Month: September 2016

The first official trailer for the anticipated film Passengers, a romantic science fiction adventure starring Jennifer Lawrence and Chris Pratt, has been released. The trailer depicts a future where humanity has made great advances in space travel and space transport. The Spaceship Avalon  soars silently through the emptiness of space on its 120-year voyage to a planet called…

I had the fantastic opportunity to chat with Sophie Hensser who plays Vivian in Nine Network’s Love Child TV Series. With season three wrapped up and released on DVD, we discuss how far the show and Sophie have come. From Sophie’s days on The Saddle Club to Home & Away and Underbelly, to her life growing up…

When it comes down to budget travel, we’ve never been afforded more options – be we travelling from Sydney to the Gold Coast with Tiger or Perth to Singapore with Scoot. But flying cheaply doesn’t have to mean flying with one of the world’s no frills airlines, who usually provide their budget service by skimping…

Alfred Hitchcock’s films are renowned for their female protagonists, put in peril by a master of the suspense genre. But what did the actresses who played these women really think about the man behind the lens? Laura Johnston wants audiences to find out, as she takes them on a one-woman-led journey into the minds of…

It’s rare that you get an event like Stonecutters come through Adelaide with as much gusto as this event has done now, two years running. It’s grown up for 2016, moving to the larger digs of the old Queen’s Theatre and expanded over two nights instead of cramming bands into one. Boasting a line up of…

Wrapping up a huge international tour that saw the six piece play a run of US festivals, Puscifer will return to Australia and New Zealand this summer showcasing their most recent studio album, Money $hot. Bringing with them an impressive production that includes a carefully crafted balance of both visuals and theatre, fans are in…

The Griswolds will be coming home soon for the Pandora Warehouse party in Sydney this October (find out more about this hectic show HERE), but in the meantime, the boys have continued to make inroads over in the US where they’ve been based for a lot of this year. Appearing on The Today Show in New York City,…

New Zealanders Clap Clap Riot have doled out a sweet lil number in their latest single, “Help Me”. Taken from their new album, the tune is driven by great rhythm guitars and general rhythm section while the harmonies and vocals are also slick to the ear. If this is the first you’re hearing of the band,…

Full disclosure: I have been a huge Kira Puru fangirl for some time now. Her recent work alongside Urthboy in particular has brought the vocalist to the attention of more people in 2016 and rightly so. A powerful presence on stage and on record, Kira’s appearance at BIGSOUND was one I knew I had to jump on. Sitting down…

Cub Sport aren’t ready to say goodbye to 2016 without giving fans one heck of a party with their biggest headline Aussie tour yet! October and November will see the band hit the road, taking in some U18 dates along with their usual slew of 18+ gigs, making sure fans have as many opportunities as…

Day drinking and dancing. In Brisbane. This could only be a formula for success, no? The Strums have gone and explored it however, in their new music video for the 1:49 minute romp of a tune, “She Only Loves Me ‘Cause I Love The Ramones”. Supplied with three bottles of vodka, multiple beers and a city ready for…

BIGSOUND brought Sydney’s Allan Smithy to Brisbane with a new live show raring to go, beers to be drunk, games of ping pong and Jenga to be dominated. His music has been a highlight of our year to be listening to and it was great to keep an eye on how well Smithy would go on to be received…

The festival and conference Music Matters, which is held annually in Singapore, is always a fantastic opportunity to discover new music talent from around the world, and this year was no exception. Over 30 bands and artists from 10 countries played across six venues in Singapore last week, and I was lucky enough to head…

I don’t know about you, but there’s just about nothing better than a party band making party tunes for getting absolutely rattled to on a Saturday night. Having followed the progression of Northeast Party House for the past couple of years, you get the feeling that the lads from NPH enjoy a good party and…

We had a chat with the young local talent that is Just A Gent, or known better to some as Jacob Grant, to get to know the mind inside the suits, how he approaches the electronic production scene and the making of his latest debut EP Stories To Tell. Where did the suit originally come from and…

GOD, I love the Forza Horizon series. It’s everything I want in a racing game — a balance of work hard/play hard — race now, then go where you like, in whatever car you want and just enjoy the act of doing that. It’s a total breath of fresh air, especially after the endless procession of staid, serious…

In its first full week of release, Bridget Jones’s Baby has nabbed top spot, claiming $3.68 million at the box office.  Only just beating the film at no. 2, the Renee Zellweger flick has also reportedly yielded the lowest screen average (that is, the average amount earned across the number of screens/venues a movie is shown) for a new release at the top…

The only event to recognise the greatest minds working on music composition for film and television in Australia is set to return in November with The Chaser’s Chris Taylor and Andrew Hansen hosting the event for their fifth time. The Screen Music Awards will honour the efforts of Australian composers in 12 genres that include…

There are few projects that have successfully captured the era of international tension following the Vietnam War and likely none as well as Miss Saigon. The Broadway show that first showed way back in 1991 (making it the 13th longest running Broadway show) will celebrate its 25th anniversary with a film production shot in front…

Virgin Australia is expanding its international operations in 2017, with the announcement yesterday that the carrier would be re-introducing its Melbourne to Los Angeles route, which was taken away in October 2014 in favour of their Brisbane to Los Angeles service (which at the time was only serviced by Qantas). Since then, Qantas and United…

Graeme Simsion had lots of inspiration he could draw upon for the socially-challenged professor character (Don Tillman) in his novel, The Rosie Project. Simsion is a self-confessed “escapee” from the world of IT. For over 30 years he worked with computers and he’s also studied and taught science at University. These experiences have all helped…

All has been confirmed; It’s finally happening. What started as an online-only delivery service has rapidly expanded for Grumpy Donuts, now the brand are opening their very first store and they’ll be doing so this Saturday 23rd September. Earlier this month news broke that the adored donut business will be setting up a bricks and…

Few scenes in Sydney really telegraph spring as much as super-venue Watsons Bay Boutique Hotel. The bay-side retreat is a constant source of inspiration for sun-hunting Sydneysiders so when they announce something like a cider street festival or a spring social degustation, we listen. The venue’s kitchen will be welcoming Australia’s legendary NSW growers Robert…

Melbourne’s Hophaus are getting into the thick of their annual Oktoberfest celebrations, spreading an extended program of German themed events from now until Sunday 23rd October. There’s a whole heap of activities planned like a German degustation dinner with the Head Brewer of Weihenstephaner to the return of the Teckelrennen Annual Daschund Race, which will…

For four nights – every Tuesday – in October, Bondi icon Icebergs Dining Room and Bar will be doing things a little bit differently. As part of their participation in the annual Good Food Month program, Executive Chef Monty Koludrovic and his handy kitchen team will be blending their Italian influence with Japanese cuisine, even…

OTT dessert drinks are here to stay, get used to it. Those who embrace the trend have been one-upping each other for awhile now, and legendary queue magnet Burgers By Josh may have just won the game by introducing an alcoholic Golden Gaytime milkshake to the burger joint’s menu at The Annandale. Though a spiked…

A week ago we music journalists received something of a mysterious email, promising a special Birds of Tokyo performance in Sydney. The venue and details would be revealed on the day, but we were promised the intimate show would be our first chance to hear some of the Australian rock group’s latest material. This morning,…

Directed by and starring Milla Jovovich, SOHN‘s latest single now has one hell of a music video to accompany. “Signal” marks Jovovich’s directorial debut; the clip being delivered in monochrome through one continuous shot. Working together on the clip’s concept, the visuals are striking and beautiful. It’s an evocative snapshot that captures the vibe of “Signal” itself,…

Adelaide’s hard rocking mini festival Stonecutters returned for its second year, boasting a colossal line-up of the loudest and loosest bands going around. Held over two days in Adelaide’s Queen’s Theatre, the gathering doubled in size since its last romp, playing host to local, national and international bands. Local lads Larsen kicked off night one,…

West Thebarton Brothel Party have been on their ‘Four More Years’ tour since the beginning of the month, bringing hectic singles “Red Or White” and “Dolewave” to life alongside a now-beloved swag of music down the east coast. Having just played Adelaide mini-fest Stonecutters over the weekend, the seven-piece have this week off the prepare for…