Year: 2017

The first ever Australian Music Week Film Festival arrives at the end of next month, set to screen an impressive array of World and Australian Premieres across two venues from October 31st until November 3rd. The festival accompanies the annual Australian Music Week conference, which takes over Cronulla Beach for three days just outside of…

NHL 18 wants to be a mirror to this year’s Stanley Cup — no bells, no whistles, no brawls or bullshit, just great skillful hockey. That’s what it wants, and it’s a noble goal, but sadly the puck never quite finds the back of the net.

If you fly regularly to US with Virgin Australia, as I do, chances are you may have ended up on a Delta aircraft on one of your trips; with the two carriers codesharing services across the Pacific, providing ticketed passengers for either the option to fly with the other. I recently did just that, flying…

Michael Ralph is one of Australia’s leading choreographers, always striving to create work that is ground-breaking, fresh and relevant. As part of this year’s Melbourne Fringe Festival, Ralph has gifted audiences with a 60-minute dance piece that explores every facet of an artist’s psyche. It is appropriately titled SELF, and stars none other than musical theatre heart-throb,…

Featuring three distinct levels, Barangaroo House will be one of the biggest openings to date for the ever-growing precinct, led by none other than Matt Moran in partnership with Solotel, the group behind some of Sydney’s biggest venues including Aria, Chiswick and Opera Bar. It’s been a long time coming, with the project in the…

Harnessing the unique characteristics of Mizunara, a rare Japanese oak, Suntory Whisky have been able to make a huge leap forward in their whisky making. The newly released Yamazaki Mizunara 2017 Edition promises to highlight the unique properties of the uniquely Japanese tree, presenting whisky lovers with a blend created from a selection of single…

Celebrating the people and street culture of modern Cuba, Merivale will be using The Paddington to host a temporary transformation, filled with Que Bola feasts and Havana club cocktails. Across three nights, the popular Paddington gastropub will be taking on the character often credited to Cuba’s festive hospitality scene, with the crux of celebrations happening…

Making excellent use of their gorgeous The Cortile dining space, InterContinental Sydney have just launched a “buffet marketplace” brunch to take place every weekend for hotel guests and local visitors. “Brunch at The Cortile”, which kicked on on Saturday 23rd September, will be a special offering from the high-end hotel, tempting guests with a refined…

Beginning 1st October of this year, the recently opened Four Points by Sheraton Melbourne Docklands will be taking part in an ongoing global program designed to bring the hotel brands 225+ properties closer to the cultural scenes in their respective cities. And by cultural scenes we mean the tasty dynamic local craft beer scenes of…

Struggling to face the realities of a Monday? Don’t go past the groovin’ new single from Alice Ivy (we made it easier by putting it first) in the weekly Spotify playlist of fresh music we’re loving. It will pick you up wherever you are. As well as Ivy, you’ll also find newies from Liv Cartledge…

Travel to Hawaii from Australia has never been easier or more affordable. Budget carrier Jetstar offer some of the cheapest deals between the east coast of Australia and Honolulu, while their parent company Qantas also offer daily services. Hawaiian Airlines – who sit as part of Virgin Australia’s Velocity Network – are usually the best…

Until the Lions is derived from a tale in the Mahabharata about Amba and Shikhandi. Director Akram Khan has a long history with the Mahabhrata, having performed in Peter Brook’s version in 2005. In this dance piece, Khan brings to life the story of Amba, who on her wedding day is abducted by Bheeshma as…

Learn how to play the fascinating, awe-inspiring taiko! Play Taiko will leave you with a unique group experience that will energise, stimulate and excite. Taiko playing requires great energy and teamwork, as well as total integration of one’s mind, body and spirit; the rhythm of the taiko pulsates through your body – its expression is…

If you enjoyed Jersey Boys then you’re sure to love the latest jukebox musical to hit Aussie shores: Beautiful – The Carole King Musical. Starring the sublime Esther Hannaford and featuring an incredible collection of hits, Beautiful is slickly produced and expertly performed. It’s a guaranteed good night out for all. Billed as a musical…

How the hell do you express a flavour profile of beef, gravy and pastry in a light, crispy potato chip? We’re not quite sure on the science behind it all, but we’re glad Pringles have decided to go full Aussie and launch a Meat Pie flavour. And why stop there? They’ve thrown in a special…

Australian juice brand The Juice Farm has recently inked a partnership with Sydney’s Blu Bar on 36 at the Shangri-La Hotel that will have their range of 100% chilled fresh juice used in a number of specially made cocktails. There’s at least three on the menu right now, so rather than just describing them we…

To celebrate the release of Kingsman: The Golden Circle, the team behind Old Forester Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey have launched the Statesman, an exclusive special selection batch of the distillery’s premium bourbon, in Australia. Not only that, but they’ve taken over Sydney institution Zeta Bar as the city’s main hub of the expression, transforming the…

The famous Bearded Bakers of nomadic Sydney institution Knafeh Bakery are planning to host a very special pop-up at the ultra-lux Pier One Sydney Harbour for the forthcoming Good Food Month. Kicking off on 5th October and lasting right through to 29th October, the newly designed concept – a first for the bakery – will…

More restaurants across Sydney are beginning to embrace more dog-friendly policies, but Storehouse on the Park in Rushcutters Bay has kicked the trend up more than a few notches. The breezy bar and restaurant, which is a part of Vibe Hotel Rushcutters Bay, has introduced a dedicated pooch-friendly menu in addition to their regular human…

Across all four days of this October long weekend, Sydney’s iconic Opera Bar will be hosting a very special “Rosé All Day” festival, highlighting just about everything one could possible ask for when it comes to the lavish pink wine. A number of producers will be showcased at the waterfront bar as Opera Bar’s usual…

This week Shane Delia will be expanding on his long-established and much-loved gourmet “kbab” shop Biggie Smalls, bringing a second location into the fold on Chapel Street in Windsor. He’ll be opening doors on Thursday 28th September, revealing a reloaded menu along with his best sellers, including the Biggie Smalls Snack Pack and a new…

There’ll be plenty to do around Sydney across the forthcoming October long weekend, but one of the standouts for those who prefer seafood feasts, live jazz and sparkling harbour views will be this lush event thrown by Ripples Chowder Bay as part of their 10th anniversary celebrations. The highly regarded seafood restaurant is promising an…

The team behind late-night favourite Barrio Cellar and Cantonese restaurant Fei Jai are about to expand to a third venue, putting the finishing touches on a Mexican dining concept on Kings Cross’ Bayswater Road. Titled Chula, the new restaurant will be led by Nicole Galloway and Peter Lew while Reece Griffiths has come on board…

There are times in our lives we look back on certain things and reminisce, how much we would love to go back and do it all again, for me, other than visiting the (U.S.A and the U.K) that was the Mass Effect Trilogy and playing as the stubborn, stern, but lovable Commander Shepherd. If you’re…

Sondheim, as always, has to make things difficult. If it’s not in his chords then it’s the subject matter of his musicals. However Assassins, one of the more rarely performed of the Sondheim repertoire, finds itself locked and loaded in good hands with Dean Bryant at this latest production at the Hayes. Superb casting all…

Alice Ivy‘s rise has continued to be peppered with brilliant sounds, the latest of which coming today in the form of “Be Friends”. The single is another impressive offering from producer and songwriter; rooted in sunshine-hit synth goodness, “Be Friends” captures some of the best energy we’ve heard from Alice Ivy on a track yet….

Filipino songwriter and pop artist Kiana Valenciano presents herself confidently on record. She’s been performing and releasing music for some time now and has been successfully building a profile for herself in her homeland of the Philippines, with a social media following exceeding 200,000. Sitting across from me in Singapore last week, though, Valenciano is polite and…

The Yours & Owls Festival is just around the corner, with Wollongong set to host a whole slew of fiery Australian and international bands over an unforgettable weekend. Don’t be mistaken here, though, once the live bands finish on stage, the crew behind Yours & Owls are keeping the party going at the Wollongong Tennis Club…

When Ecca Vandal aims high, she aims damn high. With “Future Heroine”, the Melbourne musician continues to twist genres and put her fiery stamp on a music scene that may be changing and becoming more fluid. Bolstered by her unmistakeable aggression and confidence, Ecca has continued to prove why she is one of the country’s most dangerously talented…

There’s something surprisingly relaxing yet equally daunting as watching an orchestra accompany a contemporary artist. As I sat looking down at the side of the Sydney Opera House stage, you’d have been forgiven if you forgot that fronting the Sydney Symphony Orchestra was Megan Washington. On night one of her current tour showcasing the tracks…