Year: 2017

As of this writing I have had our Xbox One X review unit in my home for eight days. The console, along with a generous care package of games including console exclusives, new releases and a few November headliners, arrived the Thursday afternoon before PAX Aus. I’ve been able to play three of these games…

With Australia’s very first Walker Stalker Con, a pop convention dedicated entirely to The Walking Dead, a matter of months away, the line-up of special guests heading down under has seen a slight change. Lauren Cohen, who plays Maggie on the monstrously popular show, is sadly no longer able to make either the Sydney or…

The Optus Connect5 campaign has rewarded to Australian filmmakers, Alexi Collins, Joshua Heaton and Michael O’Neill, $10,000 each as well as a trip Singapore in recognition of their outstanding efforts in the short film competition. The two films, Save My Soul and Just For a Moment, were made by Alexi Collins with Joshua Heaton, and Michael…

Bad Pony have been lapping up the response their latest single, “Half Blood” has brought them over recent weeks; the song has come dripping in soul and rich musicality from the group, a great indicator of where they’re heading into the new year with new music. As a live band, Bad Pony have been dominating…

Stella Donnelly‘s star continues to rise with multiple WAM Awards to her name plus a J Award nomination this week (not a bad haul), but with the release of her new music video for “Boys Will Be Boys”, the young Freo artist has once again shown that her hold on the craft is a powerful…

After far too many rumours swirling around, the unveiling of Australia’s Download Festival was finally given the official stamp this morning, with the event being confirmed by Live Nation, Unified and Secret Sounds. The iconic heavy music festival will make its way to Melbourne in reflecting the set up and aims of the UK flagship event,…

Australians are soon to get a taste of Singapore’s eclectic and thriving arts scene, when Singapore: Inside Out takes place in Sydney from November 3rd to 5th. Bringing artists from across the realms of visual arts and music, as well as some culinary boundary pushers, SG:IO is a way for Singapore to bring their cream of the…

N*E*R*D made an impressive return today, dropping their first single in some time in “Lemon”. Bearing in mind that the group haven’t released a studio album since 2010’s Nothing, news of this new single was clearly going to rouse much excitement even before first playback. This is the group responsible for the still brilliant In Search Of…and…

Sometimes a bit a country is good for the soul. Not only that, there’s definitely proof in the pudding that current country music has had the weight behind it to cross over into the commercial charts. Looking at the likes of Keith Urban, Lady Antebellum, The Wolfe Brothers, Kasey Chambers, Catherine Britt and early Taylor…

Aminé‘s new single, “Squeeze”, sees the artist link back up with “Caroline” co-producer Pasquè (along with Madison LST and BeforeIzaiah) for another romp that has proven to be just as attention grabbing. Expert beats meet Aminé’s captivating flow, as bar after bar come with effortless flair. The production of this track is hypnotic as it…

Crooked Colours have enjoyed status as Australian favourites over the last years and a bit in particular and with an international profile continuing to grow, it’s seemed only natural that the band continues to branch out. Recently linking up with New Caledonia Tourism, the band headed out to the South Pacific hotspot as part a new…

Ash vs Evil Dead is the followup series to Sam Raimi‘s Evil Dead trilogy that pits Ash (Bruce Campbell) against more Deadites proving the chainsaw wielding, shit-talking badass can’t seem to escape the presence of evil. I am a huge fan of the original Evil Dead films as they inhibit a specific tone unlike any…

Was rebooting the seven-film-deep Saw franchise seven years after the abysmal Saw 3D really necessary? No, not really. The gore-porn films have always been enormously successful despite a substantial drop in quality from the first two entries, so financially there’s little to lose, but the story of the “Jigsaw Killer” really has nothing left to…

This weekend Chippendale’s vibrant Kensington Street precinct will be hosting various works from a diverse group of artists, chefs, designers, filmmakers and photographers from Singapore. Singapore: Inside Out, a multi-sensory creative showcase which has seen enormous success in cities like New York and Tokyo, will be stretched across three days, kicking off tonight with a…

It might be a few months before Sydneysiders will get their chance to see the new rendition of Mamma Mia! The Musical live on stage at the Capitol Theatre, but the cast are hard at work in the city rehearsing. That’s because before arriving in Sydney on February 11th, they’re kicking off their tour in…

To some people, “Atlantis” is a utopian city lost underneath a wall of water. For Lally Katz it’s a semi-autobiographical play about her mid-30s trip home to America as a newly-single girl. The results are like Bridget Jones played by Kathy Lette. With a panther thrown into the mix. Because you can. Katz is no…

The winning emerging artists from a range of creative disciplines for the Helpmann Academy competition have been announced. In its second round of competitive grants for 2017, a total of $46,000 has been awarded to support a total of sixteen projects. The projects include professional development opportunities such as international residencies, workshops, exhibitions, performances, film projects,…

This weekend Chippendale’s vibrant Kensington Street precinct will be hosting various works from a diverse group of artists, chefs, designers, filmmakers and photographers from Singapore. Singapore: Inside Out, a multi-sensory creative showcase which has seen enormous success in cities like New York and Tokyo, will be stretched across three days, kicking off tonight with a…

It’s not just the relaunch of Cargo Bar that has King Street Wharf buzzing right now. The area’s beloved Bungalow 8 has also been given a brand new lease on life, reopening from today with fresh new interiors shaped towards a beachside villa alongside a new program of entertainment, and new food & drink menus….

Enormously popular Australia fashion label Romance Was Born was hooked up with the crew at Handpicked Wines for a collaborative limited edition Yarra Valley Rosé inspired by the fashion house’s latest collection “Electric Orchid”. Following a visit to the gorgeous Handpicked Cellar Door in Chippendale, designers Anna Plunkett and Luke Sales worked with Handpicked Wines…

The fourth Beyond the Valley festival is creeping up, as east coast punters look forward to another New Year’s Eve escape. With the likes of The Presets, Schoolboy Q, Stormzy and Matt Corby already confirmed to perform, Beyond the Valley is looking to be a prime destination for music lovers to bring in 2018 but this week, festival organisers dropped their second…

Adelaide rockers Grenadiers edge closer to the release of Album Number Three in Find Something You Love and Let It Kill You, due out on November 10th, with the release of their latest music video – “Long Way Down”. Taking on a distinctive Midnight Oil-esque Aussie vibe, the video puts the trio out amongst the country and…

Australians are soon to get a taste of Singapore’s eclectic and thriving arts scene, when Singapore: Inside Out takes place in Sydney from November 3rd to 5th. Bringing artists from across the realms of visual arts and music, as well as some culinary boundary pushers, SG:IO is a way for Singapore to bring their cream of…

New Zealand’s Estère has recently released My Design, the first half of her two-part sophomore album My Design, On Other’s Lives. Released via DRM NZ, the mini album follows the release of her latest single ‘Control Freak’, and is available to stream or purchase. Recorded at her home studio in a suburban 40’s Wellington villa,…

There’s set to be a strong Canadian wave of music coming through Sydney over this next week, with some exciting new artists popping up to perform as part of this year’s Australian Music Week, as well as part of the great ‘Canada Down Under’ event in Newtown next Thursday night. Ahead of all this goodness…

If American music has a heart and soul then you would find it nestled between Memphis and the Mississippi Delta. The documentary film, Take Me To The River realises this and pays homage to the soul men and women that created those passionate and influential hits for the likes of Stax Records and their ilk….

If you, or someone you know, could be considered a fan of rugby then there might come a point in your life where playing Rugby 18 seems like a good idea. I want you to know from the bottom of my heart that that won’t be true. That way lies disappointment and regret because in Rugby 18,…

Following player ire regarding Star Wars Battlefront II‘s implementation of loot box and XP progression systems during the game’s last beta period, Electronic Arts and developer DICE have announced a re-balancing of both systems in time for launch.

Pause Festival held a event at Melbourne’s Federation Square this morning for the launch of its 2018 program. The technology and innovation festival, now in its eighth year, brings together some of the best and brightest from across the tech world for a multi-day event in the heart of Melbourne. None of that was particularly…

The most popular game in the world, PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, is coming to Xbox One. This we’ve known since E3 earlier this year. What we haven’t known was when. Now we have an answer, and it’s way sooner than you were expecting.