After a two-month semi-self-imposed hiatus (life got in the way a bit there!) we’re back with another month of recommended reads. Now, the absence of these articles in June and July is not to suggest there was nothing of note published. On the contrary, there were many great books released in those intervening months. If…
Sydney musician Max C Bud is about the make a big name for himself as a solo artist with mellow indie gem “Temptress”, his debut single produced in collaboration with Boo Seeka’s Sam Croft. The song, which focuses around honesty in relationships, is a creative number crafted into a lane frequented by beloved acts like…
Spike Lee is quite clearly fired up as he scatters sharp, defiant dialogue all through BlacKKKlansman, his first feature film since 2015’s good-but-uneven Chi-Raq and without a doubt one of his best works to date. That is no overstatement either, with Lee directing a big middle finger to the racism both explicit and implicit, by…
6 years after The Hunger Games lead the charge of YA dystopia book to film adaptations, a new contender has appeared in an attempt to revive the genre. Adapted from the Alexandra Brooks’ series of the same name, The Darkest Minds combines young adult fiction dystopia with superpowers. When a disease wipes out 90% of…
Reign of Mist, the second in Sydney based author Helen Scheuerer’s Oremere Chronicles, is set for release next month. Ahead of Bleak and Henri’s return, Helen chatted to Jodie about her self-publishing journey and what readers can expect from the next installment of the YA fantasy series. What can you tell us about Reign of…
For a few months now, a gorgeous duet between Tia Gostelow and LANKS has been steadily winning fans over with it’s breezy tone and intimate vocal harmonies. That gem is titled “Strangers”, a dreamy pop record that has been buzzing around Gostelow as she dips into the second half of an already massive year, one…
“Love Is The Message” is the superb debut solo single from the celebrated London-based Jazz drummer Yussef Dayes. As some of you may know Dayes came to prominance as one half of Yussef Kamaal, a creative partnership with keyboardist and producer Kamaal Williams, that resulted in 2016’s Black Focus. The duo have since disbanded in…
Call of Duty is a franchise you either love or hate, there doesn’t seem to be much in between. There are a few reasons for this. It’s home to one of the most aggressive, toxic communities in gaming. It found its niche as a multiplayer twitch shooter years ago and hasn’t felt much need to…
If you’ve ever been on BuzzFeed and wondered what a day-in-the-life of one of their reporters is like, then think no more. Netflix’s Follow This is a short-form docuseries that looks at the weird and wonderful stories investigated by this famed website while showing the journalists hard at work. Here are five things you need…
A Coveted Possession documents the popularity of the piano in Australia. Once a treasured member of the household, the piano fell out of favour once people became switched on to the likes of radio and television. Michael Atherton’s highly readable and intriguing book explores the rich cultural history behind this, at times, beloved instrument. Atherton, a professor,…
It’s not everyday you spot a helicopter buzzing around Los Angeles at eye-level. Dramatic and impressive, the check-in at the sky lobby of InterContinental Los Angeles Downtown is an astounding way to usher in the guest experience at this (almost) one-year-old luxury hotel; reception is placed on the 70th floor, surrounded by enormous floor-to-ceiling glass…
We spent some time getting to know South African guitar maestro Derek Gripper while he was in Sydney for the sydney Guitar Festival. What was the first guitar you bought? Spanish Guitar from a guy at school for 100 dollars – not counting a Clear Sound bass Guitar somebody gave me Do you still have…
Hawaiian Airlines have just lifted the lid on their current “Hawaiian Island Sale” for Aussie passengers looking to travel to the idyllic destination. These discounts even extend to the airline’s lie-flat Business Class, making luxury travel tad more accessible for those so inclined. The current offering is to Honolulu ex-Sydney and Brisbane and back from…
You don’t really need to know much about The Meg aside from that it is entertaining enough to justify it’s spot on the box office. That’s the most we could ask from a movie about a gigantic prehistoric shark unwittingly released from the depths of the ocean by hapless scientists who are stationed over the…
From the producers of Stranger Things, and Arrival comes Kin a gripping crime thriller with a sci-fi twist. Chased by a vengeful criminal and a gang of otherworldly soldiers, a recently released ex-con and his adopted teenage brother are forced to go on the run after finding a futuristic super-weapon of mysterious origin as their only…
Taking place at Cronulla Beach between the 7th and 9th November, Australian Music Week is Australia’s most accessible grassroots music industry conference. Bringing together an 80-strong speaker line-up, Australian Music Week is about discovering real music and relevant industry knowledge from the artists and insider professionals who live and breathe all things musical. Conference manager…
Following a brief hiatus to escape to warmer climbs (completely understandable!) Perth’s Spacey Jane have returned with a brand new single “Cold Feet” and are all set to give it the offical launch treatment this Friday night. For those not already looped in, the band formed back in 2016, with mates Caleb & Kieran revisiting…
Fans of Robert Drewe are in for a treat, with his newest collection, The True Colour of the Sea, published late last month by Hamish Hamilton. The eleven stories, all themed around coastal living, the ocean and the Australian fascination with it are all written in Drewe’s signature style. Each one showcases that Robert Drewe…
Fulfilling a dream of recording in the US, Adam Harvey’s tenth studio album The Nashville Tapes is inspired by country music of the 1970s and its icons. Off the back of last year’s tour of The Great Country Songbook Volume II alongside Beccy Cole, the eight-time Golden Guitar winner is again on the road, this…
The value of staying near Tokyo Station cannot be overstated, particularly for those relatively unfamiliar with the heaving, at times overwhelming capital city. Much has been written about the exceptional transport system of Tokyo, and this station is most certainly its beating heart, which is why a hotel like Courtyard By Marriott Tokyo Station is…
The Singapore music festival Music Matters Live will be returning for its 13th year next month, returning to the city’s iconic Clarke Quay (among other venues), featuring more than 30 acts from 13 countries over 5 days – kicking off just as the Brisbane conference and festival BIGSOUND comes to an end. Taking place alongside…
They may have just announced – and then sold out – their own mini-festival in Brisbane, but before that happens, Sydney group Gang of Youths are heading to California in October to play Cal Jam 18, a festival curated by Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl. This is the second consecutive year the event has been…
While we here in Australia wait patiently for a release date to be confirmed for Boots Riley’s stylish Sorry to Bother You, we can at least dip into another aspect of the film without delay. And it’s most certainly something we’re going to want to get around, as a project has sprung from two of…
Over the past couple of weeks, the internet has been awash with criticism around festivals like Bluesfest and Unity for offering limited diversity in their lineups. Today, Fairgrounds – the “carnival of music and discovery” that happens “a little south of Sydney” in Berry, NSW – showed just how to produce a lineup with true…
Music industry conference BIGSOUND is less than a month away from taking over Brisbane’s Fortitude Valley and is already bursting at the seams with 150 acts announced. But the event has made just made its final announcement, which includes more artists, speakers, and parties. Joining the line-up of up-and-coming performers includes G Flip, I Know…
Since her last release Boneshaker in 2015, Catherine Britt has gotten married, given birth to her first child, won a battle with breast cancer and released her seventh studio album, Catherine Britt and the Cold Cold Hearts, alongside Michael Muchow and Andy Toombs. Recorded in her own backyard studio with engineer Jeff McCormack, this release,…
Futurama and Simpsons fans rejoice! Matt Groening’s new show – his first since the former debuted in 1999 – is Disenchantment. This animation is due to drop shortly on Netflix. Whereas The Simpsons and Futurama are set in the present and future, Disenchantment is all about celebrating the past. Here are five things you need…
Starting in 2015, Snowtunes is hosting one of the countries most impressive and exciting lineups in one of the coolest (sorry) locations in the country. If 2018’s decent snowfall isn’t enough to get you to the slopes, we make the case why it’s not too late to book a last-minute road trip to the ski…
Originally erected in 1960, the stately grain silos perched on Launceston’s King’s Wharf, where the North Esk meets the Tamar, stood abandoned and disused for fifty years before an ambitious project led by Errol Stewart sought to transform the four empty barrels into a high-end contemporary hotel. That project began two years ago, resulting in…
Author Jessie Cole had a relaxed childhood in Northern NSW, there were no words like “must” or “should” spoken by her parents. Instead, Cole and her brother learnt freedom, and were given free range to explore the trees and shadows around their rainforest home, unafraid of the spiders, bugs or the unknown. It all seems…
