Month: December 2016

Strand of Oaks, Jen Cloher, Ruby Boots & more for the 2017 Silver Raven Festival

Following on from a successful 2016 event, the Barossa Valley’s Turkey Flat Vineyards will be hosting the Silver Raven Festival for another year next April. The Americana heavy line up will be headlined by Philly’s Strand of Oaks, while Nashville’s Jonny Fritz and San Francisco’s Sonny & The Sunsets bring some of that heated American flavour through to South Australia….

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Battlehounds, The Byzantines, Playback 808 & more win annual Clipsal 500 ‘Bands on Track’ competition

When the Clipsal 500 race comes through Adelaide next year, the official after-race concerts will be showcasing the talents of some musical heavy hitters, not to mention opening the stage up to some of South Australia’s best emerging artists. The winners of the annual ‘Bands on Track’ competition have been revealed today, with the artists announced…

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Bity Booker on her first Woodford, her love of 60’s folk music & being a troubadour

Bity Booker loves to keep busy. Between her travel, study and music, she gets to fit in a little trip to the Woodford Folk Festival as well over the new year. The young songwriter is blossoming to an interesting sound full of the simplistic set up of delicate guitars and sweet, sweet vocals. Bity was…

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Chasing Ghosts announces “I Am” summer tour for February

Chasing Ghosts are to be on the road next February, squeezing the last out of Summer with their album I Am Jimmy Kyle on tour down the east coast of Australia and Adelaide. The album has seen the band earn much praise from the heads at Triple J and Triple J Unearthed; as a sophomore effort, I Am…

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Fargo adds some magical talent to its third season cast

As we eagerly anticipate the return of Fargo for its third season, FX have announced new additions to its cast. Set to join the already revealed Ewan McGregor, Carrie Coon, and Mary Elizabeth Winstead in the “True Crime” series inspired by the Coen Brothers classic film of the same name are David Thewlis (Harry Potter…

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Nicole Kidman, Dev Patel and David Wenham attend the Australian premiere of Lion

The star-studded cast of the acclaimed new film Lion hit the red carpet in Sydney earlier this week, a month out from its cinematic release here in Australia. Aussies Nicole Kidman and David Wenham were joined at the State Theatre in Sydney by follow actor at star Dev Patel, the film’s director Garth Davis as…

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Aussie hip-hop artist Seth Sentry shares his favourite video games of 2016

Earlier this month, before he hit the stage in his headlining performance at Festival of the Sun in Port Macquarie, we sat down with Aussie Hip Hop artist Seth Sentry to look back on the year in Video Games that was 2016. Here’s what he had to say about the games he played in the…

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Film Review: Why Him? (MA15+) (USA, 2016) is an easily enjoyable comedy, buoyed by a strong cast

In the spirit of comedies like Father of the Bride and Meet the Parents, the new film Why Him? brings together some great actors for a mass consumption comedy about new additions to the family and the parents who struggle with their little girl (or boy) growing up. With these films in mind, there is…

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A look inside Sebourn’s Australia bound ultra-luxury vessel, the Seabourn Encore

The world’s finest ultra-luxury cruise line Seabourn has unveiled the first images of its newest all-suite vessel, Seabourn Encore, which launched in Marghera, Italy, earlier this month. The 40,350-GRT vessel has been designed by Adam D. Tihany, and is filled with modern design elements and innovations that balance out Seabourn’s reputation for understated elegance. The…

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Brisbane Brown Owls’ Rebecca Carson talks craft, art and engagement at Woodford Folk Festival

Woodford is a wonderful festival away from the hustle of the city celebrations. There are no fireworks, no roughies, and a very different vibe where you can fill your head with amazing experiences outside of getting drunk and revelling away. One of those inimitable experiences is the visual art workshop programs happening at the festival….

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Review: The Hunger Games Exhibition arrives in Sydney; is an interactive Treat

The curators of The Hunger Games: The Exhibition has gone all out to ensure the odds are ever in their favour, creating a highly interactive, sensory feast for fans. Hosted in the sparkly new International Convention Centre Sydney, the exhibition is a tribute to The Hunger Games movies and books. Featuring numerous costumes and props…

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How do we stay healthy with all these delivery services at our fingertips?

Technology has well and truly collided with our hunger for food and cravings for convenience. The emergence of food delivery applications like Foodora, Deliveroo and the latest, Ubereats, are making life incredibly easy: we can now scroll through hundreds of colourful, enticing food options from a huge range of cuisines, and have our choices hand-delivered straight to our…

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Purpose makes debut as newest Golden Era Records artist via Adelaide collective’s 2016 cypher

The Golden Era Records Cypher is finally here! Hip hop heads have been hanging out for this one for what’s seemed like an absolute eon but considering the year the Adelaide hip hop label and its artists have had in 2016 – we shouldn’t have worried, the GE crew were always going to deliver. Swapping the 2015 cypher…

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Bacardi’s Party Talk series shines spotlight on Melbourne nightlife in third and final series instalment

Throwback to the beginning of December, where a stellar line up of musicians, DJs and notorious club night curators pooled their powers and together with Bacardi, brought a free party to remember through to Melbourne. The ‘House of Bacardi’ east coast series wrapped up in Victoria following successful events in Sydney and Brisbane – all…

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Flosstradamus to still tour Australia in the New Year, despite reports of split

Earlier today, Flosstradamus fans were met with the news that, seemingly, the trap/EDM duo were to be no more with Josh Young taking to Instagram in announcing he was going to be focusing on a solo project under the moniker of Me2. Of course, we wondered what this would mean for the duo’s upcoming Australian dates in the New…

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Single of the Day: Marian Hill ft. Lauren Jauregui “Back To Me” (2016)

We’ve been vocal about our love for Marian Hill through this year and last – Jeremy Lloyd and Samantha Gongol have generated some serious heat with 2016’s ACT ONE album and within the last week, they’ve struck upon another piece of fire with new single, “Back To Me”. Linking up with Fifth Harmony‘s Lauren Jauregui, the track has been quick to capture…

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Tassie’s Casey Barnes on “Just Like Magic”, Christmas in Australia & hitting the road

I spoke to Australian singer-songwriter, Casey Barnes back in October following the release of his ARIA Top 10 album, Live As One. We recently caught up again to discuss the new single “Just Like Magic”, dancing and the most wonderful time of the year.

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Matt Gresham announces Australian return with “Survive on Love” tour in January & February

We’ve been loving watching Matt Gresham‘s progress through this year – an international profile on the rise and a swell of support on the homefront off the back of debut album One Night Away has propelled him onto the radars of many and rightly so. Most recently, Gresham has shown off his performance and creative chops in single…

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Building Pete’s Dragon: How an Indie Director and a New Zealand Studio Helped Redefine Disney

As it turns out, giving the reigns of a big-budget Disney film to a Director who until now has been best known for indie cinema can be just the thing an old underappreciated story needs. That’s exactly what Walt Disney Studios did to breathe new life into Pete’s Dragon, recruiting David Lowery to helm an…

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TV Review: Ash vs Evil Dead Season 2, Episode 10 “Second Coming” (USA, 2016) is a worthy finale

We’ve fought colons together, laughed at psychotic hand puppets, fought corrupted cars and traveled back in time. This, ladies and gentleman is Ash vs The Evil Dead. And while that list of outrageous incidents may raise an eyebrow when presented out of context, it really is just another day at the office for Ash, Kelly,…

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Australian Box Office Report: Rogue One is lightyears ahead at no. 1 on the box office ladder

It comes as no surprise that the highly anticipated Rogue One: A Star Wars Story should blitz the box office in its premiere week.  It made an epic $14.75m, which means that 3 out of every 4 tickets sold this week at the movies was for this film!  It’s also had the second best opening weekend of the…

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Film Review: Sing (G) (USA, 2016) is a pleasant outing for families this holiday season

Stacking itself plentiful with a heft of pop songs ranging from the classic sounds of Lennon & McCartney to the modern screech of Lady GaGa, Sing is a jukebox musical of sorts that’s suitably bold and bright. Seemingly content not reaching for critical acclaim in the same vein as recent animated offerings like Zootopia, this…

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Film Review: Allied (USA/UK, 2016) is strengthened by a tour de force performance from Marion Cotillard

Robert Zemeckis is a film-maker that has both enthralled and frustrated me. For the most part, his films can be exciting, fun and incredibly well-told; take the Back to the Future series, Cast Away or the classic Who Framed Roger Rabbit. But at his worst, his films can be corny and indulgent; What Lies Beneath,…

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The Hyatt Regency officially steps into the shoes of Australia’s largest upscale hotel

Earlier this month, The five star Hyatt Regency officially opened its doors in Sydney, taking over Australia’s largest upscale hotel, the 892-room Four Points by Sheraton right next to Darling Harbour. The opening came after a massive $250 million redevelopment that, in addition to an upgrade of the rooms and the extensive expansion of their…

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How to live like a local in Singapore: Exploring the history, culture and tradition of one of the world’s finest countries

For many Australians, Singapore is seen as the country with “that amazing airport”, which serves as a gateway to Asia. You start here – flying in with airlines like Singapore or Scoot – before travelling onto other destinations in Asia or Europe. Those that spend time here may only be able to fit in a…

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Hotel Review: Hilton Garden Inn (Burlington, Vermont) is a colourful retreat on the shores of the state’s largest city

Almost two years old, the Hilton Garden Inn in Burlington, Vermont remains the newest major addition to the accommodation you’ll find in Vermont’s largest city – a city you can learn more about in our Ultimate Guide to Burlington. The hotel, like much of the city it sits in, is a mix of old and…

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Flight Review: Air Canada’s Business Class Service from Edmonton to Vancouver (AC 241)

In today’s flight review, we return to Canada to try out Air Canada’s business class service on board their short flight from Alberta’s capital Edmonton, to Vancouver in British Columbia. This is often the sort of flight you’d make before connecting to the late night service back to Australia, however I opted to spend 24…

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Nathan Maynard talks mutton birds and belly laughs ahead of his Sydney Festival premiere

Nathan Maynard’s first play, The Season, is making its world premiere next January as part of the Sydney Festival, and the playwright couldn’t be more excited. The ‘season’ of the title refers to the annual mutton-bird harvesting that takes place on remote Big Dog Island, in Tasmania’s Bass Strait. Maynard is a descendant of the…

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Sarah Morrison on donning her black dress again for the Sydney Festival

Landing the plum role of Lisa in last year’s world premiere of Ladies in Black was a dream come true for Sarah Morrison, who received critical acclaim for her performance. Now, Morrison is set to reprise the role of the young, starry-eyed school-leaver when the show finally hits Sydney next month. I started by asking…

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Theatre Review: Julius Caesar and Antony and Cleopatra – Sport for Jove: Bella Vista Farm (until 7th January 2017)

Sport for Jove’s Summer Shakespeare Season is in its eighth year and is impressing audiences once again, this time with their double bill – Julius Caesar and Antony and Cleopatra. Designed to be viewed back-to-back, with some of the actors reprising their roles in the second play, politics, intrigue and murder abound. Suzanne Pereira is…

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