Year: 2014

Larry Heath sits down with director Beth Harrington to talk about her documentary film The Winding Stream, which premiered at SXSW Film Festival last month. She tells us about how and why she got interested in telling the story of “the Carters, the Cashes and the Course of Country Music”. Find out more about the…

Yet another British singer-songwriter whose popularity seems to be growing exponentially, the sold out Enmore Theatre crowd consisted of about 90% British attendees. That would probably explain why this show was sold out, as I don’t think Jake Bugg is as well-known amongst Australian fans that would warrant such a packed room. Regardless those in the crowd…

When True Blood first debuted into our lives it came with the usual HBO-driven dose of gratuitous sex, excessive violence, brilliant production, and nuanced characters. As it unfolded True Blood became more like a comedy-drama, as the show that took Vampires away from cheesy Twilight territory started to overdo it on the absurdity. If it…

We pick up right where we left off, and the sweet sight of Joffrey’s lifeless, purple face gives us cause to cheer once more before we are reminded of the grim reality Game of Thrones deals with. The realm is a world far removed from our own, and the writers were out to remind us…

When audiences flocked to watch the Johnny Cash biopic, Walk The Line, they did not learn much about his one-time manager, Saul Holiff and they probably didn’t mind. But the pair had a troublesome relationship which started off with the two arguing and becoming enemies (and their association ended in a similar fashion) plus they…

When people think of John, Paul, George and Ringo, a name that doesn’t immediately spring to mind is Freda Kelly. But this humble, Liverpudlian woman was the group’s secretary; manager, Brian Epstein’s assistant; and the head of their fan club for 11 years. Good Ol’ Freda is a quaint little documentary about an inspiring woman…

We caught up with pro surfer Stephanie Gilmore to find out what she’s been up to, what she’s up to next and get a taste of her favourite music… presenting Stephanie’s playlist! After a brief chat to the girl herself… What was a highlight for you in 2013? Meeting and chatting with Rodney Mullen, he’s…

Continuing on their Salvage EP Tour, Brisbane boys MTNS also continue their quest for some good nosh. As part of their food and drink journal they’ve been keeping for the AU, the band take on the East Coast in this second and final installment. SYDNEY – 14.02.2014 SEOULRIA After landing from Brisbane and losing an…

Back in 2010, Australian director David Michôd made a big splash in Australia and overseas with his crime thriller Animal Kingdom. The film was a critical success and boosted the Hollywood careers of Aussie actors Joel Edgerton, Sullivan Stapleton and Jacki Weaver, with Weaver even scoring an Oscar nod for Best Supporting Actress. Michôd is…

Chances are you already have a couple of packets of Gourmet Garden Lightly Dried herbs and spices on hand. These products are simple and convenient ways to capture the flavour of herbs without sacrificing any of that freshness that comes with chopping the herbs yourself. To showcase the authenticity of Gourmet Garden Lightly Dried herbs,…

Popular indie-folk duo Wye Oak are fresh off successful performances at Coachella and are about to head off on a U.S tour in support of their latest album Shriek. Vocalist Jenn Wasner takes some time to have a chat with Larry about Coachella, the new album, and the upcoming tour. Check out our transcript below:…

Sunday saw the West Coast Blues and Roots Festival return to Fremantle for its 11th year. Though back to its now customary one day format and with a smaller line-up than in recent years, the festival still managed to draw a none-too-shabby 15,000 people through the gates. Blues and Roots has always been a reasonably…

Paolo Nutini got a lucky break when David Sneddon was delayed at the start of a performance in 2003 and Nutini won a spot to sing a few numbers. His ongoing success, however, is not just dumb luck, but is a result of his enduring and ever-growing talent. After five years of touring, writing, collaborating,…

the AU review presents Holidays on Ice (Angie Hart and Dean Manning) performing their track “Broken” LIVE and exclusive on the Hammond Organ for the AU as part of their sessions series. The track come off her latest record The Luxury of Wasted Space, which is available now. For tour dates and more on the…

Give a good-hearted frat boy a bunch of super powers and you have Andrew Garfield’s Peter Parker/Spider-Man. The characterisation of the timeless superhero as an off-the-wall, overconfident, but overall decent young man is in stark contrast to the awkward, mild-mannered Peter Parker we saw from Tobey Maguire and automatically puts this current franchise ahead of…

This was another huge weekend at the Australian box office, with six films earning over $1 million! The hugely popular The LEGO Movie was able to overtake last weekend’s champ Captain America: The Winter Soldier by around $1.5 million. Considering we are now in the school holiday period, expect The LEGO Movie to continue making…

Curt Kirkwood of the Meat Puppets chats to John Goodridge about their thirty-year musical history including backing Nirvana on the MTV Unplugged special, and looking forward to their first Australian tour in some twenty years… Hey Curt, it’s John here calling from the AU Review. Good to hear you’re heading to Australia in a couple…

Those who have read my article earlier in the week will already know that I’m a fan of the Dave Matthews Band. They’re a band I’ve grown up with in many ways, and between 2005 and 2007 I had the opportunity to catch them three times between Australia and the USA. What followed was what…

the AU review presents Sally Seltmann performing her track “The Small Hotel” LIVE, acoustic and exclusive for the AU as part of their our series. The track come off her latest record Hey Daydreamer, which is in stores now.

It’s just TWO DAYS until we’re all at Bluesfest, soaking up what we hope to be the sun (and not rain) and enjoying some of the best music in the world. Running all the way through Easter Weekend (for FIVE DAYS!), the festival has such an unbelievable amount of artists playing, it’s hard to even…

Ahead of their free performance on Thursday night at The Rock Lily in Sydney, Stav and Jamie from Bluejuice share with us their five favourite tracks. Stay tuned to our Instagram Feed on Thursday, too, as the band will be taking over our account! This will not end well. STAV’S TOP FIVE Danny Brown –…

From the Turkish delights around Auburn to Korean in Eastwood, Greek in Marrickville and Laotian in Canley Heights, Sydney and its surrounds is a treasure trove of some of the world’s finest cuisines. The reasons are perhaps quite obvious: it’s in these areas where you find these nationalities in their greatest numbers. In the case…

This is the beginning of something – do you have time to improve your life? Would we ever have expected this kind of speech ad pitch Freddy Rumsen? His brilliant opening monologue (impeccably delivered by Joel Murray, in what was his work of the series thus far) belies every notion we’ve had of his character….

David Fincher is one of those directors that can drum up a large amount of excitement for any film that has his name attached to it. Since hitting it big with Se7en (1995) and Fight Club (1999), Fincher has consistently thrilled and amazed audiences with each film he has made. With the awards attention given…

The internet is dark and full of spoilers, so if you are reading this review I consider your eyes permission to write about what happened in the outstanding ‘The Lion & the Rose.’ “The viewers send their regards.” It was always going to be a well-received event; the pent up blood lust of every single…

the AU review presents UK artist Seth Lakeman performing the track “Portrait of My Wife” – LIVE, exclusive and acoustic on the fiddle – in Australia for Byron Bay Bluesfest 2014 and a run of East Coast dates. The song comes of Seth’s new record Word of Mouth which is available now. His Australian tour…

The following is part one of a food and drink journal that Brisbane band MTNS have been keeping exclusively for the AU review, as they’ve been touring the country on their Salvage EP Tour. The band kick things off in Perth… PERTH – 01.02.2014 LA VEEN COFFEE & KITCHEN After the arduous five-hour flight from…

The film, Chinese Puzzle (Casse-tête chinois) could be re-named “Xavier’s Travels” or “It’s Complicated”. The French film and final instalment in director and writer, Cédric Klapisch’s trilogy puts middle-aged life and all of its vagaries and difficulties under the microscope. In some ways the John Lennon quote, “Life is what happens to you while you’re…

Dreamworks Animation pleasantly surprised everyone when they released How to Train Your Dragon back in 2010. What could have been a generic kids movie about dragons turned out to be a moving portrait of friendship and acceptance that viewers of any age could enjoy. Four years later and we are a few months away from…

Having premiered at Tribeca, this debut feature from director Andrew Semans offers a scathing and surgical depiction of obsession, privilege and inertia all the while advancing like a white-knucke thriller in the acclaimed film Nancy, Please and we’ve got TEN DVD copies to giveaway! Paul a graduate student at Yale is two years behind delivering…