South By Southwest (SXSW) Music Festival is an annual conference held in Austin, Texas, and is the number one hot spot for eyeing down your fav new artists. Mixed with a bunch of industry legends and newbies from around the world, artists perform in front of industry professionals, media and fans at venues ranging from…
If any domestic service calls for a slight upgrade, it’s the coast-to-coast flight from Sydney to Perth. While not exactly a gruelling long-haul, the five hour service is testing enough that a little bit of extra comfort goes a long way. We tested Virgin Australia’s Economy X product on the service to see if the…
In 2010, Gabe Newell joined Sony at E3, in one of the most controversial crossovers of all time, to announce cross platform play between PS3 and PC for their then-forthcoming title, Portal 2. Newell also noted that he and the gathered throng were seeing a shift in the games industry. Video: Kahleb Olsson “Entertainment-as-a-product to…
Craft beer rockstars Young Henrys have hooked up with Byron Bay clothing brand and hemp advocates Afends to release one of the first legal hemp beers in Australia, and the first to use brand new water soluble hemp oil technology. Simply dubbed the Hemp IPA, the beer was brewed to reinforce Afends’ initiative of promoting…
Thought that ‘toys to life’ video game fad was over? That the days of collecting Skylanders and Disney Infinity figures were behind you? Guess again. Starlink: Battle for Atlas marks developer Ubisoft Toronto’s first attempt at creating a fun, friendly, accessible spaceship combat-based experience for the young and old alike. While it’s not perfect, Starlink: Battle for…
Australia’s first premium online cocktail subscription service has launched, paving the way for Cocktail Porter to deliver bartender-designed cocktail kits directly to front doors across the country. A concept birthed in Sydney, Cocktail Porter was founded by Cameron Northway of Sweet&Chilli and Bondi restaurant Rocker, aimed at pushing a modern, on-demand product for those wanting…
Sculpture by the Sea , one of the world’s largest annual free-to-the-public outdoor sculpture exhibitions, has now opened for another year across Sydney’s spectacular Bondi to Tamarama coastal walk. The exhibition, which each year sees the coastline transformed into a 2km long sculpture park over three weeks, features 107 sculptures by artists from 21 countries…
Veteran character actor Sean Bean has died a lot on-screen. Known for roles like Boromir in The Lord of the Rings and Ned Stark on Game of Thrones, old mate Sean always seems to bite it in the end. He’s died on film so many times that it’s become a bit of a running joke….
In its 31st year, the annual Folk Alliance International Conference announces their offical showcase lineup, being held from February 13-17, 2019, in Montréal, Québec, Canada. The conference is a gathering of the folk music industry and community. It crosses a diverse array of genres including Appalachian, Americana, Blues, Bluegrass, Celtic, Cajun, Francophone, Global Roots, Indigenous,…
Some of the Inner West’s greatest culinary minds have come together to open a pizzeria on King Street, Newtown. This is a big deal. Talks of Bella Brutta (meaning “Beautiful Ugly”) began earlier this year, speaking of a pizza diner spearheaded by co-owner Luke Powell of Chippendale institution LP’s Quality Meats along with the crew,…
A fragile and beautiful track, Hervey Bay artist Leonie Kingdom has dropped the latest song “So Much More” from her debut EP Night Terrors. A song about learning from mistakes and life experiences, learning and growing along the way, the delicately performed song reminds listeners that there is light beyond the darkness and so much…
Canberra alt-rockers Moaning Lisa are back with Do You Know Enough?, a collection of love, heartbreak and reinvention that explores the journey of a queer girl manoeuvring her way through the ups and downs of her early twenties. The product of four music graduates, Moaning Lisa found their purpose in making loud noises together, operating on the…
Singer, songwriter and producer Graham The Grand returns with new single “Go” off his debut project I Don’t Know Why I Feel The Way I Do. The track, available October 19th, is down tempo and melancholic, filled with nostalgia and reflection on Graham’s own experiences. Moving to Melbourne from his hometown in Brisbane to pursue his…
It’s a warm spring Tuesday when I arrive at the National Art School in Sydney. The School is located on the site of the old Darlinghurst Gaol and is steeped in the history of the area. Its connection to DICE’s Battlefield V, a multiplayer-centric first person shooter set in World War II, is a bit…
No matter how Hollywood tries to sell it, remake will always be a word deemed blasphemous to cinephiles the world over. Sure, they can throw out terms such as reboot or reimagining or revisioning, but regardless of the spin, they all refer to the same type of picture. And because it’s one we have experienced…
Boutique hotels are at their best when you can see the sincerity in their design. Soulful touches and nostalgic nods to the property’s primary source of inspiration, whether that be a neighbourhood, a concept or a nearby institution, is always appreciated and is what ends up the most memorable part of any stay. The Fleming…
Earlier this year the latest Lucasfilm epic, Solo: A Star Wars Story hit the theatres around the world, and is now available on DVD and Blu-Ray. Academy Award-winning director, Ron Howard put a story into place about the beloved heroes Han Solo and Chewbacca. Packed with star-studded cast, and plenty of mind-blowing visual effects, the…
Starting from next week, Virgin Australia will roll out a total of seven new international lounges across the country and in New Zealand, significantly expanding their network and adding to the airline’s existing 12 premium domestic lounges. Australia will get three new international departure lounges, while New Zealand will have four. Award-winning British lounge specialist…
Supplier of Australia’s second Scotch of choice Grant’s Whisky have launched a brand new blended scotch sporting a fresh new look and name as part of a global re-branding exercise. Grant’s Triple Wood Blended Scotch Whisky was unveiled this week at Grant William & Sons offices in North Sydney, its eye catching amber colour and…
The shortlists for the 2018 Prime Minister’s Literary Awards have been announced today, bringing together some of Australia’s most prominent and decorated writers. The Fiction shortlist, for example, features two former Man Booker winners, and two Miles Franklin winners. The Awards recognise Australia’s literary talent across six different categories: fiction, non-fiction, Australian history, young adult…
Milkman by Anna Burns has been announced as the winner of the 2018 Man Booker Prize for Fiction. The 56 year old author is the sixteenth woman, and remarkably the first Northern Irish writer to win the prestigious award. Burns drew upon the experiences of her home country to write her third full length novel….
Out of all the excellent new openings populating Sydney’s hospitality scene before 2019 kicks off, few are as high-profile as this one. Employees Only, the award-winning speakeasy born in New York’s West Village and often referred to as one of the world’s best, is finally ready to open it’s doors in Sydney’s CBD. It will…
After an already incredible and diverse music program, this year’s Darebin Music Feast introduces you to its first venture into cinema with Feast Films. Partnered with Thornbury Picture House, Feast Films is screening feature and documentary films in Melbourne on the theme of gender and the music industry, following the extraordinary lives and careers of…
If you aren’t already listening to Total Giovanni, you definitely should be. Following the release of their recent single “Comes in Waves”, the Melbourne group are finally releasing their debut album Euphoria, on Friday. With their music described as “Paradise Garage meets Madchester on the shores of the Mediterranean,” Euphoria is bound to take Australia by storm. Emerging out…
One of the biggest competitions in Australian esports returns in early November. Gfinity Elite Season 2 returns to Sydney’s Entertainment Quarter in Moore Park from November 3 and will see teams from almost every major Australian city competing across of esports biggest titles. The Season 2 competition will comprise of Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Street Fighter…
Topping the US Rock Charts for not one, but five consecutive weeks, opening for Bob Seger, winning the Loudwire music awards, playing sold out shows across the globe and gaining acclaim from namely artists like Elton John before even releasing an album. May I introduce Greta Van Fleet, the Michigan Rock outfit that mixed up…
Free food lovers rejoice, as both 8bit Burger and Gelato Messina are kindly giving away freebies in Sydney and Melbourne, for a whole month. Not only that, but the free food is all from exclusive creations in partnership with Liven to celebrate the launch of their own cryptocurrency. Hence, the food is cryptocurrency themed (wtf)….
The infamous Ritz Cinema in Sydney will be transformed into a terror abyss straight from the depths of the ocean as The Kraken Black Spiced Rum takes over the venue this Halloween – Wednesday October 31st. Guests shouldn’t expect the typical movie-going experience at the Kraken Screamfest. Horrors from the deep like mutant mermaids and…
To celebrate their seventh year of forming a wine-inspired relationship, New Zealand’s Invivo Wines and UK comedian Graham Norton are planning a fine-dining pop-up degustation event with a bottomless supply of their new Graham Norton Prosecco at Chiswick Restaurant in Sydney on Sunday October 21st. Made from 100% Glera grapes from the Veneto and Friuli…
Fancy a giant squid on a stick? Get on down to Footscray where new quick service restaurant IKA8 is hoping to add their take on South East Asian street food to the suburb’s already diverse casual dining scene. Giant squid dishes cooked openly on the fire grill or fried in oil will be the signature…
