Year: 2024

Annie Hamilton

Review: Annie Hamilton’s Stop and Smell the Lightning sits as one of the finest albums of the year

You just love seeing artists make massive leaps forward from one album to the next. Here on her second album Stop and Smell the Lightning, Annie Hamilton has done just that. An album filled with vast arrays of whirling sounds and samples, both human and not, Stop and Smell the Lightning is hard to describe,…

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Album Review: Keelan Mak – Boy’s In Love (2024 EP)

With the release of the much-anticipated EP Boy’s In Love, Melbourne/Naarm’s Keelan Mak returns to the forefront of Australian pop armed with a fresh brand of club-ready pop tunes primed for summer listening. Proving a worthy successor to 2022s Brave Face EP, the strong introductions from singles “Drift” and “Straight with Me” were excellent showcases…

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Theatre Review: SIX the Musical continues to deliver big queen energy as it returns to Sydney

SIX has arrived for a Sydney season at the Theatre Royal. Inspired by the six wives of Henry VIII, this fresh new musical, which debuted in London in 2017, is a vibrant, energising show that captivates and charms. Written by Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss, “SIX is more than just brilliant music, it’s also a…

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Our SXSW Sydney 2024 Screen Festival Panel Highlights

From the ICC to multiple UTS venues, the Palace, and beyond, the energy of Australia’s film industry was unmistakable at SXSW Sydney 2024’s Screen Festival. Here are some of our highlights from panels, interviews, and sessions featuring indie pioneers and industry giants alike. Creative folks talking candid shop What better way to open a festival…

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Interview: Shari Sebbens on new horror film The Moogai and what it communicates about today’s Indigenous experience; “Pay some respect to where you come from.”

A young Aboriginal couple brings home their second baby. What should be a joyous time takes a sinister turn, as the baby’s mother starts seeing a malevolent spirit she is convinced is trying to take her baby. Such is the logline for Jon Bell’s The Moogai, a new horror film from the producers of The…

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Our SXSW Sydney 2024 Games Festival Highlights

Whether you’re a seasoned gamer, industry veteran, or somewhere in between, SXSW Sydney 2024’s Games Festival delivered and injected sweet fuel and fire into the Australian and Sydney side of our beloved games industry. With the dust now settled, here are some of our personal highlights and standout moments from the week that was. 3…

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The Uniden App Cam SOLO X2K Bell provides some fantastic value for money

Uniden has released their latest wireless doorbell with integrated camera, audio and storage to deliver an affordable and no-fuss option that doesn’t require an ongoing payment to a backup service to access the interactions saved on the device. I was fortunate enough to be able to check out the Uniden App Cam SOLO X2K Bell…

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Super Mario Party Jamboree serves as the ultimate party game

Super Mario Party has always been a staple for gaming in my household. Friends and family have duked it out on Nintendo consoles on game nights with Mario and company for many years. While it has been touch and go with the last few titles failing to reach the high standard that these games usually…

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NSW Wine Month

November is NSW Wine Month

Do you love a good drop? I certainly do, so I was shocked to hear during the recent launch event for NSW Wine Month how little local produce us Sydneysiders drink. Steve Cox, the CEO of Destination NSW, was on hand for the event and revealed to the gathered press that only 12% of the…

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Chit Chat Von Loopin Stab chats about the Machine Gun Fellatio reunion shows with TISM

Singer Chit Chat Von Loopin Stab sat down with the AU review to discuss Machine Gun Fellatio’s reunion and recent performances, including a secret gig in Newcastle. The band members, who hadn’t played together in 20 years, felt a sense of nostalgia and rejuvenation, with standout moments like rehearsing with Marshall stacks and the entire…

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Interview: Phantogram talk Memory Of A Day influences and touring with Kings of Leon

Hot off the heels of their brand new album Memory of a Day (read my review HERE), we caught up with Sarah and Jon of New York’s Phantogram. We talked about the cinematic new record, the influences behind it – as well as their recent tour in North America with Kings of Leon. Firstly, congratulations…

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Mid Drift

Exclusive Single Premiere: Mid Drift “Nicotine” (2024)

A band very much on the rise is Meanjin/Brisbane’s Mid Drift. The cleverly named indie-pop outfit started releasing relatable earworms in 2023, and haven’t looked back. We are thrilled to be premiering their latest tune, packed with all the feels, the anthemic “Nicotine”, ahead of its release tomorrow. The band has drawn inspiration from artists…

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Interview: Marcus Wynwood talks new EP, analog techniques, and getting shut down

Tasmanian singer-songwriter Marcus Wynwood is not one to be put in a box. Formerly a member of punk act Captives, his latest EP Never Stood Out and Never Fit In – independently released 17 October – is a mixed bag of backyard wisdom and playful experimentation. The seven-track project is a self-produced collection of densely…

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Good Things announces plethora of sideshows ahead of 2024’s festival run

2024’s iteration of Good Things Festival is scheduled to roll through the country commencing the first week of December. With a stellar lineup featuring some of the biggest bands from today, yesterday and tomorrow, the curators have managed to book a lineup that is diverse and ready to please everyone in attendance. From headliners Korn,…

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Interview: David Thompson of Bromham chats about their EP Adulthood

David Thompson, lead singer of Adelaide folk band Bromham, chats about their live performances, emphasizing community and collaboration. Their upcoming EP, Adulthood, is inspired by personal challenges, including infertility and property issues. The song “Friends” reflects the support from diverse friends, while another track honours Hannah’s sister. The EP features local Adelaide artist Max Ballard’s…

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Interview: Emily Bett Rickards on playing America’s first million-dollar female athlete in wrestling biopic Queen of the Ring

An extraordinary, true-life tale, Queen of the Ring is an uplifting drama that follows Mildred Burke, the legendary professional wrestler and single mother who defied incredible odds to become the first million-dollar female athlete and longest reigning champion at a time when the sport was banned across most of America. Through Emily Bett Rickards‘ transformative…

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Amyl and The Sniffers announce Australian Tour and release new album, Cartoon Darkness

Amyl and The Sniffers are on a high after announcing an Australian tour and releasing their new album, Cartoon Darkness. In the middle of their world tour Amyl and The Sniffers will play Adelaide, Perth, Melbourne, Sydney, Wollongong, Sunshine Coast, Brisbane, supported by Bob Vylan (UK) and Miss Kaninna plus Party In The Paddock Festival in Tasmania….

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Fingerless

Exclusive Single Premiere: Fingerless “Monster” (2024)

The prolific and wonderful Fingerless from Meanjin/Brisbane are edging closer to releasing their fifth album, and today we have the pleasure of premiering the fourth single to drop, the gentle and soothing acoustic ballad, “Monster”. We also have a beautiful video to accompany the track. “Monster” is rich and velvety smooth. They have been playing…

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Theatre Review: The 39 Steps is a rollicking adaption of the classic thriller

The University of Adelaide Theatre Guild are presenting the Patrick Barlow adaption of the novel The 39 Steps by John Buchan and the subsequent movie by Alfred Hitchcock. Patrick Barlow is an English actor, comedian and playwright, whose adaption was first presented on London’s West end in 2005. Despite the Hitchcock movie being presented in 1935,…

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Daddio is equally humorous, heartbreaking and rightfully uncomfortable at once: Brisbane International Film Festival Review

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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Tempo by Hilton squeezes wellness and calm into a chaotic corner of Times Square

According to the Hilton website, the company has around 68 hotels in New York City. As per Google, there are around 700 hotels in New York City (from 2021 – that number would have increased by then). Based on those numbers, just under 10% of the hotels in New York City are branded under Hilton….

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Interview: Gabriel LaBelle on playing Lorne Michaels in Saturday Night, bonding with his co-stars and favourite SNL skits

From Spielberg to Saturday Night. After making his mark as Sammy Fabelman in Steven Spielberg’s acclaimed The Fabelmans, a loosely-based detailing of the famed director’s adolescence, rising star Gabriel LaBelle is taking on another icon of the industry in Lorne Michaels, the long-running creator of the American sketch comedy program, Saturday Night Live, in Jason Reitman’s…

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Froth and Fury festival back in November to rock Port Adelaide

Adelaide’s Froth and Fury Festival, the massive all-ages alternative craft beer and music event is back at The Port in November with an explosive lineup of 33 bands across three stages. Northlane, Thy Art Is Murder, and Fear Factory lead the lineup, including the USA band’s only Australian show. Testeagles and Day Of Contempt will be playing exclusive reunion shows….

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Anora is masterfully tense, warm, tragic and hilarious in equal measure: Brisbane International Film Festival Review

It’s too easy to claim that writer/director Sean Baker makes inaccessible films due to the fact that so many of his narratives centre around the society underrepresented, chief among them being sex workers.  As we saw in such previous works as Tangerine and Red Rocket, Baker seeks to remove such a stigma around pornography performers, prostitutes…

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Karan Aujla to showcase his unique South Asian hip hop at some of Australia and New Zealand’s biggest arenas

Acclaimed Canada-based Punjabi artist Karan Aujla is gearing up for an arena tour around Sydney, Melbourne and Auckland, bringing his unique, award-winning blend of Punjabi folk and worldly contemporary music to some of the region’s biggest venues for the very first time since his debut in 2022. Aujla’s star has reached tremendous heights this year….

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New Music Discoveries 25th October: Joe Mungovan & Aodhan, Yorke, EGOISM, & more

We can see November peering just around the corner, and this week we have added another ten 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 “Old Dog/New Tricks”, a joint collaboration from two fine singer/songwriters – Joe…

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Hayley Mary

Interview: Hayley Mary goes all in on Roman XS

Hayley Mary, of The Jezabels fame, has been releasing music under her own name since her stellar debut EP, The Piss, The Perfume, in 2020. Since then, she has released two more EPs, and today, she has released her grand and ambitious debut LP, Roman XS. The album was produced by Hayley and The Jezabels producer, Lachlan Mitchell, with…

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Trim Reaper

Guest Playlist: Trim Reaper share the influences behind their debut EP, listen to Trim Reaper

Hailing from Brisbane, duo Trim Reaper have tapped into an intoxicating and luxurious mix of electro punk and indie rock. Yesterday, they dropped their debut EP, and it’s a beauty. At just three track long, it’s short and sweet, but packed with social commentary, old-school instrumentation and upbeat energy. There’s a potent sincerety to the…

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Album Review: Soccer Mommy – Evergreen (2024 LP)

Every so often, an artist emerges that makes you wonder if your Spotify Discover knows you at all. For me this week, that’s Soccer Mommy; the Swiss-born, Nashville-raised moniker of artist Sophie Allison. Releasing her fourth album Evergreen this week, I find myself baffled that her sweetly melancholic indie sound has somehow evaded my radar…

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Tyler, The Creator is back! 2025 CHROMAKOPIA Australia Tour Announced

Tyler, The Creator has announced his return to Australia and New Zealand for the 2025 CHROMAKOPIA World Tour, marking a significant moment in his rocky history with touring our shores. After being banned from entering Australia in 2015 due to controversial lyrics, Tyler made his return in 2019 and then 2022, to open arms and…

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