Month: March 2016

The 2016 Queensland Music Awards – what went down on the inside!

As the stars of Queensland’s vibrant music scene rocked the red carpet, the Brisbane Powerhouse foyer fills with industry workers, friends and supporters all waiting to find out who will take out this year’s Queensland Music Awards. Gloriously, the whole night is very much devoid of the usual pretension that can overtake these kinds of…

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Matt Cornell (Sydney) on Texas, tattoos, musical influences and the future of the Outlaws!

Matt Cornell is an singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and one fifth of Adam Brand and the Outlaws. Having just released his new single “Feels Like Yesterday”, off his 2014 self-titled album, I spoke to Matt about Texas, tattoos, musical influences, growing up in a showbiz family, and the future of the Outlaws.

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The 3rd Annual AU Review SXSW Music Awards!

Another year at SXSW is behind us once more. From March 15th through until March 20th, we’ve seen Australian bands take their international profiles up another notch with impressive showcase performances. We’ve fallen in love with new artists and bands, and old favourites even more. We’ve participated in the classic SXSW traditions of waiting stupidly long in…

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Festival Review: Auckland City Limits – Western Springs (19.03.16)

After a worrying spat of cancelled festivals – Soulfest, Echo Fest and Westfest – it would have been understandable for the majority to approach the inaugural Auckland City Limits with caution. The reputation of Austin City Limits, one of the biggest and most loved music festivals in the history of music festivals, may have been…

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Film Review: The Witch (MA15+) (USA, 2015)

Over the last few years the horror community have been fortunate enough to have select titles presented to them that prove their genre is still alive and well.  Like The Babadook and It Follows before it, The Witch is a chill-inducing creeper of a film that is likely to stay with you long after you’ve left…

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New trailer lands for The Huntsman: Winter’s War

We’re coming up fast on Universal’s ‘clash of the fairytales’ blockbuster The Huntsman: Winter’s War and a new trailer for the film has been released. Heavily emphasizing the ‘winter’part of the title, the trailer introduces us to both Chris Hemsworth and Jessica Chastain’s characters as well as the special-effects heavy queens they’ll do battle against…

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Hoyts to hold more League of Legends cinema viewing parties for the Oceania Pro League finals

Theatre chain Hoyts have become the exclusive cinema sponsor and partner of the League of Legends Oceanic Pro League. They have also become the official viewing party partner for many other LoL events in Australia and New Zealand. What does this mean? Wanna watch the LoL OPL finals on the big screen with a room full of…

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Telltale’s The Walking Dead: Season 3 officially coming later this year

Telltale Games’ popular series of episodic adventure games based on The Walking Dead will get a third season later this year. The news comes a new interview with Telltale CEO Kevin Bruner over at Mashable.

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New report suggests Nintendo is halting Wii U production

Nintendo will bring production on its struggling Wii U console to a stop sometime this year. That’s according to new report in Japan’s Nikkei overnight.

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Louie Theroux touring Australia in September

BBC’s filmmaker and social commentator Louis Theroux is bringing his weird brand of embedded journalism to Australian audience this September. Hosted by Australia’s own Julia Zemiro, Louis Theroux Live On Stage is an intimate and behind the scenes look at some of Louis’ most popular films and documentaries. With his own unique wit and candour,…

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The Nice Guys gets a nice new trailer

Shane Black‘s crime comedy The Nice Guys got a fresh new trailer this morning. Starring Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe and set in 70s Los Angeles, the trailer makes the film looks like a lot of fun. The highlights here have to be the banter between Crowe and Gosling’s characters. Check it out below: The…

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Filming for Upper Middle Bogan‘s third series underway

ABC TV has announced today that filming has commenced on the third season of Upper Middle Bogan. The 8-Part comedy series written and produced by Robyn Butler and Wayne Hope will again be shot around Melbourne and its surrounding suburbs Series Creator/Producer, Robyn Butler said, “We’re so excited to unleash the wild, loud and sometimes…

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First trailer emerges for thriller The Shallows

The first teaser has surfaced (that’s two puns now) for The Shallows, a new thriller that is aiming to be the new Jaws. Nancy (Blake Lively) is surfing alone on a secluded beach when she is attacked by a great white shark and stranded just a short distance from shore. Though she is only 200 yards…

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Film Review: Victoria (Germany, 2015)

New in films that unexpectedly leave you completely satisfied and slightly breathless: Victoria, a two-hour, one-shot, action-drama from Director Sebastian Schipper. It’s a film that takes you all over the late-night streets of Berlin as the sun slowly creeps up and the fallout from a chance encounter continues to get more and more intense until…

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Film Review: A Bigger Splash (USA, 2016)

Directed by Luca Guadagnino, A Bigger Splash is an erotic thriller that sees rockstar-on-leave Marianne Lane (Tilda Swinton) idyllic life with her boyfriend (Matthias Schoenaerts) on an isolated Italian island threaten to implode when Lane’s former-producer (Ralph Fiennes) and his daughter (Dakota Johnson) make an unexpected visit. The story here is actually based on an older Italian-French…

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DVD Review: Knight of Cups (USA, 2015)

Or, as I like to call it, Special-K. Terrence Malick and his editors have modeled their film on the time and space bending properties of a psychoactive trip. One second you’re in a swanky Los Angeles apartment, the next on the ruins of a burnt-down gas station.  Sometimes it’s Rick’s (Christian Bale) voice whispering contemplative…

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Paul Kelly to help NSW State Library celebrate Shakespeare 400

April 23rd marks the 400th anniversary of the death of William Shakespeare. To commemorate the occasion the State Library of NSW is staging a major Shakespeare celebration; headlined by acclaimed Australian singer-songwriter Paul Kelly. The celebration will see Kelly launch his new Shakespeare inspired album, Seven Sonnets & A Song, in the atmospheric Mitchell Reading…

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Jackass comedy forefather Tom Green talks to the AU on the eve of his Australian tour.

The legacy of Tom Green is one marked by a no-holds-barred approach to bold and often bonkers comedy. A preeminent influence on prank culture on MTV and YouTube, from his web series, to his cult-favourite film Freddy Got Fingered, his comedy walks its own path for its sheer absurdity and willingness to explore the unpredictable….

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Recipe: The Grounds of Alexandria’s Carrot Cake

This Easter long weekend, renowned precinct The Grounds will be transformed into a magical StoryBook wonderland, and inviting those big and those small, to take part in the Golden Easter Egg Hunt, or take a selfie on Humpty Dumpty’s wall, and say hello to the storybook characters coming to life. As an Easter treat, the…

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Spotlight on Orange NSW: A Sneak Peek of Orange F.O.O.D Week

The Food of Orange District (F.O.O.D) festival is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. Running from 8th to 17th April, F.O.O.D Week is the country’s longest running regional food festival. You only need to drive about 3.5 hours out of Sydney to reach the charming food and wine hub. Showcasing quality produce and cool climate wine…

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Chiswick welcomes Autumn with seasonal lunch menu (Sydney)

As the leaves are starting to fall and the breeze is getting cooler, Chiswick restaurants greet the season with a new menu inspired by the flavours of Autumn. Head chefs at Chiswick Woollahra and Chiswick at the Gallery, Richie Dolan and Laura Baratto, alongside celebrity chef Matt Moran, have developed a selection of dishes inspired…

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The best things to do in Sydney this weekend (Easter Special: 25th-28th March)

One of the most anticipated holidays of the year, Easter, is coming this weekend, and even for those who aren’t big on the reason behind this faithful day, it’s hard not to embrace the extended weekend and penchant for spreading chocolate throughout the city with open arms, but there’s so much more than just chocolate…

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Evian bring the ice to Federation Square to celebrate new look (Melbourne)

Melbourne has come alive over the last few weeks with Moomba in full swing and Federation Square a brimming hub of excitement. Part of the excitement stemmed from one metre snowflakes floating through the city air, enamouring passersby. Curious onlookers were drawn to the Evian activation where snow machines were blowing snow in various directions,…

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Review: Epocha – Carlton (Melbourne)

Sitting on the edge of Melbourne’s CBD, this stunning lower-Rathdowne terrace gives off an air of class, elegance and sophistication. Lined with polished dark wood, elegant crystal decanters, flickering candles, wicker chairs and imprinted silverware, this vintage setting may suggest old times, however Epocha exudes intimate, timeless class that is sure to stay. Expect generous…

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Common and Talib Kweli announce Australian tour

Hip hop legends in their own right, Chicago’s Common and Brooklyn’s Talib Kweli are both heading down to Australia for a four-date tour this May. Known for their strong poetic lyricism and influence on the more socially conscious side of hip-hop, this will be a good chance to see two of hip hop’s most undeniable…

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Live Review: St. Paul & The Broken Bones + Alice Terry – Metro Theatre, Sydney (21.03.16)

Maybe I’m just a real music nerd but when I walk into a room, or in this case Sydney’s Metro Theatre, and see a full brass section, I know I’m going to be frothing later on in the night. Walking into the Metro and seeing the full stage set up of St. Paul & The…

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Winners announced for the Queensland Music Awards 2016

The Queensland Music industry recently announced the winners of the annual Queensland Music Awards for this year, celebrating statewide excellence across a variety of categories at a ceremony held at Brisbane Powerhouse. Presented by BOQ and Hutchinson Builders, the awards seek to acknowledge the previous 12 months in Queensland music as well as look towards…

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Single of the Day: Mark Pritchard “Beautiful People ft. Thom Yorke” (2016)

Mark Pritchard is known for his delicate electronic music, and his new single “Beautiful People” is no exception. Featuring vocals from the one and only Thom Yorke, “Beautiful People” is a spacious and ambient work with Yorke’s vocals at their calmest, warping in and out of effects. Speaking about the song’s influences, Pritchard said “Beautiful People is…

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Single of the Day: Brendan Maclean “Hugs Not Drugs (Or Both)” (2016)

Brendan Maclean has long been involved in the Australian music scene as one of our more underrated songwriters but here’s hoping, with the release of songs like “Hugs Not Drugs (Or Both)”, more people start noticing the gem of an artist working away hard in producing some great slices of pop music. The new single from…

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Watch Ngaiire join Sufan Stevens on stage for “Chicago”

After supporting him at his recent Brisbane concert, Sydney artist Ngaiire was invited back onto the stage by Sufan Stevens for an exclusive version of “Chicago”, adding more punch to the song with a potent choral lift, completely flooring the crowd in attendance. Video of the special collaboration has now been released at the behest…

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