Month: December 2016

Asia’s popular Hokkaido Baked Cheese Tart open first Australian outlets this month

Popular Asian dessert chain Hokkaido Baked Cheese Tart, which originated in Malaysia earlier this year, are said to turn over around 20,000 baked cheese tarts pet day. It’s this kind of popularity that has allowed for an easy and rapid expansion into other markets, and the latest to benefit is Australia with four stores in…

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Fratelli Famous opens on Eagle Street Pier (Brisbane)

Fratelli Fresh’s fast-casual pizzeria spin-off, Fratelli Famous, has been very well received in Sydney and Melbourne this year, expanding as part of Rockpool Dining Group’s (formerly Urban Purveyor Group) ambitious plans that have seen the hospitality group grow immensely in 2016. Now it’s Brisbane’s turn to get the city’s first Fratelli Famous, and where better…

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Bali’s Saigon Street opens four spin-offs in Sydney

Sydneysiders who have fond memories of dining at Saigon Street in Bali will be happy to know that the popular eatery has been brought across the waters to four locations across Sydney, all opened recently by Aki Kotzamichalis (co-founder of the island’s famed Ku De Ta). Local chef Phil Davenport, who was Ku De Ta’s…

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Unpacking “Binge-Worthy Journalism” With Julie Snyder At BingeFest 2016

The true crime genre has experienced a really extraordinary revival following the arrival of the hugely-popular podcast Serial. However, two years later, the only question bigger than whether Adnan is guilty or not is whether or not Serial might actually eclipse the rest of podcasting as a medium when it comes to raw popularity. Sarah originally…

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Director Rosie Dennis on staging Urban Theatre Project’s latest work in a Blacktown carpark

Artistic Director of Urban Theatre Projects, Rosie Dennis, is no stranger to delving into the heart of a community for her theatrical inspiration. In the company’s latest work, Home Country staged for the Sydney Festival, Dennis takes audiences on a journey (both figuratively and literally) through a multi-storey carpark in Blacktown. We were naturally intrigued……

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Hotel Ravesis enters a new era with complete refurbishment (Sydney)

One of Bondi’s best known venues, the beachside Hotel Ravesis, has pushed into the summer holidays with a complete refurbishment, revealing what is perhaps one of the area’s largest and most impressive changes in years. The two-storey space now has brand new interiors for the ground-floor, the balcony and the restaurant & bar spaces, as…

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Japanese fast food chain HottoMotto opens first Australian outlet in Sydney

Following the successful entry of Yayoi into the Australian dining scene, Japan-based company Plenus have begun what they hope will be a nationwide expansion for another one of the popular brand’s, Hotto Motto. The well known bento box chain, which boasts around 2,656 locations world wide, has chosen Sydney’s The Galeries as their first port…

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Melbourne’s beloved Dukes Coffee Roasters expands to Sydney’s Barangaroo

Melbourne go-to Dukes Coffee Roasters has officially expanded to Sydney with South by Dukes, a slick new venue in the lower of Tower One in the Streets of Barangaroo precinct. Long known as one of the most highly-regarded specialty coffee roasters in Melbourne, Dukes has built a sizable following for their signature beans which are…

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Crowne Plaza Surfers Paradise have opened a small wine bar and a Schezuan restaurant (Gold Coast)

After three months of renovations, Crowne Plaza Surfers Paradise has unveiled some enhancement to their public spaces as well as two new dining venues, a wine bar named Balthazar and a specialty restaurant named SIFU, both located on the ground floor of the popular hotel. Having been named for a 12 litre wine bottle, Balthazar…

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Canadian Club are bringing their Racquet Club pop ups to Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane

Canadian Club are getting in on that slice of summer celebration by introducing pop-up racquet clubs across Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane for December and January. In an effort to build anticipation for one of the country’s largest annual sporting events, the Australian Open, the pop ups will be using some of the country’s best known…

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The Thirsty Wolf is pouring up fairy floss and gingerbread cocktails all summer (Sydney)

Sometimes it pays to be a little over-the-top, which should explain the success of The Thirsty Wolf’s colourful “Unicorn Month” which recently ran throughout November. It’s pretty straight forward, for an entire month the popular Newtown bar replaced a typical Melbourne cup celebrate with a four-week homage to a different breed of horse, channeling the…

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Everything You Missed At The Harambe Memorial Service

The cavalcade of emotional, digital, political and cultural disasters that have hit the internet in 2016 ended up being so numerous that it’s hard to look back and take stock of things. Still, someone’s got to do it. At least, that was the idea behind Bingefest’s Harambe Memorial Service. After all,  if you’re going to…

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Rockpool Dining Group bring Saké Jr to St Collins Lane (Melbourne)

Rockpool Dining Group’s rapidly expanding Saké Jr has just seen a second venue open up for Melbourne, this time at St Collins Lane. The popular fast-casual spin off to Sake Restaurant & Bar debuted earlier this year as part of a larger expansion for Urban Purveyor Group (now Rockpool Dining Group following a merger with…

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Exclusive Single Premiere: The Bats “No Trace” taken from the NZ legend’s ninth LP The Deep Set

Ahead of their Australian tour next month, The Bats have unveiled a new tune from their forthcoming ninth LP, The Deep Set (out January 27 on Flying Nun), “No Trace”, which feels like an instant classic from this iconic New Zealand band. Today, the AU are excited to present the Australian exclusive premiere of the…

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The Wiggles, DZ Deathrays & Spag Bol: David, Lachlan & Zaire of Heads of Charm break it down

Heads of Charm are a Melbourne-based trio, of David Gagliardi (vox, guitar), Zaire Kesha (bass) and Lachlan Ewbank (drums). Their music is hard-to-define, an astoundingly dynamic sound that led them to being pinned one of our top BIGSOUND acts of 2016. They’ve just dropped their second single of the year, “OK Yes Pls”, are about…

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Frightened Rabbit set for Australian Painting of a Panic Attack tour in March

Popping over to enjoy the Australian summer is Scottish band Frightened Rabbit. They begin their Australian tour in Brisbane in March. Coming to showcase their talents with their fifth album, Painting of a Panic Attack follows the band’s already successful tour across Europe/UK, America, and Canada. No strangers to success, the band have been on a…

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The Byzantines announce summer tour and brand new EP details for 2017

Four piece all male, but don’t be mistaken, this isn’t a boy band, Adelaide band The Byzantines are touring in 2017, with their good mates The Montreals. Releasing their much anticipated EP via Marshmallow Pavement Records on February 17th, the boys will then hit the road for a summer tour. Touring is second nature to…

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Australian music shines bright at the annual Festival of the Sun in Port Macquarie

Set on the sun soaked shores of Port Macquarie on the NSW central coast, Festival of the Sun is an annual event that brings together punters from all over the region for what is essentially one of the country’s biggest parties. Buoyed by an amazing and eclectic Australian lineup, the fact that the audience is…

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Album News Weekly: December 15th 2016

This week in album news, Asta gives us a release date for her debut EP after doing some living and finding her sound, an all-girl psych-punk band out of the US have some gnarly new music for any fans of The Dead Weather and WAAX, and yes it’s time to accept Christmas is  officially coming with…

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Single of the Day: Warpaint “New Song (Soulwax Remix)” (2016)

Who would’ve thought the moody, indie-rock sounds of Warpaint could be transformed into something so dance-floor ready? Bask in the six-minute, bass-heavy groove of Soulwax’s remix of “New Song” and prepare to have your senses confused, but so delighted. Soulwax chucks in a faster tempo, driving keys and some disco lasers and synths, making for a psychedelic…

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Music Video of the Day: I Know Leopard “Rather Be Lonely” (2016)

The new music video for I Know Lepoard’s “Rather Be Lonely” is a swift hop, skip and a jump over the line separating beauty and morbidity. The footage used for this music video was originally filmed by LA director Wyatt Winborne, who was looking for the right outlet for the then silent film and just so happened…

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Parramatta Park to host outdoor film screenings you’ll be able to watch from a bed

Next March, Mov’In Bed will be hosting a unique outdoor cinema experience, giving people the chance to lie comfortably in bed while watching their favourite films on the big screen. This is the second season of the program, and it will be held at The Crescent, located at the heart of Parramatta Park, west of…

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Opetaia Foa’i talks Disney’s Moana & helping to bring Polynesian culture to life onscreen (EXCLUSIVE)

This Boxing Day, Australian audiences will be introduced to Disney’s latest heroine in Moana. The first ever Polynesian princess has already caused much conversation even before the film saw its recent premiere in the United States – while there was obvious excitement surrounding this new territory being tread when it came to exploring Polynesian cultures on…

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British composer Joby Talbot on bringing Illumination’s new animated film Sing to life (EXCLUSIVE)

It’s not often you wonder about a composer after you watch a film, but British composer Joby Talbot is certainly the sort to warrant that reaction. Joby has helped bring the Minion-crazy animators over at Illumination Entertainment their new film Sing to the big screen with his crafted musical genius. Previously, Joby Talbot’s works have…

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U.S. operators set up new cruises and flights to Cuba as travel restrictions ease

With the gradual easing of sanctions and restrictions on Cuba from the USA (at least under Obama’s administration), U.S. Operators are, for the first time in some 55 years, able to provide their passengers service between mainland USA and Cuba. It all started back in August when JetBlue hosted the first scheduled commercial passenger flight,…

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Cliff Cardinal talks about bringing his one-man show, Huff, to the Sydney Festival

Award-winning Canadian Indigenous performer and playwright, Cliff Cardinal, and Native Earth Performing Arts are bringing the critically-acclaimed one-man show, Huff, to Sydney this January. The piece follows Wind, a First Nation’s boy who escapes his own painful reality by sniffing solvent. Chatting to us from the theatre home of Canada’s VideoCabaret – where he is…

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Jupiters continue transition into The Star Gold Coast with two new dining experiences

For the past few years, locals and visitors have been watching Jupiters Gold Coast stand at the forefront of an enormous wave of change for the area. 2015 and 2016 especially have seen the tourist destination take on a dramatic evolution ahead of the 2018 Commonwealth Games, from artists taking over nearby hotels to a…

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Guzman y Gomez plan to open drive-thru outlets across Australia in 2017

After being named fastest growing food chain last year, Guzman Y Gomez have designs on expanding their Mexican fast food beyond expectations come 2017, recently announcing at least 12 drive-through outlets to roll out across Australia over the next 12 months. As reported by The Australian, the popular Mexican chain [which honestly deserves the praise]…

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Max Dunn & Donnie Borzestowski reflect on 2016 for Gang of Youths and tease Album #2

Festival of the Sun this year saw Sydney’s Gang of Youths top the bill at Port Macquarie, drawing in strong numbers for what was to be one of their first festival shows of the summer. After spending 2016 on the road with The Positions and the Let Me Be Clear EP, the boys have hit the studio hard in recent months…

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Art Gallery of Ballarat director Gordon Morrsion talks Ballarat’s artistic vision (part 2)

Yesterday we published part one of an interview with the director of the Art Gallery of Ballarat, Gordon Morrison. In that first half, we heard his vision for the gallery and what its place will be for future exhibitions stemming from the gallery’s recent exhibition of the touring Archibald Prize artworks. For those art lovers…

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