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.
Four movies and other events have been teased out ahead of the full Adelaide Film Festival announcement coming on September 17th. Cannes Film Festival 2024 Palme d’Or Award winner, Anora, reimagines Pretty Woman as a tragicomedy and cements director Sean Baker as someone to watch. It screens at the AFF on Thursday October 24th. Screening…
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Writer /actor Chris Pitman has created a powerful story with his one-person show, Shore Break. It is a fictional story about a solitary figure, unable to connect, abandoned at the edge of the world. It’s a combined snapshot of the older men living in remote campgrounds and their isolated existences. Director Chelsea Griffith has helped…
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Vietjet Redcliffe KiteFest is returning to Brisbane on 14-15th September 2024. With over 30,000 visitors expected, this year’s festival promises an amazing display of kite artistry and diverse cultural performances. Kite artisans come from diverse places such as Malaysia, China and Vietnam to showcase their prowess in kite-making skills. Vietjet will have a booth where…
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I chatted with Bryn Soden, lead singer of Adelaide band Sturt Avenue, where we talked about the band’s origins and the nostalgia-heavy nature of their music. We also discussed his songwriting process, how it varies from the spontaneous to the deliberate. For their latest single, “Passenger Side”, Bryn reflects on a drive with a friend,…
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The Adelaide Film Festival runs between 23th October and 3rd November and will feature the movie The Correspondent. The opening night gala marks the world premier of this gripping movie. Directed by Kriv Stenders, The Correspondent stars Richard Roxburgh as Australian war correspondent Peter Greste who was arrested and jailed in Cairo, Egypt in 2013,…
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Queensland singer / songwriter AYLA has just released her full-length album Dopamine. We caught up with her to chat about the evolution of the album, and the influences and processes that went into the making of it. It’s taken four years to release the album. I guess COVID must have got in the way early…
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Joanna Murray-Smith has crafted a sympathetic and thorough expose of the life of Australia’s first female Prime Minister, Julia Gillard. Justine Clarke plays the part of Julia and takes us from the time of her birth in Wales up to the famous misogyny speech delivered in parliament. Director Sarah Goodes has taken her story and placed…
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The University of Adelaide Theatre Guild have tackled quite a challenge in presenting one of Shakespeare’s last plays, King Lear. Imagining the play set in the future, it challenges the notions of modern civilisation. In fact, Shakespeare’s commentary on power, lust and betrayal is as relevant today as when the play was scribed in the…
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News has just landed about the Meredith 2024 lineup and it’s massive. The event runs on December 6, 7 and 8 at the Meredith Supernatural Ampitheatre in Victoria. The second round of the ballot is now open until 10.32 on Tuesday 20th August. The ticket price includes all parking, camping, booking fees, car passes, BYO convenience, and spins on The Eye. Meredith is an…
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The true story behind Chicago is so fascinating that it still resonates a hundred years after the action. In 1924, Chicago was overrun by gangsters, with prohibition-era criminality infused with a smoky jazz background. On “murderess row” in Cook County, over a dozen women were waiting sentencing. One woman, Kitty Malm, dubbed by the newspapers…
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Would you believe that Vietjet, Vietnam’s newest low cost airline has just celebrated it’s 200 millionth passenger trip. To celebrate, the airline is offering 30% off Business and Sky Boss tickets from now until the 11th August on www.vietjetair.com, the Vietjet Air mobile app, booking offices, and official agents worldwide. The flight period is from 19…
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Port Adelaide’s Pirate Life Brewery are hosting Froth and Fury Festival again in 2024 and the promoters have certainly dialled up the energy levels to eleven. With 32 bands across 3 stages, it’s truly an electrifying line up. With an eclectic lineup that includes Northlane, Thy Art is Murder, Fear Factory and a Testeagles reunion…
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The premise of Unsound, a part of Illuminate Adelaide is to bring artists together who don’t suit a mainstream audience. Experimental noise probably generally describes the genre. The type of artistry that is polarising. People either love it or hate it. Fortunately, the audience was more of the “love it” type. The opening act of…
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Dutch classical pianist, Joep Beving was last in Adelaide four years ago, just as the pandemic hit. Last time he was finishing a tour, so it makes sense that he starts it all back here again. As the lights dim, the music begins, almost to quiet to hear. The audience silences and is captivated by…
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The sophomore song from Adelaide songstress effie isobel came across our desk this week and we thought you’d like it too. After generating some buzz from triple j Unearthed with debut single “Lip Balm“, latest release, “Peach Heart” is punchier but just as instantly likeable. Comparing the rush of falling for a new crush to…
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DZ Deathrays have been performing their brand of hard rock for around sixteen years now. It’s been ten years since the release of the album Black Rat, so what better excuse to tour the country. While the album was released by Simon Ridley and Shane Parsons as a duo, they’ve since added Lachlan Ewbank to…
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After massive hype hinged on Troye Sivan’s recent sets in Europe, it comes as no surprise that a second Sydney show has already been announced for his upcoming Australian tour. The new album Something To Give Each Other has also just been released to rave reviews. The tour kicks off on Tuesday 19th November at…
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Despite it being quite a warm day, there were threatening clouds on the horizon at the start of the third day of Porto’s Primavera Sound festival. On the main Porto stage, Best Youth, Portugal’s indie pop band showed that a little rain was not going to dampen their enthusiasm. They played their infectious music and…
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The second day of Porto’s Primavera Sound Festival was marked by threatening rainclouds overhead. Despite this the rain stayed mostly away and raincoats were not really needed. But the action on stage was what people were there for. The Vodaphone stage was strangely under construction which meant that artists such as Justice did not perform….
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Primavera Sound Porto celebrates ten years of music festivals with an amazing lineup. Created in Barcelona, the Porto, Portugal leg is held in the Parque da Cidade, a large park right on Porto’s shore. With four stages and numerous pop-up installations, there’s plenty to keep everyone entertained. The atmospheric pop and futuristic Portugese R&B artist,…
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Celebrating twenty-two years of open-access artistry, the Adelaide Cabaret Fringe presented a VIP preview at Arthur’s Art Bar, promising an exciting program to come. Creating a Cabaret Fringe Festival was the vision of the late Frank Ford AM, father of the Fringe and founder of the Adelaide Cabaret Festival. Conceived in 2001 as the ‘enfante…
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Playwright and actor Hew Parham has created a unique one-man show with Symphonie of the Bicycle. Stepping on stage in the intimate Space Theatre, adorned in a white tracksuit with a green stripe, Parham immediately demonstrates his skill at using his body gestures and voice. Acclaimed director Chris Drummond has kept the focus on Parham’s…
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Australia’s oldest (and coolest) rugby league club, Newtown Jets have teamed up with long-time collaborators, The Music & Booze Co. to present their annual “Welcome Day”. With music from Heaps Gay DJ’s and Newtown’s iconic Welcome Choir, the day promises to be a fun-filled affair. The Petersham Rugby Clubs (womens and mens) have also been…
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Adelaide songstress, My Cherie is known for her ambient multi-instrument style and pop tinged guitar loops. Her latest single, “Darkness and Gold” is a testament to her previous work. The song invites the listener on a journey of introspection and self-discovery. The track opens with a beat and a soundtrack reminiscent of early Billie Eilish….
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Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes is an ambitious two-part play by American Playwright Tony Kushner. Written in 1991, the story explores personal motivations, hopes and desires of characters in New York during the 1980’s AIDS crisis. It has had previous success as a six-part television mini-series and a West End production….
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We first came across Adelaide indie-folk band Sturt Avenue late last year when they released their album Bury Me in the Garden. On the back of that they’ve just released a new single “How Much it Costs”. This time they’ve collaborated with keyboardist Dave from local band Bromham, known for their sprawling folk infused music….
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Adelaide’s loved festival, Spin Off, has just announced their 2024 line up and it’s a corker. In a world of festivals cutting back or taking a hiatus, this year the Spin Off crew have announced not one, but two stages of music. It all happens at the Adelaide Showgrounds on Friday 19th July. What do…
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Australian singer/songwriter AYLA began releasing music at the tender age of 18 – before starting a University degree in audio production and music business. Fast forward almost a decade and she is releasing another single from her forthcoming debut album, Dopamine. A string of heavy-hitting singles such as “Like the Other Kids”, “Waiting”, “Shallow End”…
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We discovered recently that renowned US-based healthy beverage brand, Liquid Death, is now available in Australia. Known for their engaging taglines such as “Murder Your Thirst” and “Death To Plastic, the brand has grabbed the attention of celebrities such as Tony Hawk and Travis Barker who both recently collaborated with them. Travis Barker released a…
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Following on from the success of the previous few years, and in the wake of several other festivals scaling back, postponing or closing, it’s heartening to see the Beer and BBQ Festival back in full swing for 2024. Headlining the music will be Aussie music legends The Australian Rock Collective, Bad//Dreems & Friends and Peter…
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