Year: 2023

The Dandys are a Brisbane/Meanjin-based punk/alt-rock outfit and today have released their debut EP, the fabulous and rocking Sex and Feuds. Back in August, the band dropped the catchy and liberating “Gums”, and have just wrapped up a successful showcase at BIGSOUND 2023. Sex and Feuds demonstrates the musicianship and maturity of a band that is still…

In a much-anticipated tour announcement, Grammy Award-winning, genre-bending powerhouse Wilco are finally making their way back to Australian stages after an extended absence of over a decade. The band are ready to arrive, with Jeff Tweedy, the charismatic frontman now turned songwriter/author/record producer during the band’s lifespan stating, “We love Australia and can’t wait to…

Led by former ABC Sports broadcaster and bestselling author Craig Hamilton, The Promise, from filmmaker Jye Currie, delves into the challenges surrounding mental health and suicide awareness.  The film, the first suicide prevention documentary of its kind, breaks new ground by weaving personal narratives from Hamilton, suicide survivors, individuals who have lost loved ones, and…

Thanks to StudioCanal we have 5 double in-season passes (Admit 2) to see Retribution, the immersive, ticking clock thriller from the producers of Non-Stop and The Commuter, starring Liam Neeson, in Australian theatres from September 21st, 2023. Matt Turner (Liam Neeson) is a successful Berlin based American businessman juggling a booming financial career with family…

Grace, recently married and heavily pregnant, heads to Tasmania to visit her new husband’s terminally ill father. King has spoken little about his family, and wants nothing more than to say goodbye and leave. But once they reach Blackwater, King’s crumbling childhood home, things are far from right. There’s a darkness here that Grace can’t…

It isn’t my intention to prod the leviathan of Australia, but in my humble opinion, some of the best acts at this year’s BIGSOUND festival originated from New Zealand. Don’t @ me. As I’m sure you are aware, the Trans-Tasman musical rivalry is hotly debated. The Finn Brothers. Dragon. Sharon O’Neill. But let’s not dwell…

Even though Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken‘s script is co-penned by Pam Brady, a scribe with South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut and Team America: World Police to her name, family audiences needn’t worry that her evident penchant for blue humour will seep through.  No, alongside Brian C. Brown and Elliott DiGuiseppi (the duo having collaborated…

A parallel between the systematic racism towards the Arab community in Europe and the fatalities experienced across the United States during the Black Lives Matter movement, Mehdii Fikri‘s After the Fire is an affective drama that commands conversation. Though a fictional story, the film’s credits take note that this is “based on the real struggle…

*This interview took place prior to the current SAG-AFTRA strike* Every hero needs a villain.  And when you’re Ruby Gillman, a sweet, awkward 16-year-old whose just found out she’s a direct descendant of the warrior Kraken queen of the seas, there’s nothing scarier than Chelsea: Beautiful. Popular. Mermaid! From DreamWorks Animation, Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken…

*This interview took place prior to the current SAG-AFTRA strike* She may have loved all the boys with her hit Netflix trilogy of films, but the only thing we love right now is Lana Condor. Making history as the first female title character in a DreamWorks Animation film, Condor is breaking ground as Ruby Gillman,…

The Brisbane International Film Festival (BIFF), presented by MINI, has announced its first wave of preview titles ahead of its program launch, including its Opening Night Gala event premiere. Set to take place from October 26 to November 5 at selected Dendy, Reading and Five Star cinema locations across Brisbane, the full program will be…

Brendan Ritchie’s Eta Draconis is a grounded and heartfelt exploration of searching for a future in a world that feels like it has none. Elora has just finished high school in her hometown of Esperance, Western Australia. Her older sister Vivienne, already attending university in the city, has been home for the summer holidays and…

To celebrate its 10th anniversary, Australian-owned company Aspera Mobile has launched the AS5, a new entry-level 4G handset with an impressive amount of features at just A$99. Yes, you read that right. It’s admittedly a great price for a phone that includes some nifty features like facial recognition and dual-sim compatibility, all while running on…

It’s rare these days for the “superhero origin story” to deviate from a familiar path.  It’s what is done within and around said path that manages to make even the most tested of narratives somewhat exciting. Blue Beetle is another case of been there, done that, with its story centring around a symbiote that transforms…

Melbourne is a diverse city, with way too much to fit into one visit. There is no shortage of restaurants, art galleries, bars, nightclubs, cafes and shopping that will keep you entertained on your next trip to (arguably) Australia’s most cultured city. But what sits off the beaten path? Here are just ten of our…

An origin story 5 years in the making, Puerto Rican filmmaker Ángel Manuel Soto is finally seeing his vision of the Mexican-American superhero Blue Beetle brought to life in DC Studios’ Blue Beetle. Starring Xolo Maridueña in the lead role, the film tells of recent college graduate Jaime Reyes and his return home full of…

After the lush, star-studded class of Murder on the Orient Express (2017) and the campier inclinations of 2022’s Death on the Nile, it makes sense that Kenneth Branagh would again change the temperament of his latest Hercule Poirot mystery.  Adhering to a darker, more supernaturally-infused mentality, A Haunting In Venice is the most unsettling of…

Sega is celebrating a return to form with Samba de Amigo finally getting a next-gen release on both Nintendo Switch and Apple Arcade, with a brand new rhythm-based game that takes on the likes of Guitar Hero and fuses it with the physical energy of Just Dance for an all-out party, which can be played…

  Coma Girls is the solo project for Los Angeles indie rock artist Chris Spino. His indie-rock songs have a wonderful earthiness to them, an honesty that traverses shoe-gaze, indie rock and folk. Next month, he releases his new LP Crystal Pistol, and we are thrilled today to be premiering the video for the buzzing and captivating…

Multi-Grammy award-winning Chance the Rapper will be speaking at this year’s inaugural Sydney SXSW this October. He joins a stacked program of over 1,000 ground-breaking events and sessions on Tech and Innovation, Games, Music, Screen and Culture. Chance has won the respect of both his industry peers and former President Barack Obama, who described him…

Joe Lo Truglio has long made a name for himself within the comedy scene.  Whether it’s as Andy Samberg’s over-sharing right-hand in the acclaimed sitcom Brooklyn Nine-Nine, his various roles in the absurdist Reno 911!, or as one of the many sex-starved “teens” in the cult hit Wet Hot American Summer, Lo Truglio has proven…

It’s not uncommon for predominant comedic personalities to flex their talent in opposing genres.  We’ve seen the likes of Jordan Peele and Zoe Lister-Jones move from situational humour to helming their own horror works (the former with Get Out, Us, and Nope, the latter behind The Craft: Legacy) to varying degrees of success, furthering the…

Few games can capture the attention of an entire gaming generation. That being said, Bethesda has been able to do this with their previous titles, including The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim and Fallout 4. While Fallout 76 didn’t quite go to plan, the company seems to be back on track after their much-hyped and long-awaited…

The Forum was filled with nothing but love and warmth last Friday, with Cub Sport celebrating the final stop of their “Jesus At The Gay Bar” tour. Eloise Coomber was in the thick of it shoot the show. Cub Sport Setlist: Always Got the Love High For The Summer Hawaiian Party Chasin Confessions Beg U…

The Torquay Hotel was ablaze with excitement on a frosty Friday night, as the co-headlining regional tour featuring Slowly Slowly and Stand Atlantic drew an eager crowd that filled every nook and cranny of the venue. The night had a delayed start, with doors opening at 8 pm, followed by TOWNS at 8:30, Stand Atlantic…

Thanks to Warner Bros. Pictures we have 5 double digital in-season passes (Admit 2) to see the latest DC superhero – Blue Beetle. Recent college grad Jaime Reyes returns home full of aspirations for his future, only to find that home is not quite as he left it. As he searches to find his purpose…

Indigenous Mapuché Chilean / Australian singer, producer LENI has released his debut EP Greenlights today. Produced remotely with Melbourne based engineer Gareth Thomson, the EP is a magnetic blend of alternative pop and neo-soul, reminding one of Frank Ocean and Tame Impala. The latest single, “Chasing Stars” comes from a New Year’s Eve experience, whereby…

This competition is now closed Time poor? There’s good reason why just about every kitchen-owner in Australia is starting to invest in a good-quality, high-capacity air fryer. These trending kitchen appliances are some of the most valuable things you can have sitting in the kitchen; buckets of heat that push air around a chamber to…

Award-winning boutique QT Sydney already has one of the city’s best restaurants in beloved Italian-accented grill house, Gowings, but the eccentric property is clearly not done with revolutionising the city’s hotel dining scene. The low-lit and intimate street-level cafe that was once known as Parlour Cucina has now relaunched as Parlour, a sultry all-day Parisian…

We’re back with another ten tracks added to our Discovery playlist on Spotify and Apple Music. This week’s Track of the Week is “Salt”, the first ever collaborative single from Aussie punk rock rising stars Teen Jesus and the Jean Teasers. “Salt”, which comes from the band’s forthcoming debut album I Love You (out Oct 6th),…