Year: 2024

In April, New Zealand shoegaze outfit Libbianski released their gorgeous debut LP, Useless Splendour.  One of the standout tracks on the album is “Too Many Fools, Not Enough Horses”, and we are thrilled to be premiering the video today. This video is also a first for the band, with it being their debut video. The…

The basic narrative at the core of Restless – asking how far one would go to maintain peace in your own home – is perhaps one of the most relatable, and it’s because of that potential familiarity that Jed Hart‘s dread-drenched thriller is all the more chilling. Whether it’s happened directly to us or we…

Things are heating up in the kitchen, with just two weeks to go till the Home Cooking Show and Cake, Bake, and Sweets Show come to Melbourne for a weekend of workshops, recipes, demonstrations, hands-on experiences and, of course, plenty of food and drink. The show will run from July 5th to 7th at the…

The Paper Kites flew into Brisbane on Friday night for a joyous evening at the perfectly suited Tivoli Theatre to deliver songs from their latest album At The Roadhouse, plus covering many of the beautifully crafted songs we’ve all grown to fall in love with over their last 10 or so years. Hannah Cameron, accompanied…

Despite the winter chill, we are looking ahead to July and August to warm up with an incredible lineup of live music. This year has already delivered some unforgettable acts, but it seems the best is yet to come. Australian and New Zealand are about to get a fantastic delivery of shows for you to…

There’s a subtlety and quietness to Darkest Miriam that continually laces this sad, yet captivating drama, with Britt Lower‘s haunting central performance adding a poetry to proceedings that beautifully captures those watching. In a Toronto neighbourhood, Miriam (Lower) lives a quiet life as a librarian, seemingly content with her daily routine of shuffling through the…

Prepare for the most spine-chilling ghost encounter of the year. Susan Hill’s acclaimed gothic horror tale hasn’t gone dull with age, surviving through Stephen Mallatratt’s remarkable adaptation, which has lived on London’s West End for over 30 years. Bringing its ghostly horrors to Melbourne, The Woman in Black is a thrilling exploration of terror that…

The Rions rocked the stage at The Triffid in Brisbane last night as part of their sold-out Sweet Cocoon Tour. Supported by both Park Rd and Blusher, this night was truly one to remember. Since forming in 2016, this four-piece indie rock band from Sydney’s Northern Beaches has continually reached new heights. Emerging from the…

Pond played to a packed out Carriageworks for Vivid Sydney on a very wet Sydney night and I’m calling it gig of the year 2024! Supported by the excellent Melbourne garage-punk outfit Delivery. With the imminent release of Pond’s 10th studio album Stung! we were treated to new songs “(I’m) Stung”, “Neon River”, “Black Lung”…

After premiering at last year’s SXSW Film & TV Festival, the acclaimed Cora Bora is finally introducing herself to the masses; the film is set for a release in theatres in the United States from June 14th. Starring Megan Stalter (TV’s Hacks) as the titular Cora, the film tells of her fear that her relationship…

Whilst there’s no doubt that Megan Stalter is a talented comedienne (“Hi Gay!”, anyone?), the type of social-media-sketch-performer-turned-feature-actress trajectory isn’t always a guaranteed translation for both their respective humour and an audience’s positive reaction.  Thankfully, her starring role in Cora Bora is a more dramatic transition for the actress, displaying a vulnerable, shaded, even confidence-lacking…

Luke Hemmings‘ show in Melbourne on Wednesday, June 12th, marked a significant milestone in his career. This was his first solo performance in Australia, a highly anticipated event for fans of the frontman of the beloved Aussie band 5 Seconds of Summer. The band’s latest album was released in 2022, while Luke’s solo journey began…

‘An Evening With Marlon Williams‘ was simply that, a seated theatre style show with Marlon alone on stage… sometimes acapella with his head covered by a hoodie and lit by dark orange lights, or joyously dancing around the stage with his soaring voice guiding us to another world. An intimate, personal and at times very…

As much as Vincent Grashaw‘s Bang Bang revels in the alpha masculinity that oft dominates the boxing industry and the men it produces, this hard drama laces its narrative with a sadness and humanity that consistently brings the film above its gruff exterior. And much of that belongs to the impeccable Tim Blake Nelson, leading…

Luke Hemmings has well and truly redefined himself. The Syndey-born musician’s career, who now spends most of his time in Los Angeles, was born out of the successful boyband 5 Seconds of Summer. Though remnants of their adoration were clear at his Melbourne show on Wednesday, with an ample amount of screaming fans – it’s…

A character losing themself to nature in order to find solitude or correct the course of their life is not a road seldom travelled on screen.  And in the case of The Outrun, it’s the windswept Orkney Islands off the northeastern coast of Scotland that serve as a place of rejuvenation for Rona (Saoirse Ronan,…

Since 2018, CUPRA has developed a reputation as one of Europe’s fastest-growing car brands. Originating from Spanish manufacturer SEAT’s motorsport division, Cupra Racing, the move for the brand to launch in its now standalone form has led to growing popularity in a number of markets, including Australia. CUPRA’s line of vehicles brings the performance dynamics…

In 2004 MF DOOM released Madvillainy and MM..FOOD, often cited as the two best albums of his career, in 238 days. For the years following up until DOOM’s death in late 2020, these two albums and the entirety of his discography have garnered consistent critical acclaim, frequently appearing in year and decade-end lists. Universally accepted…

Shin Megami Tensei V might have been released back in 2021 but didn’t really catch much traction with Western audiences. It was back then, a fantastic traditional JRPG with some unique story elements, and is still considered a relatively great game. Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance, however, feels like the definitive release, complete with new…

The prospect of being stuck in a cab for 90 minutes with a driver that isn’t afraid to wax lyrical about the dynamics of men and women doesn’t exactly sound like the most pleasant experience.  And whilst that it is the entire premise of Christy Hall‘s conversation-provoking Daddio, audiences pre-empting their annoyance at such a…

We’re somehow nearly at the halfway point for the year and we’ve added ten more tracks to our Discovery Playlist on Spotify and Apple Music. This week our Track of the Week is “Calm The Sea” from folk artist Kim Churchill. Fresh from a European tour and following the release of previous single “Hobbies”; “Calm…

San Francisco’s experimental awesome foursome rock band Deerhoof played at the newest and coolest Sydney venue Machine Hall for Vivid Sydney supported by the wonderful Annie Hamilton playing solo. Deerhoof dazzled with their punchy eclectic pop tunes with bassist and lead vocalist Satomi Matsuzaki dancing and kicking her way for what was a delightful fun…

A staple of screen, stage and the small screen for five decades now, David Hyde Pierce is one of the most celebrated actors of his time, with his most recognised turn as Dr. Niles Crane on the acclaimed sitcom Frasier (1993 – 2004) lauding him four Emmy Awards and two SAG Awards. His latest role,…

Whilst it’s understandable that audiences may assume The Exorcism is somehow related to last year’s The Pope’s Exorcist – and given both their closeness in title and sharing of Russell Crowe, you can see why – but Joshua John Miller‘s genre entrant is more a dramatic character study, with many of the horrific elements feeling…

Following the widespread acclaim of her debut solo record Distance in 2020, New Zealand-born, Melbourne-bred, and now Los Angeles-based indie artist Jess Cornelius is set to release her sophomore album CARE/TAKING this Friday through Tender Loving Empire. With a strong 10-song offering, CARE/TAKING continues Cornelius’s style of heavily biographical and vulnerable songwriting, with reflections on…

From DreamWorks Animation comes a new adaptation of a literary sensation, Peter Brown’s beloved, award-winning, #1 New York Times bestseller, The Wild Robot. The epic adventure follows the journey of a robot—ROZZUM unit 7134, “Roz” for short — that is shipwrecked on an uninhabited island and must learn to adapt to the harsh surroundings, gradually…

Whether you’ve seen the movie Saving Mr. Banks, heard the folklore or have noticed the lamp yourself, chances are you know that Walt Disney had small apartment near the entry to Disneyland in California. Situated above the Fire Station that sits on the left hand side of the park’s entry, Walt would be able to…

Upbeat pop songs covering love and politics aren’t usually a natural mix, yet with Brisbane-based producer and vocalist Minn Aung, aka as Aqver, it just feels ever so right, in his latest high-energy bop, “WON’T CHANGE ME”. We’re super excited to be premiering this new track ahead of its release on Friday. “WON’T CHANGE ME”…

The idea of wearing a mask – physical or metaphorical – can so often be used to uncover a psyche within the realms of dark storytelling, and for Aaron Schimberg‘s chaotic A Different Man a literal representation is at the core.  There’s an undeniably captivating and thought-provoking narrative at play, but the execution feels ultimately…

Today, Sydney singer/songwriter Abbey Lane has released her debut EP, the fabulous Afterthoughts.  Relationships are the central theme of the record, and the highs and lows of letting ourselves be vulnerable through love are artfully captured by the talented songwriter. There are many highlights here. One of my favourites is “Stuck in that moment”, which…