Year: 2020

In 2020, a movie detailing the drag scene and the straight Texan mother who comes to embrace it following the death of her queer son should be something worth remembering.  Even more so when said mother is portrayed by a seasoned performer like Jacki Weaver.  Sadly, as well-intentioned as Stage Mother is, it’s a forgettable…

Tucked away in a small corner within Darlinghurst, The Mayflower is a hidden gem that pays homage to a 90s Art Deco florist. Revamped as a high-end cafe-restaurant, the venue flourishes with stylish floral centerpieces and distinctive interior pieces. With onyx stone tables, elegant pendant lights, peach chairs and stunning backdrops of abstract floral murals,…

We have the exclusive video premiere of “To Call You Mine” from Sydney singer-songwriter  Lisa Caruso.  This is a ripping track off her forthcoming debut album, In Feelings. The first single off the album, “Shake Baby Shake” earnt a spot on the NBC TV Series “Good Girls” and has received plenty of airplay since. “To…

If you make content but you don’t speak camera, Sony has your back. The ZV-1, Sony’s compact do-it-all camera hit the scene in June and immediately made waves with its long list of innovative features designed especially for video content creators who don’t want to mess around with multiple lenses or large camera bodies. What’s…

Whenever one thinks of animation studios, the main ones one would think of would be either Disney and Pixar from the West and Studio Ghibli overseas. Then on the lesser known side, there would be studios like Laika and Aardman studios. But there is one that is even more obscure and that is called the…

Today’s Track of the Day is something that is sure to get the blood pumping. Three-piece garage rock band Crocodylus have just released their latest single “Social Climber” and it’s an absolute blast. The track lures you in with its catchy guitar hook at the start and takes you to some unusual places from there. All…

The filmography of playwright/director Kornel Mundruczo is quite interesting from a first glimpse. The standout feature is the fact that his works are usually political parables disguised as genre fare. His last two films White God and Jupiter’s Moon delved into the horror/sci-fi genre but were more about the examination of the inner workings of…

Sunship Balloon – the side project from Daniel Haggis and Tord Øverland Knudsen of indie royalty The Wombats – have released their first album Everywhen. While their work with The Wombats is largely rooted in indie rock, Sunship Balloon sees the duo explore new sonic ground, with elements of psychedelia, electronica and alt-pop thrown into…

D&D Celebration 2020 kicks off VERY early on Saturday morning AEST, but we don’t reckon you’ll want to miss a minute of it. The festival is a huge celebration of Dungeons & Dragons, the world’s most popular tabletop roleplaying game, and it’s latest adventure book Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden. D&D Celebration will run…

Penguin Bloom follows the story of the Bloom family, a happy and adventurous troupe who are led on many treks by the outgoing matriarch Sam (Naomi Watts). All appears well as they are holidaying in Thailand until a once-in-a-lifetime accident occurs; leaving Sam paralysed and confined to a wheelchair.  Seen as a shadow of her former…

We have the exclusive video premiere today of “My Truth”, a garage/dance-pop track from FOURA, featuring Emy Zaluzna. You might have known FOURA through her previous moniker, Lotus Moonchild. She is best known for  DJ’ing and producing in the clubs of Melbourne, cutting a swathe through the world of bass, electronic, garage, house and techno.  FOURA…

Sunship Balloon – the side project from Daniel Haggis and Tord Øverland Knudsen of The Wombats – emerged on the scene last year with the release of their debut EP Intergalactic Teacup Travel Centre. Weaving in elements of psychedelia, electronica and alt-pop, their sound is distinctly different to the indie rock of their main gig…

Brash, energetic and full of their own confidence, A. Swayze & the Ghosts are ready to take the guitar rock world by storm – one three minute song at a time. Straight out of the Apple Isle, the four piece debut here with the blistering Paid Salvation and aim to mark their place on the music landscape….

1819, Manchester. Sarah McCaffrey and her mother Emily attend a talk at St Peter’s Field by the renowned orator and reformist Harold Hartford (a fictional character based on Henry Hunt). The establishment, wary of the revolutionary sentiments growing among the poorer working classes in the shadow of the French Revolution some twenty years earlier, have…

Central Coast trio Un-Ti are back with another pop banger, the catchy AF “Stay“. With influences ranging from Ed Sheeran to The Weeknd, the latest from high school mates Lachie, Reid, and Ben is polished pop perfection, and a great follow-up to previous single “Love Me Like Yesterday“. With gorgeous vocals and some seriously good…

EB Games just put their PS5 preorders live. This is not a drill. You can preorder either the standard or digital-only consoles via the EB Games website right now, with a $200 deposit. EB are also pulling in some sweet trade deals if you don’t have enough cash lying around to pay full fare. The…

The PlayStation 5 Showcase is here. The last big show-and-tell of 2020. A slew of brand new trailers and, as the curtain falls, the long awaited release date and pricing details. To say Sony left it all out on the court with this one is to undersell it. There’s a LOT to unpack here, so…

  The PlayStation 5 finally has pricing and a release date. With only two months to go before launch, we now know that both models of PlayStation 5 will launch in Australia and New Zealand on November 12. So how much should you expect one of these bad boys to set you back? Well, for…

In the wide, wonderful world of gaming, what does victory truly sound like? For starters, it’s incredibly detailed with high-audio fidelity, acoustic clarity and exceptional realism. Getting the sound of winning exactly right is the challenge gaming headphones seek to fix, fighting their own battle when it comes to delivering gamers the best possible sonic…

I reckon Super Mario 3D All-Stars will give video game preservationists a lot to think about. I find myself thinking about video game preservation a lot lately. I imagine this is because I’ve reviewed a lot of remasters and remakes in the last few years. Super Mario 3D All-Stars is neither a remake nor a…

Last week Nintendo revealed the next long-awaited release in the Zelda series – Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity. The upcoming title was announced in a 6-minute video, presented by its developers, including Zelda series producer Eiji Aonuma and Hyrule Warriors series producer Yosuke Hayashi. Age of Calamity follows the gameplay of 2014’s Hyrule Warriors; however,…

  News coming out of the House of Mouse has been coming pretty thick and fast as we near closer and closer to the end of the year. So we’re going to distil down some of the key things to keep a lookout for as we edge closer to 2021. We’ve picked out a handful…

We are thrilled to have the exclusive premiere of “Mess!”, the latest single from Sydney-based singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Mihka Chee. This is the title track off her forthcoming EP which will be the follow-up to her 2017 debut EP, Both. It’s a great fun upbeat tune, with a driving beat, vocals with just the right amount…

Whilst Yuval Adler‘s The Secrets We Keep has quite a nasty temperament, it’s a testament to his and Ryan Covington‘s script that it never overindulges in its wince-worthy material. Set in a post-WWII America where the horrors of Nazi camps and prisoner brutality are a distant though still painful memory, Maja (Noomi Rapace), a Romani…

Multi-instrumentalist and composer Josh Johnson continues to tease his forthcoming debut album Freedom Exercise. The LA via Chicago musician, who has toured and recorded with Makaya McCraven, Leon Bridges and more, dropped the album’s first single “Western Ave” earlier this month.  Johnson moved to Los Angeles eight years ago. It was only supposed to be…

Since 2016, Sydney-based smartphone app The Burger Collective has collated and showcased the best burger joints in the city. And that’s no easy feat, given that Sydney has what is arguably one of the absolute greatest collection of burger restaurants in the world. Burger Head, BL Burgers, Happy Ending, Mister Gee, Superior Burger – need…

To celebrate its 21st birthday in Australia, eBay has partnered up with those dessert mad scientists over at Gelato Messina to bring back one of their most famous creations. Available for a limited time exclusively through eBay Australia, with all proceeds going to Beyond Blue, the treat is a refined take on the brand’s classic…

Today the Booker Prize judges announced the six books that make up their 2020 Shortlist. The shortlist was selected from the 162 books submitted for the award. Those 162 were whittled down to an eclectic longlist of thirteen titles back in July, and now the field has been tightened further.  What was already shaping up to…

BIGSOUND has announced the first lineup of keynote speakers for this year’s virtual edition of the annual festival. American legend Tom Morello (Rage Against The Machine, Audioslave, Prophets Of Rage, The Nightwatchman) leads the charge with an insightful presentation on his life as a musician and activist. “Join me at BIGSOUND to talk music, activism,…

Our track of the day is “Life is Crazy (Like That)”, a rollicking tune from OK Hotel, a fresh new alt-rock band out of Wollongong. This is only their second single, following on from “Swim” which was released in February. For a three-piece, they create a big sound, and are making plenty of waves. It’s…