Year: 2016

It’s a testament to the scope of George R.R. Martin‘s work that Game of Thrones that you can literally lose track of major characters. Throughout the series’ six seasons, people pop in and out of differences places and plotlines constantly. In some cases, viewers are left wondering what happened to so-and-so for seasons at a time. Given the…

Brighton mega-festival and industry convention, The Great Escape, has just added a whole new round of artists to the 2016 bill because evidently 300 musicians on the first announcement signified that they were only getting started. The new announcement includes exciting artists including Thomas Cohen, Barns Courtney, SG Lewis  and Carnival Youth, while Australian acts like Julia Jacklin, Gang of Youths, City Calm Down, Vallis Alps and Kim…

As part of our weekend up north for The Spirit of Bundaberg Festival last year, we got an exclusive behind-the-scenes tour of the distillery as well as tastings of their new release the Master Distillers Collection Black Barrel – Distilled 2005 as well many other internationally award-winning top shelf rums Bundaberg Rum is now making….

We return domestically with an East Coast capital city service from Virgin, who have kicked things up a notch in recent times to compete with Qantas more aggressively on the domestic market. Airline: Virgin Australia Route: Sydney-Brisbane, VA931 Seat: 7A (Window) Aircraft: Boeing 737-800 Flight Time: 1 Hour 30 Minutes On Schedule? Yes, departed aircraft…

Part of the Millenium group of Hotels and Resorts, Singapore’s Studio M Hotel is a perfect example of the city’s unique ways to make the best of small spaces, something which is typical both of the city’s hotel rooms and the apartments that line the streets. But Studio M takes this concept to another level, bringing…

We recently talked to Brian Lobel about his performance piece You Have to Forgive Me, You Have to Forgive Me, You Have to Forgive Me where he spent time in people’s beds watching episodes of Sex & The City. As part of the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, Lobel is performing another brazen piece of performance…

Since the Melbourne International Comedy Festival is in full swing, we here at the AU Review have decided to give a whole bunch of performers who have travelled far and wide to the most funniest month in Melbourne’s year five quick questions ahead of their performances. The first of these is with Alex Edelman who…

Boy, was it nice to put a 3D human being to the voice that is Matt Okine. Over the years we have become so fond of his vocal prowess and Instagram snaps, but seeing the boy wonder himself in the flesh, staring us right in the face, was an absolute delight. Having spoken to Okine…

Next Wednesday 6th April will see a big change to the food offerings at Harpoon Harry as Morgan McGlone (of Belles Hot Chicken) takes the reigns as food curator for 2016 at the venue’s Public Bar, then eventually moving up to refine the upstairs Dining Room menu as well. The partnership was announced earlier this…

With spectacular views of Sydney Harbour and the Sydney Opera House, The Platinum Club at Handa Opera is pop-up dining at its most exclusive. The undercover restaurant offers unique opera dining experiences themed according to the production. Indulge in a pre-performance three-course meal, a signature buffet, or a dessert high tea during the interval, all devised by…

Award-winning chef Robin Wickens will take the culinary prowess that made him so popular at the Royal Mail Hotel in Dunkeld and showcase them at Eureka 89 in Melbourne, where he will prepare a sumptuous 5-course dinner of locally sourced produce. The dinner, to be held on Monday 11th and Tuesday 12th April, will give Melbournians a rare chance to experience Wickens’…

DZ Deathrays had SXSW in the bag this year. In Austin for their fourth time at the festival, Shane and Simon may not have gone done the 50 shows in 4 days type route this year, but the gigs they did fit into their time in town were as high octane as you’d expect from the band by this…

Absolute tune. Slowly Slowly have done it again with new single, memorably titled, “Pussy Makes the World Go Round”. Featuring Tom Lanyon of CERES on this tune, “PMTWGR” highlights some great guitar work and that enticing punk rock delivery that for any 20-something, may evoke those angsty bands we were all listening to in high school during the early 2000’s….

Brian Wilson of The Beach Boys brought his California charm by way of a 38-song set list to the Sydney Opera House last night. The tour is to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the legendary album “Pet Sounds”, but could it still be a success without the rest of the full band and so many…

Tame Impala are absolutely everywhere at the moment, adding an appearance atop the Saturday night bill of this year’s FYF Fest to their list of shows for 2016. The Perth boys are the only Australians aside from Jagwar Ma to feature on the American festival bill, which also boasts the likes of Kendrick Lamar, LCD Soundsystem and Grace Jones at the top of the…

L D R U‘s track “Keeping Score” has been flogged on radio – rightfully so – constantly recently, hitting Platinum status! It’s only logical that the beat maker hit the road for some tour dates to celebrate, no? July will see the producer hitting clubs nationally, with Manilla Killa on national support duty; with these Australian…

Kevin Morby, another artist at SXSW who caught our attention, has released a new music video for his tune “Dorothy”! Named after his guitar, which was named after his grandmother, “Dorothy” is realised in a gorgeous music clip that represents the sentiment really well here. Says Morby of the tune, “Being a musician, when you find…

The Wide Open Space Festival is getting ready to turn all the way up this year, with today’s third and final music announcement! An extra 20 artists have been added to the bill, rounding out the final performer count to 63. International, local and interstate music acts will be hitting desert for Wide Open Space this…

It’s always a great time for music fans when Ben Folds is in town and this August, Australian fans will be able to see the celebrated artist touring with a new ensemble, New York’s yMusic! The chamber ensemble will be performing at all stops of Ben Folds’ upcoming tour dates, where his new album So There will be…

Legendary blues musician Eugene Hideaway Bridges sat down with us at Bluesfest this year to give us the lowdown on how this trip to Australia had been treating him so far! A favourite out this way, Bridges’ endearing and charming live presence brought rave reviews from punters who were able to catch him both at the…

Grace Potter returned to Byron Bay triumphant, bringing her new album Midnight to Bluesfest crowds and bringing it hard. Rocking out on stage throughout the Easter Weekend, the American musician came out swinging with this new material, showcasing more development within her musicianship and a brilliant new live show. Potter caught up with Larry backstage during the…

After two successful films, the Wolf Creek universe is being channeled into a six-episode miniseries event exclusive to on-demand service Stan as part of their Original Series lineup. Fans will be glad to know that John Jarratt is reprising his role as serial killer Mick Taylor, alongside rising international star Lucy Fry (who can also…

Shadow Electric Outdoor Cinema & Bar in the Sacred Heart courtyard in Abbotsford is closing down, amidst plans for a reopening in 2017. On Thursday January 12, 2012, a sold-out screening of Drive welcomed the Shadow Electric outdoor cinema to the Abbotsford Content in the Sacred Heart courtyard. Since then, it’s become a cultural institution…

In a recent interview with Empire, film maker Matthew Vaughn has revealed the title for the follow-up to 2015’s Kingsman: Secret Service. Kingsman 2: The Golden Circle is due for release next year. Plot wise, The Golden Circle sees Kingsman HQ destroyed in an attack. As a result, Eggsy (Taron Egerton) and Merlin (Colin Firth) head…

Tom Clancy’s The Division is one of those games that has been in pipeline for so long, it actually feels a bit weird to be able to play it at all. Announced at E3 2013, Ubisoft have spent the intervening years making a lot of promises about the game. We were told to expect a…

A new official international trailer has dropped for the epic fantasy and Duncan Jones-helmed film, Warcraft: The Beginning from Universal Pictures. The new trailer is one minute in length and offers a few new perks, including the first official footage of the Guardian of Tirisfal, Medivh, portrayed by Ben Foster. The trailer seamlessly fuses previously seen…

Amy Schumer and Foxtel will be in cahoots this April, bringing Australian viewers episodes of her latest, Inside Amy Schumer Season 4, the same day as it airs in the USA. The latest announcement comes as an addition to Comedy Central’s already staggering comedy globetrotters, including The Daily Show with Trevor Noah, Workaholics, Tosh.0, Broad…

J.J. Abrams looks determined to continue his push for racial diversity in Hollywood with the latest cast announcement for his long-speculated sci-fi thriller, The God Particle. Having recent success in 10 Cloverfield Lane and Star Wars: Episode VII The Force Awakens, Abrams will again join forces with Paramount, and has enlisted Nigerian-American director Julius Onah…

As Team S.H.I.E.L.D waves off Bobbi “Mockingbird” Morse (Adrianne Palicki) and Lance Hunter (Nick Blood) on their journey to ABC’s latest Marvel spinoff, Marvel’s Most Wanted, the network signs two villains to prod the coals of the new series. Oded Fehr (The Mummy, Resident Evil) will play the antagonist to the Morse-Hunter partnership but his…

If you enjoyed Gal Godot‘s debut as Wonder Woman in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, you’re going to want to check out the new poster for her solo film. Released through Entertainment Weekly over the weekend, it features the heroine alongside several other warrior women of Themyscira – Queen Hippolyta (Connie Nielsen), General Antiope…