SXSW

The Road to SXSW 2018: The Teskey Brothers

For Liam Gough, heading to SXSW isn’t exactly foreign territory but this year, he (and The Teskey Brothers) will be performing at the music festival for the first time. As part of our pre-event series, we checked in with Liam to see how the trip and the band’s ensuing American tour was sitting with the…

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HBO are building a two acre version of Sweetwater for Westworld fans at SXSW

As far as immersive experiences at SXSW go, it’s going to be hard to top what HBO have planned. To celebrate the forthcoming second season premiere of their critically acclaimed series Westworld (Sunday 22nd April in the U.S, which would be Monday 23rd April in Australia) the network have went and built the entire town…

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The Road to SXSW: Thandi Phoenix

She’s one of Australian indie pop’s shining lights at the moment and with praise levelled her way by American counterparts in Tinashe and Jhene Aiko (for example), there’s no surprise that Thandi Phoenix would be answering the international call sooner rather than later. The Sydney songwriter and performer is bound for Austin, Texas this month,…

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CLOVES and G Flip join massive Aussie contingent headed to SXSW 2018

With SXSW (AKA “every music lovers ultimate fantasy”) just weeks away from taking over Austin, Texas the annual event continues to add names from all over the world to the seemingly endless program of live music. As always, Australia is going to be very well represented across the week, with the latest artists joining the…

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Kurt Vile, Nathaniel Rateliff and more to join Willie Nelson at this year’s Luck Reunion during SXSW

Following tour dates across the U.S as he returns to the road later this month, unimpeachable music legend Willie Nelson will circle back to Austin, Texas mid-March where he will headline his 6th annual Luck Reunion. The festival that happens in the midst of SXSW will once again be spread across Nelson’s Luck Ranch just…

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Aussies Abroad: Newcastle’s Vacations announce world tour dates for April & May

Newcastle heroes Vacations have announced a massive world tour, including dates in the USA, UK and Europe. The band are no strangers to live performance, earning their stripes playing parties and venues across Australia, winning over fans with their unique brand of guitar pop. Fresh off the back of their hugely successful EP Vibes, the…

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Amy Shark to join Jaden Smith, Tinashe and more as Pandora announce their SXSW lineup

From Amy Shark to Jaden Smith, the seventh annual showcase lineup for Pandora at SXSW is looking like a mighty good time, with diversity spanning numerous styles and sounds including indie, pop, Latin, R&B, hip hop, Americana and country. Announced today, Pandora will once again take over The Gatsby in Austin, Texas for three days…

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Wes Anderson’s Isle of Dogs announced as SXSW closing feature as full program revealed

As we approach the 2018 addition SXSW Film Festival over in Austin, Texas the full program for the festivals’ 25th anniversary is still taking shape. We already gave you a nice look at some of the highlights of the program in its initial stages, but that list may need a big update sometime soon because…

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SXSW Film Festival announces huge 2018 lineup; here’s six films you can’t miss

The 25th South by Southwest (SXSW) Film Festival in Austin, Texas has announced the first 132 features we can expect to see in its lineup this year, with The Quiet Place set to open the festival, directed by an alumni of The Office. Across the festival’s nine days, no less than 132 features will be…

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Amy Shark & Slum Sociable among latest batch of Aussies set to play SXSW

SXSW, the world’s biggest music, film and media festival, has announced 500 new artists playing this year’s event. The Austin, Texas based event features musicians from around the globe, and this year features a massive number of Australian and Kiwi artists. ARIA winner Amy Shark heads up the considerable amount of talent from down under, which…

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Gang of Youths, Marlon Williams, Brightness & more feature on SXSW Music line up for 2018

The first line up for next year’s SXSW music festival dropped in the early hours, unveiling an impressive list of global names set to be performing in and around Austin, Texas, from March 12th – 18th. Returning names include the likes of Shamir, Marlon Williams and Milk & Bone, while the Australian contingent boasts some of our favourite established and…

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Applications for SXSW Music now open through until October

Time is here once more, folks. The gates for SXSW Music submissions are now open for another year, with the American music festival and conference inviting musicians from all over the world to enter theirs to be in with a chance of being Austin, Texas-bound next March. Since 1987, SXSW has been providing a large…

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Find all the important details and dates for SXSW 2018 here

The South by Southwest (SXSW) Conference and Festival has launched its 2018 season with the opening of PanelPicker programming proposals, Film Festival submissions, and Music Showcasing Artist applications for next year’s event. PanelPicker, an online tool that allows the SXSW community to have a significant voice in programming conference activities through an open proposal and…

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Applications for band showcases at SXSW opening this month

Keen to get yourself to SXSW this year as a showcasing artist? You’ve got your chance, with applications opening online this June 26th. SXSW enters its 31st year in 2018 and this March, celebrated another wildly successful year in Austin, Texas. Out of the 240 bands who submitted applications, 70 bands were invited. Over 40 bands from Australia…

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Film Review: Becoming Bond (USA, 2017) is hilarious, original documentary filmmaking

Getting a release on Hulu today in the US is the hilarious documentary Becoming Bond, which screened at SXSW earlier this year. It takes a look at the life and times of Australia’s only Bond, George Lazenby, in his own words. The film takes the spirit of Drunk History to deliver an original and entertaining…

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Travel Tips: Adelaide’s The Coconut Kids share lessons learned at the South by Southwest Festival in Texas

Adelaide group The Coconut Kids recently completed a successful debut run at SXSW in Austin, Texas – taking part in what is easily, one of the world’s biggest showcases of new music. For the French-inspired indie folk group, the trip took them all the way from South Oz to some of the richest areas of music in…

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As Boo Seeka (Sydney) announce more regional shows, they reflect on their tour of America and playing SXSW

Currently touring the country in support of their new single “Does This Last”, and fresh from shows in the USA, we caught up with Sydney duo Boo Seeka. The pair have just added a slew of regional dates to their current tour, which will see them on the road until the end of June. In the interview, we talk…

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Running Touch (Melbourne) talks A Body Slow EP, his national tour and reflects on his SXSW debut

Melbourne’s Running Touch just keeps going from strength to strength, returning from SXSW in Austin, Texas a few weeks ago to release his debut EP A Body Slow. I caught up with the man himself to talk about his time in America, the new EP and the tour which is taking him all over the…

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Michael Bonfiglio talks about his new HBO Documentary May It Last: A Portrait of The Avett Brothers, co-directed with Judd Apatow

While in Austin last month, we caught up with Michael Bonfiglio, co-director of May It Last: A Portrait of The Avett Brothers (the much loved US band) with Judd Apatow. We spoke about premiering the film at the iconic SXSW festival and working with (and discovering) the band across the album three years it took…

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The Avett Brothers (USA) talk about documenting True Sadness in Judd Apatow and Michael Bonfiglio’s May It Last

While I was at SXSW last month, I had the opportunity to attend the premiere of the new documentary May It Last: A Portrait of the Avett Brothers, which will screen on HBO later in the year. The North Carolina band were in attendance and so I got to sit down with groups three original…

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We meet The Muppets‘ Gonzo, Zoe & the Swedish Chef: Dave Goelz, Fran Brill and Bill Barretta

Last month at SXSW, the documentary Muppets Guys Talking: Secrets Behind the Show the Whole World Watched premiered to much jubilation. The film is exactly as the name implies: some of the team behind the original Muppets (as well as Fraggle Rock, Sesame Street and others), got together to talk about their time on the…

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SXSW Review: Madre (Chile, 2016) isn’t the thriller you expect

Set in Chile, Madre follows wife and mother Diana (Daniela Ramirez). Pregnant with her second child and caring for her disabled son, Martin (Matias Bassi), Diana struggles daily with running the household; her husband Tomas (Cristobal Tapia Montt) is often away on business in Asia. Just as we’re about to see how much more she can…

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SXSW Film Review: Divine Divas (Brazil, 2017) is both a beautiful preservation and an accomplished slice of filmmaking

More a celebration of drag culture than a heavy-handed expose, Divine Divas proves a fascinating watch as it allows a peak behind the curtains of one of Brazil’s first establishments to showcase men dressed as women. In 1960’s Rio de Janeiro, the Rival Theatre – under the forward thinking of Americo Leal – was one…

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The Coconut Kids bring us 5 lessons learned from SXSW

Adelaide group The Coconut Kids recently completed a successful debut run at SXSW in Austin, Texas – taking part in what is easily, one of the world’s biggest showcases of new music. For the French-inspired indie folk group, the trip took them all the way from South Oz to some of the richest areas of music in…

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SXSW Film Review: Prevenge (UK, 2017) could be the only film of its kind this decade

In 1968 we received Rosemary’s Baby. It was the film that established Roman Polanski’s ability to bring madness onto screen and placed Mia Farrow as the paranoid mother, unknowingly carrying Satan’s spawn through nine months of fear and mental ruin. It was a landmark film, exploring the psyche and anxiety of an expecting mother. In…

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Aussie Actress Ashleigh Cummings on playing the empowered victim in Hounds of Love

Hounds of Love, a genre-bending powerhouse thriller from Australian director Ben Young, has been wowing critics across the globe since its premiere at the Venice Film Festival in 2016. And earlier this month it had its North American premiere at SXSW. Featuring a cast of familiar and new faces, the film tackles deep issues of trauma…

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Nick Offerman, Stephen Root, Zoe Graham and Director Bob Byington talk about the mysterious Infinity Baby

Earlier this month, a “slightly futuristic comedy about babies who don’t age” called Infinity Baby premiered at SXSW. While at the infamous Austin festival, before having the chance to see the film, and knowing only this small byline, I caught up with the cast – most of whom hadn’t seen the film either at this…

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SXSW Film Review: Two Pigeons (UK, 2017) is raw, unsettling, and totally intriguing

Never have I been so disgusted and intrigued at the same time but after watching Two Pigeons – Dominic Bridges‘ directorial debut – its interesting how much we take our security and privacy for granted. After all, if you found you had a squatter living with you, would you ever really be the same? Vulgarity…

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SXSW buzz artist Sigrid (Norway) on the success of “Don’t Kill My Vibe”

We were lucky enough to land some time with emerging superstar Sigrid while at SXSW – in Austin off the back of the successful hit “Don’t Kill My Vibe”, the Norwegian artist took some time out from her shows to fill us in on the positive momentum the song has spurred for her. So, you’re here off the…

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Beth Brown on her relocation to the US & the growth of indie music within the Nashville community

Aussie artist Beth Brown has called Nashville home for a little under two years now, being one of the Australian crop of musicians to have made the jump into the Stateside pool in pursuing their musical career. So while coming to SXSW wasn’t necessarily a stretch – geography wise – for Brown, the experience was still one…

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