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.
Tomich Winery in the Adelaide Hills hosted what was the first of hopefully many more Vintage Vine festivals. Over the first weekend of April, the likes of Gang of Youths, Tash Sultana and King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard rocked the crowd. The first day, Saturday, was slightly cloudy and cool. However, it was still…
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This year’s Beer & BBQ Festival in the Adelaide Showgrounds is shaping up to be bigger, badder, fatter and louder than ever. Running all weekend from Friday 14th July, it’s destined to be the biggest one to date. Hot off the back of the 2022 event, which saw 21,000 bbq, beer and music fans enjoying…
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Come From Away is a hit musical based on the true story events of the September 11 WTC tragedy. It tells the incredible story of how 38 planes were diverted from North American airspace to a remote town in Newfoundland, Canada. The locals opened their hearts and homes to almost 7000 scared and confused passengers….
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The Adelaide Planetarium is a thirty seat dome in the Mawson Lakes campus of the Adelaide University. Normally used for demonstrating the movements of our celestial system, tonight the idea is to be fully immersed in a sound and light experience. The team behind the show, Sacred Resonance have been presenting sound and light experiences…
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The holiday Monday closed day four of WOMADelaide to a smaller crowd, which made traversing the site much easier than the previous three sold-out days. Not to say that there was any less energy or talent on display. Mdou Moctar took to the Foundation stage early in the afternoon. Hailing from a desert village in…
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Michael Shafar is a testicular cancer survivor, hence the chemo joke. It was what his oncologist told him after he had seen the show; “You were well worth the chemo, Michael.” Which is a pretty good recommendation. On a Tuesday night after a long weekend, the house is full. Even if the stage is an…
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Ari Arari is a musical based on a 600-year-old Korean folk song. “Arirang” is surmised to mean “my beautiful one,” and the story is set in the Gangwon Province of Korea. Symbolic of the enduring bond between North and South Korea, it is a sweeping epic story of a daughter’s search for her carpenter father…
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A man sits reading in a room, surrounded by artefacts of a past era; a record player, an unfinished abstract oil painting; a rotary telephone. He’s a counsellor (Cha Hyun-suk, who also wrote and directed the play) and he is expecting a patient. His patient (Taesik Shim) is to be his last before he retires…
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The mood of a multi-day festival seems to evolve over the course of the event. The first day is normally frantic as everyone is excited and trying to find their bearings. Second day is more sombre as heat and exhaustion start to take their toll. “How will we last all four days?” But the third…
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Warm weather in the high 20’s and a capacity crowd in the tree-covered Botanic Park meant that many people were searching for rest in the shade. But that didn’t slow the energy of the performers. Whether it was the melodious sounds of Pandit Ronu Majumdar & Dr Jayanthi Kumaresh over at stage 7 or the…
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After a couple of smaller WOMAD festivals during the COVID pandemic, this year, WOMADelaide is back at full steam and the sold out crowd appreciated it. The mood in the air was one of jubilation and celebration. There is just so much to see and do that it is impossible to see it all. Decisions…
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Adelaide Arts Theatre is hosting the first ever Korean season for the Adelaide Fringe. AtoBiz and Global Cultural Exchange Committee have hand picked a small selection of physical theatre and music shows. The story Hello the Hell: Othello is a play by Creative Jakhwa, a young team that started with the meaning of “flowering a…
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The late night performance of Rouge is a little bit more saucy and raucous than the earlier evening shows, but with all the passion and fun that one expects. There’s a feeling of rawness and spontaneity that begins soon after the audience fills the Moa tent in Gluttony. In tight black pants, high heels and…
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One of the more unusual Fringe events this year is the Celestial Gardens: The Secret Sounds of Plants. Set in the Adelaide Botanical Garden Bicentennial Conservatory, plants are wired with bio-sensors to create sounds. Visitors are invited to stroke and interact with the plants to create music. The whole conservatory is lit up and artworks…
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As the crowd filled the smokey Wonderland Spiegeltent in the Wonderland Festival Hub, the excitement in the air was palpable. And it was no surprise, considering that The Marvellous Elephant Man: The Musical had been described as The Book Of Mormon meets Beauty and the Beast. Just how on Earth were they going to pull…
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Ben Hart is no stranger to the Adelaide Fringe, but this year he is surrounded by walls rather than being in a tent. He comes on stage, dressed in a black suit and tells us about his love for magic. His story is enchanting and soothing as he explains that the magic exists in us…
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i am root begins with a traditional Acknowledgement of Country, before Canadian-born Olenka Toroshenko calls upon her own ancestors to join her performance. From fleeing war and settling in Canada, to following love to Australia, what follows is a personal and eclectic mix of Ukrainian poetry, storytelling, dance, comedy and even cooking. There are tragic…
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Despite the name, Silence! is anything but quiet. The French performance artists, Les Commandos Percu created an incredible eye-popping mashup of fireworks, drumming and explosions. As the sun set over the Torrens River in Adelaide, the Zimbabwean-born R&B musician KYE warmed up the crowd. Encouraging everyone to dance, she gained some new young fans who…
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The Maho Magic Bar has returned to Adelaide Fringe in The Garden of Unearthly Delights. Modelled on the Magic bars of Tokyo, tricksters entertain the audience whilst they sip on cocktails. Inside the Maho Bar, there are four bar areas and a separate table and each one hosts a conjurer. The atmosphere is loud, raucous…
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Having previously played the Birdsville Big Red Bash, this year the Hoodoo Gurus will also be playing at the Mundi Mundi Bash. The three-day camping festival is held at Belmont Station, on the Mundi Mundi Plains 9km north of Silverton – 35km north of Broken Hill from the 17th to 19th August. Joining them on…
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Darren Hayes was the frontman of duo pop supergroup Savage Garden in the late nineties. With a string of hits such as “Truly Madly Deeply”, “To the Moon and Back” and “I Want You” the world was at their feet. After a successful foray into New York, the band decided to take a hiatus, from…
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For native South Australian Croweaters the expression “Heaps Good” is used to denote something better than good; i.e. “That’s Heaps Good.” Hence this festival lived up to its name of being Heaps Good. With headliners Arctic Monkeys, CHVRCHES and Jamie XX, how could you go wrong? The outdoor Eucalyptus Stage opened with local acts Mum…
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It couldn’t have been a better day for a music festival. The warm weather was appreciated by all after a slow start to normal summer weather. Serafino winery in the southern McLaren Vale wine country was the perfect venue for an afternoon of music and wine. There was plenty of space to spread a blanket…
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Kiin is a new modern-Asian style restaurant that has just opened in the heart of Adelaide. The name is Thai for “eat” and is the creation of Ben Bertei and David Wickwar, who have over fifty years of hospitality experience between them. Located at the front of the Arts Theatre in Angus Street, Kiin Bar…
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After finishing an Australian tour on the back of the release of their latest album Big Overdrive, Art vs Science are heading to South Australia’s McLaren Vale for Wine Machine. We caught up with Dan MacNamee to chat about the making of the album. How does it feel to be back on the road? The…
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Set times and the festival map has been released for the inaugural Heaps Good Festival in the heart of Adelaide. With a great line up including Arctic Monkeys, Peggy Gou, CHVRCHES, and Jamie xx it’s sure to be an incredible day of music. Taking place across two huge stages, Heaps Good’s Eucalyptus Stage will play host to…
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It’s been a while since bands have been able to tour, so it’s good to see some of the favourites such as RÜFÜS DU SOL back on our shores. After the release of Surrender in October 2021, fans have been waiting some time to see the trio perform. As the sun set on a warm…
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Just announced, the Vintage Vibes Festival will be set in the Adelaide Hills in early 2023. Over two days, the 1st and 2nd of April, the inaugural festival at Tomich Wines features a range of artists from Gang of Youths to Tash Sultana to Leo Sayer. Vintage Vibes also has Hermitude, Angus and Julia Stone…
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We visited Sydney’s new Italian café La Bottega to check out the vibe and the food. Tucked away down busy Norton Street, it has a friendly inviting feel. Colourful umbrellas give some cool shade to the outdoor tables, while the open glass doors make the indoor space feel part of the outdoors. The menu has…
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After a physical hiatus of the ARIA awards due to COVID restrictions, the music community was ready to head out and party in style for the 2022 awards at the Horden Pavilion. There was plenty of glitz and glamour with frocks galore, even on many of the boys. MC for the evening, Christian Wilkins was…
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