John is all about celebrating the best of music, arts, and culture in Australia. He's a prolific reviewer and interviewer who's always on the pulse of what's new and exciting. His reviews are in-depth and thoughtful, giving readers a sense of what to expect from live performances, albums, and festivals. John's vibe on The AU Review is one of infectious enthusiasm, passion, and dedication to showcasing the vibrant cultural landscape of Australia.
A number of big hitting artists decamped on Adelaide at the weekend for Fire Aid. Taking place on University of Adelaide’s campus, the fundraising event was headlined by Pond. Also on the bill were Bad//Dreems, Tim Rogers, West Thebarton and more. Photographer John Goodridge was there to capture all the action.
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One of the main attraction of the Falls Festival site in Lorne is the scenic rain forest setting in the Otways. However, as catastrophic conditions of high heat, winds and thunderstorms were predicted for the third day of the festival, the organisers made the decision to cancel the festival to ensure the safety of festival…
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It was a hot and sweaty night at an all ages DZ Deathrays gig at HQ Complex in Adelaide. Special guests Polish Club, VOIID and The Buoys kept the crowd pumped all night before a DJ after party in the top room. John Goodridge was there to bring you these photos.
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The second day of Splendour in the Grass is underway with another glorious day and plenty of music to keep everyone entertained. Check out this gallery of Wolf Alice, Dean Lewis, Catfish and the Bottlemen and much, much more. John Goodridge was on the ground to bring these images.
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What a beautiful sunny day to start the three day Splendour in the Grass music festival in Byron Bay. With stellar performances from the likes of Tame Impala, Foals, Broods, and Wolfmother, there was something for everyone. John Goodridge was there to bring you these photos.
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Tender Napalm is a dynamic play by English storyteller Philip Ridley bought to life in the Holden Street Theatre by Scuti Productions. Under the razor-sharp direction of Rachael Williams, Man and Woman (played brilliantly by Mark Healy and Carol Lawton) act out a veritable storybook of fantastic tales. The set is simple, stark and effective….
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Brendan Maclean has had a varied career in film and music, from starring alongside Marcia Hines in the cabaret show Velvet in the 2015 Adelaide Fringe, to well known Triple J radio presenter for many years and to having his sexually explicit 2015 video to “House of Air” being banned by Youtube. So after several…
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One of the more obscure installations at this year’s Adelaide Fringe was the pop-up store, Self – Human Soap. Nestled away in King William Street in the CBD, it looks as inviting as any other high-end beauty store, but this store has a marked difference to the others. Schuldfabrik is a German word, where ‘schuld’…
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The Adelaide Fringe is over for another successful year and Club Briefs was the perfect way to celebrate the final evening. The Briefs Factory is an Australian creative collective who “manufacture, cultivate and present evocative, irreverent, physical performance”. Our MC for the night is Shivannah, who is sassy, loud and irreverent. Her costume changes between…
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Israeli-born, London-based choreographer, Hofesh Shechter has had an impressive CV since 2007, when he released his critically acclaimed work “In your rooms”. Grand Finale is the first of his full-length works to be presented in Australia as part of the Adelaide Festival. The Hofesh Schechter Company is a diverse group of international dancers from eight…
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American Composer/Conductor Evan Ziporyn opened a two-night residency in Elder Hall with a world premiere featuring new arrangements of Fripp/Eno’s “Evening Star, Side A”; Laraaji’s “Dances From Day of Radiance” plus his own “Frog’s Eye” and an Ambient Orchestra arrangement of Satie‘s Gymnopedies. Ziporyn addresses the audience at the start of the show to explain…
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There are 360 degrees in a circle and this performance is full of “all-round” “Allstars” (get it?). This show is fast paced and an enjoyable demonstration of bike riding, freestyle rapping, drumming, basketball tricks, cyr wheel and more. The music and lighting give extra energy to an already energised group of performers. The added bonus…
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Megan Washington graced the floating Riverbank Palais on Friday night following a season which included Augie March, J Mascis, Sarah Blasco, and They Might Be Giants. Washington’s performance included a four-string accompaniment for some of the songs, adding an ethereal feeling to an already magical space. There were crowd favourites and plenty of banter about…
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It would be a mistake to describe Foehn as a puppet show. Not because that is wrong, but because it is much more than that. French performance artist Phia Ménard became a juggler, performance artist and director of the Compagnie Non Nova in the 1990’s. She describes the movement of air as being present at…
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The Redhead Cabaret is a company of red-haired performers with a mission to share all the energy and pizzaz that this genetic disposition boasts. So reads the manifesto to this late night cabaret. As the sold out crowd fills the tent, a schoolteacher with a whip and a boy in a g-string stand on stage…
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Tim Ferguson is probably best known as one of the members of the comedy trio Doug Anthony All Stars that were particularly popular on Australian television screens in the late 80’s. In this Adelaide Fringe performance, Ferguson chats to us about his life and times, including his diagnosis with Multiple Sclerosis; “Why have just one…
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In what has now become an annual tradition, Tom Flanagan of Donut Diner has presented the third Donut Olympics in the Garden of Unearthly Delights. Teams from Security, FOH, Box Office, event staff and even circus performers and Barbu pitted their skills for the dubious honour of Donut Champions. Events included a watermelon eating contest,…
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Note: this play includes references to self-harm and suicide. The topic of youth suicide, particularly within Indigenous communities has been part of recent conversations. Josh Bond and Ursula Yovich, the co-director and playwright of “Man with the Iron Neck” have this to say about the play: “We are overwhelmed everyday and it’s not because of…
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This year, the RCC in the Adelaide University has presented a bold and diverse range of acts for the Fringe and one of those has to be the combination of two iconic electronic musical acts, Orbital and Severed Heads. Held outdoors on the Maths Lawns, Severed Heads opened with an easy collection of beats and…
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The top floor of the now defunct Adelaide Uni Bar complex has been repurposed as a Fringe Venue. The Attic is an appropriate venue to present three of the original members of Pussy Riot in a reflection of their imprisonment in Russian jails. With six members of the collective, a type of punk rock opera…
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The Adelaide Festival opens runs between the 1st and 17th March and there’s a full program which can make choosing what to see a daunting task. Here’s five suggestions that should help choosing easier. Opening night: National Geographic: Symphony for our world Elder park comes alive on Saturday 2nd March for this family-friendly free concert…
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Adelaide born Matt Tarrant has made magic his career and it has served him well as the highest selling solo act of the 2018 Adelaide Fringe after many years of awards and a 2017 stint on Australian Survivor. This year Matt returns to the Fringe with a show called More Unsolved. The show opens with…
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DZ Deathrays tore up the newly renovated Lion Arts Factory with some hard hitting performances from Adelaide bands Burnside Mums and Stabitha and the Knifey Wifeys. John Goodridge was there to bring these shots
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The final day of the Lorne Falls Festival heralded in the New Year with an energetic performance by Catfish and the Bottlemen. During the day Odette entranced with beautiful tunes, Bishop Briggs snarled and prowled and there was a huge sing-a-long with Toto‘s perennial hit song “Africa”. John Goodridge was there for the AU Review…
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The third day of Falls Festival at Lorne ramped up the energy even more with plenty of home grown talent, including Ruel, Amy Shark, Jack River and culminating in crowd favorites Hilltop Hoods. Our photographer John Goodridge was there to capture these snaps
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The second day of the Lorne Falls Festival was a beautiful day starting with the traditional Welcome to Country before launching into raucous sets by Amyl and the Sniffers, West Thebarton and Slowly Slowly. Briggs, King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard and First Aid Kit all put on great performances on the Valley Stage. Anderson…
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Mallrat, Hockey Dad, Ocean Alley, Dizzee Rascal and more helped kick off the first day of Falls Festival in Lorne. John Goodridge is on ground and brings us back these photos:
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Vampire Weekend may have been the headliners of night two, playing their first festival in four years and their first Australian show in five, but it was a day that belonged to the local acts – with Gang of Youths attracting what was undoubtedly the biggest crowd of the day, and other acts like Amy…
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The first day of Splendour 2018 in Byron Bay delivered plenty of highlights – here, we count down just seven of the best moments… 7. DMA’s ask the crowd if they believe… In getting an absolutely rammed amphitheatre to sing along to Cher’s “Believe”, which the Sydney trio did for Like a Version (though never…
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Off the back of achieving ARIA Gold on his charismatic 2017 record “The Future” featuring Antony & Cleopatra, with upwards of a staggering 10 million online streams, Adelaide producer Motez has released his first new music of the year, the Late Thoughts EP. Motez chats to the AU Review about touring and making the EP. How’s…
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