Day: 10 April 2017

Live Review: The Mountain Goats + Oh Pep! – Factory Theatre, Sydney (09.04.17)

“Do you like math rock? That’s good.” remarked Oh Pep!‘s Pepita Emmerichs with a wry grin, as they drew their support set to a close, jumping into “Seven Babies” and “Doctor Doctor”, two highlights from their 2016 release Stadium Cake. Earlier in the night, “Tea Milk and Honey” impressed, as the Melbourne pair performed a rare…

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Aussie artist Julia Jacklin and Blossoms added to Glastonbury line-up

In news you might have missed earlier this month, Glastonbury co-organiser Emily Eavis added two names to the 2017 lineup just 24 hours after the primary line-up was revealed, which featured everyone from Radiohead and the Foo Fighters to Martha Wainwright and The National. One of those names was Australia’s own Julia Jacklin, who Eavis…

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Music Video of the Day: Ella Fence “Dancer” (2017)

Get to know some more about Ella Fence with her new music video for the catchy “Dancer”. She’s teamed up with another one of our favourite talents, Vinnie LaDuce, which already makes for a solid tune – the final result being an eclectic mix of electro pop and stunning evocative vocals. Indulgent, but not overly so, “Dancer”…

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Single of the Day: Yollks “Substance” (2017)

First introduced to her style with debut single “Return To Sender”, Melbourne’s Yollks is back with an ambitious and well crafted follow up in “Substance”. The experience Yollks has garnered on stage throughout the last few months has filtered into the studio – the professionalism and class quality of “Substance” is indicative of the artist surging forward with…

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Kim Churchill returns with new single in “Breakneck Speed” and May tour dates

Fresh from sessions in Quebec comes Kim Churchill‘s spirited new single, “Breakneck Speed”.  You may have heard its premiere on triple j with Richard Kingsmill over the weekend but fear not if you missed it, the track is released officially this Friday (April 14th). We’ve been loving seeing Churchill’s profile continue to rise overseas, with multiple…

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APES set to release debut album, Stranger Than Strangers, May 19th

Melbourne based four-piece APES have announced their highly-anticipated full-length debut album will be dropping May 19th on MGM Distribution, following up their 2013 Helluva EP. With four years in the making and a bunch of big names on board for mastering and mixing (Brian Lucey, Mark Rankin, Jackson Barclay, Malcolm Besley), Stranger Than Strangers is…

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Ben Ottewell shares first taste of forthcoming album, A Man Apart, released May 25th

This week English singer/songwriter Ben Ottewell has announced his new album A Man Apart will be released May 25th on Sunday Best, along with a UK and Ireland tour in June. Since his days in former band Gomez, the new album will be Ottewell’s third solo offering, co-written with childhood friend and former Tunng member,…

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Unkle returns with new single taken from forthcoming album, The Road Part 1

James Lavelle has worked over two decades as a writer, artist and curator, establishing himself in the UK and overseas most predominantly through his electronic collaborative project, Unkle. Now, Lavelle returns with Unkle’s fifth studio album, The Road Part 1, out June 23rd on Pod via Inertia Music. Teaming up with long-time collaborator Mark Lanegan for the…

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Dreamcar share new track from forthcoming self-titled debut album, out May 12th

LA-based new wave band Dreamcar have this week shared the second cut from their forthcoming self-titled debut album, dropping May 12th via Colombia Records. “Born To Lie” is the sweeping new single following up “Kill For Candy”, both of which see the band embracing an 80’s pop style with a grungy edge. The AFI/No Doubt supergroup joined…

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Live Review: Guy Sebastian gives a Sydney audience a lesson in well-refined pop music

Forget everything you know about Guy Sebastian. Now, allow me to describe to you an artist whose voice, energy, and undeniable musical talent reaches behind cynicism and invites us to experience pop music as it was always meant to be: powerful, relatable, enjoyable. Titled Sub-Conscious, the intimate preview of his forthcoming album, Conscious, introduced to…

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The first teaser trailer for Thor: Ragnarok has dropped and it looks like the Marvel film to beat

Take direction from New Zealand’s Taika Waititi (What We Do In The Shadows, Hunt for the Wilderpeople), film in Australia and add cast members like Australia’s Cate Blanchett and the one and only Jeff Goldblum, then consider the strong track record of the last two Thor standalone films, and the upcoming Thor: Ragnarok has just…

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Win a double pass to a special screening of NT Live’s Amadeus in Sydney

Lucian Msamati (Luther, Game of Thrones, NT Live: The Comedy of Errors) plays Salieri in Peter Shaffer’s iconic play Amadeus, captured live from the National Theatre, with orchestral accompaniment by Southbank Sinfonia, with cinematic screenings set to take place around the country. So what do you need to know about the play? As the name…

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Film Review: A Silent Voice (Japan, 2017) is an authentic and delicate coming-of-age story

Naoko Yamada’s A Silent Voice is an authentic and delicate coming-of-age story exploring a tale of romance and redemption. The animation is based on the manga series of the same name from 2013-2014 by Yoshitoki Ōima. A Silent Voice provides a fruitful outlook on the future of Japanese anime, and its success in western markets,…

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Blu-Ray Review: The single disc release of Doctor Strange (USA, 2016) arrives jam-packed

As we now roll into Phase 3 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe we are pulled to the beginning of one character’s story. Doctor Strange is Marvel’s step back to delivering an origin story for a new superhero but in some ways this film is a giant leap forward in universe building. It’s hard to fathom…

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Michael Bonfiglio talks about his new HBO Documentary May It Last: A Portrait of The Avett Brothers, co-directed with Judd Apatow

While in Austin last month, we caught up with Michael Bonfiglio, co-director of May It Last: A Portrait of The Avett Brothers (the much loved US band) with Judd Apatow. We spoke about premiering the film at the iconic SXSW festival and working with (and discovering) the band across the album three years it took…

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VR Pods Make For An Egg-splosive Attraction At The Sydney Royal Easter Show

This week, I was given a preview of the newest attraction at the Sydney Royal Easter Show – VR Land, a virtual reality experience with a host of different and exciting games. The set up at the Easter Show features several double-cabin egg pods, as well as single or three-person pods, and smaller game-based machines…

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Video Games Review: Persona 5 (PS3/PS4, 2017) Steals Hearts and Takes Souls

As someone new to the Persona series, the newest entry had me equal parts curious and baffled. Coming into a series with little prior knowledge or experience is a daunting experience, but Persona 5 had me wrapped around its finger from the moment it began. With the introduction of the game, which features a mysterious…

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Workaholics‘ Adam Devine to host the 2017 MTV Movie & TV Awards as Get Out leads the nominations

Formerly known as the MTV Movie Awards, all the details have been revealed about the 2017 MTV Movie & TV Awards, set to be held in Los Angeles on May 8th at 10am, Sydney time. This year’s host will be Workaholics‘ Adam Devine, who takes over from last year’s duo Kevin Hart and Dwayne Johnson….

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Film Review: Power plays and the clearing out of idiocy in Denial (UK, 2016)

The question a film critic often wants to ask, but is discouraged from for fear of offending someone, is why make this film? The answer is, more often than not, “because now was the right time.” And for Denial, this is most certainly true. In a world of newly termed ‘disenfranchised voters’ that are seemingly comfortable…

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Film Review: Colossal (Canada/Spain, 2017) is a miraculous achievement

Nacho Vigalondo has always been an exciting filmmaker for me. Ever since I saw his first feature film Timecrimes, I’ve always wanted to see more of this work. His handling of genre film and melding it with themes of humanity or topical themes has always fascinated and thrilled me. Timecrimes was a great time-travel film that…

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Are modern gamers expecting too much from their favourite developers?

In this modern age we live in, there’s no doubt in my mind that games today are as good as they have ever been. This is not to suggest that the importance of games that came before are diminished, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time for instance is and will remain a classic, but rather a way…

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MICF Review: Guy Montgomery’s Let’s All Get In A Room Together is a fun, goofy bit of storytelling (performances until 23rd April)

Guy Montgomery has this interestingly crescendo-like style of stand-up in Let’s All Get In A Room Together. It’s certainly a set full of happiness and goofiness, free from any political doom and gloom that many other comedy shows are focusing on this festival, but he can certainly be set to go on a really good story which rises to…

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Win a double pass to Hidden Sydney – The Glittering Mile at Sydney’s World Bar

Back by popular demand, Hidden Sydney – The Glittering Mile will return 25 May – 18 June 2017 as part of Vivid Sydney’s Kings Cross program. Hidden Sydney – an immersive cabaret experience celebrating Kings Cross in the 50s, 60s and 70s at the Nevada-the former Sydney brothel which boasted the biggest bed in the world….

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MICF Review: Grant Busé’s The Birds and the Beats is lovingly fair (performances until April 23rd)

SEX! Now that I’ve got your attention – imagine a darkened room, an empty stage, when suddenly a 27-year-old, self-described as the love child of Kurt Cobain and the Paddle Pop Lion, demonstrates his conception and birth using various props and an amply-placed curtain. The man is Grant Busé and it’s the intro into his…

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Flower Child Cafe brings a taste of the tropics to Warringah Mall (Sydney)

Co-founded by Chris Lu (Happy as Larry Pizza Truck, Bondi Hardware) and Adam Choker (The Grounds of Alexandria) newly launched cafe, garden and eatery the Flower Child Cafe lends itself to Warringah Mall’s ‘world class design’ philosophy whilst providing a tropical oasis from the exhausting business of retail therapy. ACME & Co (The Grounds, Drake…

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The Best Places to Celebrate Easter 2017 in Sydney

Easter AKA the longest public holiday of all time, is upon us once again. While chocolate is definitely what the doctor ordered for the four-day weekend, there’s going to be plenty of special menus and events offering all kinds of savoury and sweet deliciousness. We’ve rounded up some of our favourites in Sydney for you,…

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Epic program announced for Melbourne’s Good Beer Week 2017

Australia’s premier craft beer festival, Good Beer Week is returning to Melbourne from 12-21 May for its seventh year, celebrating the best of Australian and International brews. To help punters choose their own Good Beer Week adventure, this year’s program has been streamlined into four main categories: Beer Lover, Foodie, Beer Geek, and Good Times….

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