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.
The first weekend of December is when the VALO Adelaide 500 car race is being held. The after-race music is always a drawcard and Sunday night has Amy Shark and Something for Kate joining The Killers for an incredible night of music. Amy Shark became a household name in 2016 with the release of her…
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Hilltop Hoods finished their successful Australian The Show Business Tour in hometown Adelaide at a sold-out Entertainment Centre on Saturday night. The mood was one of excitement and anticipation. After DJ Total Eclipse warmed up the crowd as they filled the arena, followed by singer Elsy Wameyo. With her five-piece backing band she had a…
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In the middle of their first Australian tour in several years, we sat down with In Hearts Wake frontman Jake Taylor to chat about the band’s new feature-length documentary Green Is The New Black. It holds a mirror up to the music industry and its relationship to the environment. The movie chronicles the making of…
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Over two days, Sat 19 and Sun 20 November at Rymill Park in Adelaide, Harvest Rock is presenting the only Australian show for legendary Jack White. Joining him on the bill will be Crowded House, The Black Crowes, Khruangbin, Groove Armada, Sam Fender, The Lumineers, Tones and I, The Avalanches and much more. Taking over…
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The Hindley Street Music Hall, Adelaide’s newest state-of-the-art live music venue, will open its doors for the first time on Thursday September 15, celebrating with an incredible line-up that includes DMA’S, West Thebarton, Wafia, and Jess Day, all hosted by South Australia’s kings of radio, Ben and Liam. Previously known as HQ in Hindley Street,…
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The third and final day of the Mundi Mundi Bash opened with a world-record attempt at doing the “Nutbush City Limits” dance for over five minutes. However, the numbers were just shy of the 4084 number set at the Birdsville Bash in July. Participation via registration for the Nutbush raised more than $55,000 for the…
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The second day of the Mundi Mundi Bash started with the traditional Undi Run. Outfits from mankinis to Nun outfits, with everything in between possibly imaginable. There were prizes for fastest runners and best “dressed.” The semi-finalist parade was something to see, with several dubious outfits. The Undi Run was followed by the Doggie Fashion…
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While the Birdsville Bash has been running for some time, this is the second time the event has been held at Mundi Mundi, near Broken Hill in NSW. The three-day camping event started on Thursday with a stellar lineup of Australian acts. After introductions from the founder of the event, Greg Donovan and the Broken…
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Secret Sounds is pumped to announce headline shows by trailblazing, Platinum-selling, British pop star Years & Years, taking over Brisbane and Adelaide in November 2022! The hotly-anticipated shows will see the singer, actor and cultural vanguard hit down under with a host of new tracks from his stunning new album, Night Call, released earlier this…
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With a title as diverse as “The Bait Fridge x Slowmango” (The hero’s journey of the Appendix), there should have been plenty of warning that this was to be no ordinary show. The procedural steps listed the “Wild West Waiting Room” as step one. Banjo players sitting around campfires, white coated cowboys pushing tumbleweeds and…
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In a special co-curated program with Light Adelaide, light and sound will converge at The Lab over four electric weekends with some of the most cutting-edge new music locally and nationally. We spoke with David Rogriguez of Godriguez about his upcoming performance with his band Godtet. Hope you haven’t had too many floods or anything…
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There was plenty of action at the Wayville Showgrounds for the first night of the annual Beer and BBQ Festival. Beer trophies were awarded to Kick Back Brewing, Left Barrel Brewing, Vale Brewing, Otherside Brewing, Nowhereman Brewing, Swell Brewing and Brightstar Brewing. Plenty of craft brewers had beers to taste, there were briskets galore and…
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This July sees Adelaide transforming into a kaleidoscopic beacon of light and creativity as part of the annual Illuminate Adelaide celebrations. While the entire city is transformed into a hive of activity, it’s Light Square venue The Lab that is set to feature some of the most iconic and unmissable events on offer. The Lab…
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Musically minded wine brand Headline Acts have created a new industry rewards program called Headline Access. In partnership with Muso, the idea is to nurture the careers of Independent Australian artists. The Release Cycle is the first iteration of this, giving one budding artist the opportunity to learn from industry names including Johann Ponniah (I…
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Fiona O’Loughlin was a regular face on television in the 90s. Her self-deprecating humour about her home and family life made her a popular guest on several chat shows. That came to an end after she collapsed on stage and admitted that she was battling alcoholism. Now that she is clean and recovered, O’Loughlin is…
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We caught up with Australian composer Ashley Davies to talk about Gold, his latest musical release. The album is an instrumental interpretation of ten of the paintings that his Uncle Len produced. Together they tell the legendary story of Lasseter’s quest to find a massive gold reef in the Australian Outback. I like the wall…
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With her seventh studio album HANDS (or NINE AND A HALF SONGS FOR NINE AND A HALF FINGERS) releasing today, we thought it was high time we caught up with singer-songwriter Wallis Bird. We chatted to her as basked in the glow of a beautiful spring morning, the birds singing as she sipped on a…
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The Avalanches released their debut album Since I Left You in 2000 to critical acclaim. Created from countless music and film samples, it was a grand musical collage, creating orchestral sounds from layers of disparate noises. Tonight at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre, the Avalanches duo of Robbie Chater and Tony Di Blasi were joined by…
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After two years of almost having a Beer and BBQ Festival, but being beaten at the post by COVID, this year is promising to live up to the hype. Scheduled from Friday 15th until Sunday 17th July, the Beer and BBQ Festival musical lineup is nothing short of spectactular. The 2021 lineup has been rebooked:…
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Song Lines are the way of sharing knowledge along generations of Indigenous people. In this multimedia performance, the relationship to the land is explored, not just in song, but in visual poetry. Drone art specialists, Celestial and First Nations Artists have collaborated to tell these stories from First Nations peoples. Renowned singer, songwriter, Archie Roach…
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The opening song in Bethany Louise’s Broadway Baby cabaret show is both a tribute and lament that she is singing at Arthur’s Bar for the Adelaide Fringe. Not that Arthur’s Bar is a bad place, it’s more because her dreams of starring on Broadway were dashed by the dreaded COVID virus. In an autobiographic style,…
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The Cocoon is four vignettes of love, with two monologues and two duologues. Written by New York’s Kotryna Gesait & directed by Brisbane-based Timothy Wynn, The Cocoon has previously been performed at the Adelaide Fringe in 2018 and again in 2019. For 2022, the performance takes place in Peter Rabbit in the West End of…
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The recent renovations to Her Majesty’s Theatre in Adelaide have been in keeping with the charm of the old building, while modernising it to a current standard. More room in comfortable seats, an additional dress circle, better bar facilities; these all add up to a sympathetic improvement of a classic theatre. What better place to…
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The weather slowly warmed up over the Adelaide Cup long weekend, making Sunday a perfect day at Womadelaide. Rugs marked meeting spots under the trees. Lines formed at the free water stations. Some visitors discovered artist workshops and Planet Talks. Kids had plenty of zones and activities to keep them busy. The lifting of some…
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With such and incredible range of music on offer at Womadelaide, it can be easy to forget that there is much more available. HEXADECA music-making playground and roving performers entertain the families. There’s Eddie Betts story time in the KidsZone. Yoga from Human.Kind studios for the early risers. The Taste the World sessions have moved into…
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Celebrating thirty years of presenting world music, WOMADelaide has weathered COVID restrictions to put on a massive show for 2022. As international travel uncertainties played out, the focus this year has been on highlighting Indigenous and Pacific Island acts. After the traditional Kuarna Welcome to Country, Cairo-born oud virtuoso, Joseph Tawadros played with the Adelaide…
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Daniel Muggleton is an Australian stand-up comedian wearing a tracksuit. His trademark comedy is poking holes at bogans, racism, and almost anything else he can think of. He has a regular podcast and is a comedy club regular. On this chilly Tuesday night in the open-air Piglet Theatre at Gluttony, he wasn’t fazed by the…
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Sometimes, everything aligns to create that perfect moment. International Women’s Day marking the opening night of Lady Sings the Blues was one of those moments. As the full-house crowd filled the Melba Spiegeltent in Gluttony, it was clear that something special was about to happen. The feeling of the wooden floors, the mirrored walls, the…
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Acclaimed Indigenous vocalist Emma Donovan and Melbourne rhythm combo The Putbacks burst on to the Australian scene with their album Dawn in 2015, announcing a new voice in Australian soul music. Emma’s songwriting is optimistic, impassioned, and bruisingly honest, The Putbacks’ music is fluid, live and raw, and the collaboration has won friends and admirers…
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Port Adelaide has long been a street art hub, with the Wonderwalls Festival being a celebrated event. Both local and international artists have produced large scale murals, making the Port an artistic destination. For the 2022 Adelaide Fringe, Adelaide artists Vans the Omega and Dave Court have combined forces to create virtual reality interpretations of…
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