Year: 2025

The Maple State

After 17 years, The Maple State return with new album Don’t Take Forever

The Maple State are back! Seventeen years after their original disbanding, the Manchester emo-punk outfit has released their new album Don’t Take Forever. A staple of the early 2000s punk scene, The Maple State steadily developed a loyal following over the years – one that includes Blink-182’s Mark Hoppus and The 1975’s frontman, Matty Healy….

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Metallica blows the roof off Adelaide Oval with a blistering show

It’s been twelve years since Metallica last played Australia, but boy did they make up for lost time. Stopping at Adelaide on Wednesday as part of their M72 World Tour, the heavy metal juggernauts put on what could probably be called the show of the year. Some 50,000 fans of all ages packed out Adelaide…

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New Music Discoveries 7th November: Small Miracles, Genesis Owusu, Yumi Zouma, and more

Ten more tracks have been added to our playlist on Spotify and Apple Music this week, including two from releases we exclusively premiered earlier in the week. We’re heading Northwards to Wales for our Track of the Week – “Phantom” from Cardiff queer art-rock outfit Small Miracles. “Phantom” is the opening track from the band’s…

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Michelle Pfeiffer ditches the holidays in first trailer for Prime Video’s Oh. What. Fun.

Michelle Pfeiffer is done…with Christmas. The first full-length trailer has arrived for the new seasonal comedy Oh. What. Fun. just in time for the holidays, with the three-time Academy Award nominated actress leading an impressively wrapped ensemble cast; I mean, look at this – Felicity Jones, Chloe Grace Moretz, Danielle Brooks, Denis Leary, Dominic Sessa,…

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Interview: Marlon Williams: Ngā Ao E Rua – Two Worlds documents the recording of his latest album in Maori

Upcoming NZ director Ursula Grace Williams has created a playful and revealing story, documenting Marlon Williams‘ four-year journey of creating an album recorded in his native te reo Mãori language. The album, Te Whare Tīwekaweka, is a blend of Marlon’s familiar country folk tunes and the rhythmic styles of traditional Māori music. Williams was recently…

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Exclusive EP Premiere: Donni Heat dives deep on Echoes From The Fallout

Adelaide-based pop-punk firestarter Donni Heat unleashes his debut EP Echoes From The Fallout, premiering exclusively today on the AU review ahead of its official release this Friday, November 7. Blending punk aggression with heartfelt pop sensibility, the record captures the full force of Donni’s evolution—from bedroom project to high-voltage live band—channelling his signature mix of…

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Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson dream huge in trailer for Song Sung Blue

No stranger to dabbling in their own respective musicality, Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson sing their way into the awards season with Song Sung Blue, an inspiring drama based on the true story of Mike and Claire Sardina aka Lightning & Thunder, a Neil Diamond tribute band they formed after meeting, proving it’s never too…

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Book Review: Stark Holborn muses on death and redemption in acid Western novella For The Road

Staggering through the desert, Jesse Bartos stumbles across a train station. Wounded and with only fragmented memories of what brought him to Dawn’s Holt station, he’s taken in by a welcoming, albeit strange, family, who assure him that the train will come. He just has to be patient. Stark Holborn returns with fever dream For…

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Verticoli

Verticoli unveil Silverlinings – exclusive album premiere and Track by Track

Tasmanian alt-rock powerhouse Verticoli return with their stunning new long play release, Silverlinings — a raw and reflective collection that finds light amid the storm. Premiering exclusively today on the AU review, the album captures the band at their most anthemic and emotionally direct, exploring anxiety, loss, disconnection and the desperate search for meaning through…

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Film Review: Predator: Badlands moves the legendary series into an exciting new direction

The Predator series has had a slew of existences since being introduced in the titular 1987 actioner, which, at the time, furthered Arnold Schwarzenegger’s stronghold as the genre go-to and served as something of a more popcorn alternative to the Alien franchise. The original film was a success of its time, and only grew in…

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Interview: Director Dan Trachtenberg on injecting universal humanness in the Predator franchise with Predator: Badlands

Set in the future on a deadly remote planet, Predator: Badlands follows Dek (Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi), a young Predator outcast from his clan, who finds an unlikely ally in Thia (Elle Fanning) and embarks on a treacherous journey in search of the ultimate adversary. The first film in the long-running Predator franchise that focuses on a…

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Interview: Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi on transforming for Predator: Badlands and fusing the character with his Polynesian spirit

Set in the future on a deadly remote planet, Predator: Badlands follows Dek (Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi), a young Predator outcast from his clan, who finds an unlikely ally in Thia (Elle Fanning) and embarks on a treacherous journey in search of the ultimate adversary. The first film in the long-running Predator franchise that focuses on a…

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Interview: Holly Marie Combs on her cross-generational impact with Charmed and Pretty Little Liars; “I’ve been lucky that way.”

After cutting her teeth with her critically acclaimed turn in the seminal 90s drama Picket Fences, Holly Marie Combs became a household name as Piper Halliwell in the long-running fantasy series Charmed. Moving from the magic of that show to the murderous mystery of Pretty Little Liars, Combs has become a cross-generational figure, something our…

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Interview: Brian Krause on the legacy of Charmed; “To hear the impact that it made on so many lives is a blessing.”

From the tropical shores of the Blue Lagoon to Stephen King’s vampiric world in Sleepwalkers, Brian Krause has indulged in a plethora of genres across his varied career, but there’ll always be one role synonymous with his name – that of Leo the white lighter in The WB’s long running fantasy series, Charmed. As the…

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Sydney’s free all-ages live music series Seymour Nights just finalised its Summer 2025 Lineup

For a decade now, The AU Review’s parent company Heath Media have been proud to curate the annual summer free, all-ages series Seymour Nights in Sydney. The event takes over the courtyard at the Seymour Centre at the corner of City Road & Cleveland Road for a series of concerts showcasing emerging artists from Sydney…

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Interview: John Boyega on what he’s learned from the Star Wars franchise; “The biggest lesson was understanding my value.”

An award-winning actor and producer who has captivated audiences worldwide, from the cult classic sci-fi comedy Attack the Block, to the cinematic galaxy far, far away that is Star Wars, John Boyega, with his undeniable talent, magnetic presence, and dedication to his craft and community, has established himself as a force to be reckoned with….

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Hair the Musical tells a story of love, war and hippie counterculture through a dated lens

It’s 1968, and Hair has just brought a story about identity, hippie culture and war to the musical theatre scene. Cut to nearly 60 years later, and the same cultural movement is making its way through Australia, capturing the audience with an emotion-fuelled tribal ritual. This tribal love rock musical is hinged around 60s counterculture,…

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Britpop legends Pulp to play two nights at the iconic Sydney Opera House forecourt

Britpop icons Pulp are set to make their triumphant return to Australia in March 2026, headlining two very special open-air performances on the Sydney Opera House Forecourt, their first Australian show in over a decade. Fronted by the incomparable Jarvis Cocker, Pulp will bring their legendary live show to one of the world’s most iconic…

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Dead Giveaway is a bitingly comedic murder mystery: Philadelphia Film Festival Review

Serving as something of a spiritual sister to the 2000s cult classic Dude, Where’s My Car?, Ian Kimble‘s Dead Giveaway is a biting mystery of a comedy that continually elevates beyond its premise due to the winning dynamic of leads Ruby Modine (Happy Death Day) and Mikaela Hoover (Superman). Across a slick 88 minutes, in…

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Series review: Only Murders in the Building sets up another complicated puzzle in its fifth season

Oh that every home should have a doorman as wise and as kind as Lester Coluca. Sadly, Lester (Teddy Coluca) was the victim for the fifth season of Only Murders in the Building, and this season’s mystery revolves around our three amateur sleuths finding out who had left him for dead in the fountain at the…

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Once Upon a Katamari will leave you starstruck

  As a great song once said, get your star, because another game in the weirdly wonderful series, Katamari Damacy, has just dropped. This new entry, titled Once Upon a Katamari, introduces a night sky of inventive new levels while still having the original’s solid gameplay at its core. Just as bold and brilliant as…

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Donkey Kong Bananza: DK Island and Emerald Rush is a decent expansion that’s worth checking out

When Donkey Kong Bananza first launched, its energetic platforming and creative mechanics instantly cemented it as one of Nintendo’s best new-era titles. With the release of its DK Island and Emerald Rush DLC, the developers clearly wanted to offer both a heartfelt nod to the past and something fresh for players who can’t get enough…

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Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II is still worth picking up on the PS5

As you may have read in our original review for Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II, the sequel to Ninja Theory’s acclaimed and highly praised 2017 psychological action-adventure doubles down on atmosphere and sensory immersion. It’s a haunting and technically dazzling experience that toes the line between game and interactive movie, but also one that too often…

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Film Review: All Is Fine in ’89 transcends its era setting with a narrative universality

The “high school dramedy” is a tried and true genre that (arguably) everyone can relate to in some form or another.  Teen angst and the tumultuousness of that life period before you are officially deemed an adult is a universal experience, and, for whatever reason, the 1980s are so often reserved to explore such.  Whether…

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From Gaga to G Flip, QOTSA to NIN: The 13 best tours we saw in the Northern Hemisphere this Summer

With the highly anticipated Oasis Australian tour starting today, and massive tours like Lady Gaga on the horizon, we wanted to look back at the last few months of Summer touring in the northern hemisphere and talk about the tours that have impressed us the most. This list only reflects the shows that our team…

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Daisy Park

New Music Discoveries 31st October: Daisy Park, Fletcher Kent, Carus Thompson, and more

Another week, another stacked playlist of the best new releases from Australia and beyond. This week we have added another ten tracks to our Discovery Playlist, on Apple Music and Spotify, including two tracks which we premiered earlier in the week. Leading the charge is our Track of the Week, “On Your Own” from Perth…

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Romance and Grit: Luvcat on the gothic femininity of Vicious Delicious

When Luvcat holds the vinyl copy of her debut album Vicious Delicious for the first time, she can hardly believe it’s real. “It was the first day of holding my vinyl today,” she says, still sounding a little dazed. “It was a crazy experience.” With only a week to go before release, she admits to…

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The Outer Worlds 2 is a stunning sequel that outshines its predecessor in every way

I personally enjoyed The Outer Worlds upon its launch in 2019, as it felt like a solid Obsidian Entertainment game that many had felt they had played before, yet was built off the best bits of previous RPG titles. Even so, it did combine a few interesting elements for an entirely functional, engaging and at…

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Two Point Museum ultimately shines on the Nintendo Switch 2

If there’s one thing Two Point Studios has mastered, it’s turning mundane institutions into gloriously chaotic management sims. From hospitals to universities, they’ve built worlds where humour meets spreadsheets, and stress is strangely fun. Two Point Museum continues this trend, letting players build, expand, and profit from their own museums. It’s packed with wit, charm,…

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Cedarsmoke

Track by Track: Cedarsmoke find colour in every emotion on their new album, Under The Rainbow

Brisbane/Meanjin indie-rock outfit Cedarsmoke return with their third album Under The Rainbow, out today. A concept record built around the emotional spectrum of colour, it finds the band blending folk-rooted storytelling with shimmering indie textures and electronic detail. Each track on the album represents a distinct colour and emotional state, creating a vivid sequence of…

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