distance in 2020, New Zealand-born, Melbourne-bred, and now Los Angeles-based indie artist Jess Cornelius is set to release her sophomore album CARE/TAKING this Friday through Tender Loving Empire. With a strong 10-song offering, CARE/TAKING continues Cornelius’s style of heavily biographical and vulnerable songwriting, with reflections on…
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From DreamWorks Animation comes a new adaptation of a literary sensation, Peter Brown’s beloved, award-winning, #1 New York Times bestseller, The Wild Robot. The epic adventure follows the journey of a robot—ROZZUM unit 7134, “Roz” for short — that is shipwrecked on an uninhabited island and must learn to adapt to the harsh surroundings, gradually…
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Whether you’ve seen the movie Saving Mr. Banks, heard the folklore or have noticed the lamp yourself, chances are you know that Walt Disney had small apartment near the entry to Disneyland in California. Situated above the Fire Station that sits on the left hand side of the park’s entry, Walt would be able to…
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Upbeat pop songs covering love and politics aren’t usually a natural mix, yet with Brisbane-based producer and vocalist Minn Aung, aka as Aqver, it just feels ever so right, in his latest high-energy bop, “WON’T CHANGE ME”. We’re super excited to be premiering this new track ahead of its release on Friday. “WON’T CHANGE ME”…
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The idea of wearing a mask – physical or metaphorical – can so often be used to uncover a psyche within the realms of dark storytelling, and for Aaron Schimberg‘s chaotic A Different Man a literal representation is at the core. There’s an undeniably captivating and thought-provoking narrative at play, but the execution feels ultimately…
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Today, Sydney singer/songwriter Abbey Lane has released her debut EP, the fabulous Afterthoughts. Relationships are the central theme of the record, and the highs and lows of letting ourselves be vulnerable through love are artfully captured by the talented songwriter. There are many highlights here. One of my favourites is “Stuck in that moment”, which…
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Crime writing duo, Nicci French (a.k.a. husband and wife team Nicci Gerrard and Sean French) returned with a new detective series earlier this year. The first offering, Has Anyone Seen Charlotte Salter? is set to be the first in the Maud O’Connor detective series. Though curiously, the eponymous heroine does not actually appear until the latter…
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Though there is a high-concept present in the narrative forming of My Old Ass – shroom induced time travel could be the easiest elevator pitch summary (so, a high-concept if ever there was one) – Megan Park‘s deliriously sweet, always charming, oft-hilarious venture is, at its core, an uncomplicated affair that simply wants to make…
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Last Friday, New Zealand/Aotearoa’s Georgia Lines released her stunning debut album, The Rose of Jericho. This record is bound together by stunning vocals and mature, well-crafted songwriting drawn from life experiences. Lush instrumentation, with piano and sparkly synths to the fore, permeates throughout this gem. The album was written over two years in response to…
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There’s a sense of too many eggs in one basket present in Problemista, a loaded-with-ideas, absurdist comedy from comedian Julio Torres who treats his first-time feature as if he may not get the chance to do a second. And there’s nothing inherently wrong with the ideas that Torres – a former Saturday Night Live scribe,…
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As Yorgos Lanthimos built up his profile with more mainstream-inclined audiences over the years – blending his unique storytelling vision with noticeable, A-list talent – the filmmaker viscerally tells them to essentially f*ck off with Kinds of Kindness, a 164-minute blackly comic, absurdist, and boundary-pushing surrealist drama that makes his previous oddity, last year’s award-winning…
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Modern gaming is in a bit of a limbo. In some ways, it’s never been better, with eye-watering budgets and grand-scale adventures. In other ways, it’s never been worse. Despite huge growth and Oscar-worthy narrative-focused games like The Last of Us and Red Dead Redemption, a significant amount of titles seemingly suffer a lack of…
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The train rolls on for Summer Game Fest 2024, as Ubisoft Forward 2024 gets their turn. While a few of these games have already been announced, it’s nice to get a closer look. We’ve packed in all trailers here for your convenience. enjoy! STAR WARS OUTLAWS GAMEPLAY XDEFIANT SEASON 1 SKULL AND BONES SEASON UPDATE PRINCE…
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In Sydney at Computex this week ASUS announced their new and extensive lineup of AI-powered laptops. With a host of new-look models purpose-built to target individual functionality across art, gaming and portability, the incorporation of advanced AI capabilities promises a leap forward in PC functionality. For the artists: ProArt Series ASUS’s new ProArt series trio…
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